Singer/songwriter Greg Scott recently appeared on the season 2 of NBC’s Songland where he performed his song Miracle and won the competition! Moreover, the same song was chosen by the well known pop recording artist Bebe Rexha to be used by NBC to promote the upcoming 2023 Tokyo Olympics.
But let’s backtrack: Greg gained the love of millions of people, including numerous celebrities through his sheer talent and now has his own singles, like “I Still Do” climbing the music charts, surpassing famous musicians he once looked up to, and helping fans deal with various things going on in their own lives too through his music.
Who is Greg Scott?
Born and raised in Chico, California, Greg Scott grew up surrounded by music. Greg’s love of music comes from his dad, who was a performer in his own right. His dad spent most of his time rehearsing, performing and recording, and Greg was right there with him; He believes that that is where his love of music comes from. Being surrounded by its beauty since he was a child had an influence on Greg growing up, and when he was in his teens, Greg spent a lot of time with sound engineers, producers and songwriters to learn from them and create his own original sound. This allowed him to release his first album in his teenage years and then start working on forming his own band.
How Did Greg Scott Successfully Achieve His Dreams?
Scott defines success as “happiness”. If his visions and artistry can be heard by even just one individual and inspire them, change their perspective, that would make him extremely joyous. And if it helps Greg put food on the table, he feels like he has succeeded. Like most artists, it has always been his dream to be a pop star and write hit music that resonates on a global scale so he feels like he is on the right path to achieving his dreams. However, he has had to earn his stripes before he finally made it.
His first decent big-break came ahead of his high school graduation where he was asked to perform with multi-platinum recording artists K-Ci & JoJo (one of his favorite R&B groups growing up) and as a featured artist on The Platters Motown Review tour. Shortly after, he moved to San Francisco where he became a respected staple of the Bay Area scene performing with the likes of Tower of Power, Lenny Williams, Narda Michael Walden and Roberta Flack, who also mentored him. Flack even went as far as to compare him to the legendary Donny Hathaway, one of Scott’s biggest influences and flew him out to sing for her music school for underprivileged youth based in NYC.
Even after all that, Greg knew that he would have to move to Hollywood, California to fulfil his ultimate dreams. So it wasn’t until he took the biggest risk of his life and moved to Los Angeles without a dollar in savings and no real connections to pursue a life solely on his talent. His then fiancé and him lived on his uncle’s floor in Van Nuys until they could get enough money for their own place. Not long after that and a ton of dive bar open mics, he was finally able to perform in singer showcases alongside Delious Kennedy of All-4-One, Jackson Brown. After that he started getting placements in commercials, TV and Film. His song “Warriors” was featured on a VH1 show, “Pretty Good” got featured on the hit Netflix show “YOU”, and he wrote and sang the Foster Farms Chicken jingle for the 2023 boy band campaign.
Fast forward to today, where he was recently chosen to compete on the smart and unique NBC show Songland. His song “Miracle” won and was chosen by Bebe Rexha and named to be the official theme song of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2023 by the NBC network. This opportunity has been the one he has been working towards his whole career and it feels like it’s just getting started for him.
What is so Unique about His Songs?
His songs are a combination of all his influences growing up, and even now. His music is very emotional and reflects the tough times and the ups and downs of his life. Being an emotional person, he has always been driven to make people feel good. Every lyric, every breath in between every riff or run is intentional to move the listener in a positive way as he pours his heart and soul in his music. Even in his sad songs, they can make you feel good. Throwing in all his influences like Prince, Michael Jackson, Jodeci, Donny Hathaway and the Rolling Stones, he brought to life something entirely his own. His music is a soulful take on contemporary pop songs with a hint of ruggedness and grit that makes Greg who he is.
Has He Faced any Tragedies in His Personal or Professional Life?
Greg is not ashamed but it’s very hard for him to talk about because it isn’t something he has experienced before. Ever since the pandemic, he has been experiencing intense panic attacks and anxiety attacks just out of nowhere. He has not been able to sleep properly at night and has had trouble breathing for hours at a time. He doesn’t want to go into more detail than that because mental health feels like a very personal issue for him but needless to say that he has had to really focus on his mental state and make changes to his daily routine just to feel at peace for some moments. His close friends and family know about the constant grind that he is in and have been immensely helpful in getting him through it all. He believes that one of the reasons behind the fragility of his mental health is the pressure that he puts on himself by setting very high expectations of himself, as most artists tend to do. So, he has had to step back, take a deep breath and meditate to keep himself calm and in control. While he battles his inner demons, he is still trying to create music just to help people feel better in this crisis.
What are His Hopes for His Music Going Forward?
After all this is over, he once again wants his music and his art to reach the masses especially via a live stage. As the Olympics draw closer, he will be releasing new music leading up to July 2023 with a full length album and tour dates to follow as Greg is quite hopeful and optimistic about the future of his music and the world.
Any Quotes or Words of Wisdom That He Lives by?
“Try and LOVE what you do and if you don’t LOVE it, find the things you like about it and build on that. Try and fall in love because we don’t have much time here. I know that it’s cliche but that’s only because it’s true. Speak it and receive it as my wife and I say.”
With two toddlers boys now and time running out faster each day, Greg and his wife started a tradition of speaking their goals before bed and he believes that this helped them achieve the goals they set out.
“You have to know what you want and find those stones to walk on. TRUST, RECEIVE and Dream BIG!!!”
How is He Making this World a Better Place?
Being a father of two beautiful growing boys has really changed his perspective overall. His hope is to raise them right because he believes that every individual shapes the world in some way, no matter how small we think we are. He believes that the world needs more good men with good morals. We as humans and the planet are in constant change and having to evolve and it is our duty to evolve into someone kinder, someone who cares. He wants his music to help people find their inner kindness that has been hidden by years of hardships that they have had to face.
Greg and his wife are trying their best to make sure they provide their kids with the tools to make the world a better place. But before his kids are cast into the deep end of life, he thinks that he still has some kicking to do and he plans to do it song by song. He also hopes to be in a place where he and his wife can start charities and lead by example for future generations