- 2025-09-12
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MUSIC
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Calum Scott Releases New Version of Whitney Houston's “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”
British singer-songwriter Calum Scott released a new version of American singer-songwriter Whitney Houston's “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” on September 11, 2025.
It is not a cover version; he collaborated with Whitney Houston on the track. This marks the first time her original stems have been used.
The original version of the song was released by Whitney Houston as the first single from her sophomore album “Whitney” in 1987.
The song reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Also, she won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988.
In June 2025, the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) recently certified the single eight-times platinum in the U.S. alone.
The track was written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam. Produced by Jon 'MAGS' Maguire, Andrew Yeates, and Charlie T. Whitney Houston's was produced by her longtime producer Narada Michael Walden.
Calum Scott said of the song, “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.”- Pat Houston, executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston said, “With Whitney, one of our goals is to continue to expand Whitney's music in new and innovative ways, where it makes sense. 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.”
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Producer Narada Michael Walden said, “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.”
Songwriters George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam said, “We instantly found common ground with Calum as we spoke about Whitney and listened to the song. 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.” - source : Spotify
