“I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME)” CALUM SCOTT AND WHITNEY HOUSTON RELEASED TODAY
LISTEN HERE AND WATCH THE OFFICIAL VIDEO HERE
RECORDED WITH THE ENDORSEMENT OF HOUSTON’S ESTATE,
THE STUNNING NEW DUET VERSION ALSO APPEARS ON CALUM’S NEW ALBUM AVENOIR, OUT OCTOBER 10th
40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF WHITNEY HOUSTON’S HISTORIC CAREER UNDERWAY
11 SEPTEMBER 2025 (TORONTO, ON) — Today, Capitol Records released “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” – a stunning new version of the iconic Whitney Houston hit that pairs the vocals of multi-Platinum singer-songwriter Calum Scott with Houston’s, marking the first time her original stems have been used. In June 2025, the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) recently certified the single eight-times platinum in the U.S. alone. The new rendition transforms the dance-pop classic into a symphonic duet that subtly magnifies the song’s mood of heavy-hearted longing. Listen HERE and watch the official video, which features archival imagery of Whitney, HERE. The release comes as fans around the world celebrate the 40th anniversary of Whitney’s historic career in music and entertainment, which began with her 1985 self-titled debut album, which is now one of her three certified RIAA Diamond albums in the U.S.
Says Calum Scott, “Growing up, my mum would play Whitney Houston’s music in the car and her legendary voice had a big impact on me. Last year, I started to include a chorus of 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ when I performed 'Dancing On My Own’' live. Lyrically, it fit perfectly, and it always got an amazing reaction from the fans. But never did I think Primary Wave Music, who is a partner with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston would hear it and reach out to me to collaborate using Whitney’s iconic vocals! It has truly been an honour to be trusted with Whitney’s voice to reimagine her song as a duet ballad which I hope continues to immortalise her incredible artistry. I am extremely grateful to Pat Houston, Primary Wave Music and songwriters, George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam for making a Yorkshire boy and his family very proud. This opportunity is a dream come true.”
“With Whitney, one of our goals is to continue to expand Whitney’s music in new and innovative ways, where it makes sense,” says Pat Houston, executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston. “When we make decisions on behalf of Whitney, we always want to be authentic to her creative integrity. Calum is a multi-talented artist and producer. When Justin Shukat of Primary Wave Music discussed the idea with me of releasing a duet with Calum and Whitney, I initially liked the idea, but of course, I needed to hear the song before we made a final decision. I love Calum’s rendition of the song, and we decided to move forward with the release. Whitney always believed in helping others and extending a hand to help others fulfill their dreams.”
Calum recorded the song with producers Jon “MAGS” Maguire, Andrew Yeates and Charlie T in the UK, joined by a string section. Whitney’s vocals were produced by her longtime producer Narada Michael Walden for Perfection Light Productions. Recording “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” – in the original key, with the original key change – pushed Calum’s boundaries as a song interpreter.
He explains, “It was a very delicate balance, because I wanted to make sure that I paid respect and homage to an icon who’s always meant so much to me. Whitney’s vocal was recorded to tape so reimagining this track with the original vocal took a lot of work to ensure her vocal remained untouched.”
After the track was complete, Calum brought it for a first listen to the song’s writers, George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam – as captured in this video.
“We instantly found common ground with Calum as we spoke about Whitney and listened to the song,” said George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam. “Hearing the raw intensity of Whitney’s voice at the first verse with just piano, joined in the chorus by the warmth and power of Calum’s voice, was an emotional experience. We love the soulful, soaring beauty of the track.”
Calum also visited Randy Jackson, who knew Whitney well and played bass on the original version. Randy shared his fondest memories of Whitney and his reaction to the new version (view here).
Originally released in May 1987, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” is one of Whitney’s biggest hit songs and was the lead single from her second studio album, Whitney. The song became a global hit, reaching No. 1 in more than seventeen countries including Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which became her fourth consecutive No. 1 single. The single also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart and became her first No.1 single on the Billboard Dance/Disco Club Play chart. Whitney won a GRAMMY Award for “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, as well as an American Music Award. In 2023, Billboard magazine named the single the Best Pop Song of All Time. In 2021, Rolling Stone magazine included it on their list of Greatest Songs of All Time. Currently, the video of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” has more than 500 million views on YouTube.
With more than 220 million music recordings sold worldwide, Whitney, also known as “The Voice,” remains peerless. She has released seven career albums, Whitney Houston (1985), Whitney (1987), I’m Your Baby Tonight (1990), My Love Is Your Love (1998), Just Whitney (2002), One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003), and I Look to You (2008) and her recordings are still among the best-selling albums of all time. Her soundtrack recordings included The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992), which remains the best-selling soundtrack album of all time, the best-selling album by a woman in music history, and the best-selling album of the decade; Waiting To Exhale (1995), The Preacher’s Wife (1996), and Sparkle (2012). A recipient of more than 400 awards, including Houston’s six GRAMMY Awards, 22 American Music Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, multiple BET, MTV, Soul Train, and NAACP Image Awards. Whitney’s inductions include the GRAMMY Hall of Fame (twice), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. She was the first Black recording artist to earn three RIAA Diamond-certified albums for sales of over 10 million copies. The Emmy Award-winning actor and producer has starred in five critically acclaimed movies including The Bodyguard (1992), Waiting To Exhale (1995), The Preacher’s Wife (1996), Cinderella (1997) and Sparkle (2012). Additionally, she has executive produced Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Sparkle; she also produced The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2, and The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2.
Set for October 10th release via Capitol Records, Avenoir is Calum’s third studio album and the follow-up to his acclaimed 2022 sophomore album Bridges. In addition to “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Avenoir features soul-stirring songs like “Die For You” and the dance-ready “Roots,” “Where Are You Now” (a Gold-certified collaboration with Lost Frequencies that earned a 2023 BRIT Award Nomination for Best International Song), and “Whistle” (his Gold-certified collaboration with Jax Jones). Pre-order / pre-save Avenoir HERE.
This fall Calum will embark on “The Avenoir Tour” — a global headline run set to bring his phenomenal live show to 24 cities across the UK and Europe and 24 cities across North America. With his latest live experience including performing at stadiums across Asia and Europe as support for Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour, Calum will take the stage at famed venues like London’s OVO Wembley Arena, The Wiltern in Los Angeles, and Terminal 5 in New York City. View the full itinerary HERE.
With his powerful voice and soul-baring songwriting Calum creates the kind of deeply resonant songs that are primed to become the soundtrack to our lives’ most meaningful moments. From weddings to end-of-life rituals, fans have turned to his music to score major life events and for solace in times of heartbreak and loss. Calum’s music has amassed over 10 billion streams worldwide to date. His gold-certified 2018 debut Only Human, featuring his 6x platinum smash “You Are The Reason” and 5x platinum cover of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” earned a BRIT Award nomination in the category of Best British Single. His songs have appeared on countless TV shows over the years (including “American Idol,” “The Voice,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and many more) while his television performances include “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “Good Morning America,” “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” “Dancing With The Stars,” and the “The TODAY Show,” among others. In addition, Calum has garnered acclaim from outlets including Billboard, who praised his “stunningly pure voice,” The Huffington Post, who stated that “Scott makes an impressive splash…compelling,” and Rolling Stone, who declared that “[Scott] can give any listener chills”.
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