Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Iona Young

Edinburgh singer goes viral with acoustic performance from bedroom window

An Edinburgh singer has stunned locals with an impromptu performance of Naive by indie band the Kooks straight from his Newington window, as a kind stranger tried to throw him a euro coin.

The 21-year-old originally from Banchory, Aberdeen was pleasantly surprised when the man stopped to listen to his music and start a conversation despite the miserable Scottish weather.

The heart-warming clip shows Calum Bowie sitting in the window of his flat strumming his acoustic guitar while the rain pours down outside.

A passerby stops and asks 'are you busking? Do you take euros?' To which the Scottish singer replies 'I'm not busking, I'm not busking don't worry.'

READ MORE - Ryanair couple wish they got train to Edinburgh after airline takes them to wrong country

But the stranger enamoured with the guitar playing lad won't give up and asks again if he is busking, standing in the dreich weather he shouts up, 'It's a bit wet' which Calum quickly agrees with.

The pair continue chatting and as the passerby tells Calum 'you definitely should be busking' it becomes clear he won't leave till he passes the performer a euro coin - by throwing it up to the first floor flat window.

Calum eventually gets the coin and said the whole exchange made his day, with the stranger continuing to stand and dance to the soft indie tune for five minutes afterwords.

Speaking to Edinburgh Live the 21-year-old said: "I play out of the window all the time. I was just doing a normal cover and people occasionally shout up with it being a main street but this Irish guy was talking for a while.

"He is a musician too so I think he was just enjoying the live music, he was desperate to throw up this euro coin.

"Its surreal how many people it has reached, when I first shared the video it started really slow. I was not expecting it at all.

"I came to Edinburgh to study engineering at university three years ago but dropped out this year to do music business at college.

"I enjoy it so much more and its way better to get to perform, play and actually sing. I've got a couple of gigs coming up in Edinburgh and London, which I'm really looking forward to.

"I had my first sell out in Legends (formerly Opium) in December which was amazing one of the best I've ever played."

The incredible clip has been watched nearly three million times and gathered 640,000 likes on TikTok as well as thousands of comments.

Calum shared the video yesterday captioned: "Honestly can't believe this just happened #fyp #edinburgh #naive #thekooks #."

@charlottejacklin joked, "I only want to hear this with a Scottish accent from now on."

@johnjohnjohnster said: "Magic! People being nice to people!"

@Rhonabowie kidded: "The only thing naive in this video is you thinking you could catch it."

While @yodathejjedi_712 added: "This is like something out of a movie."

Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox

Even the Kooks shared it on their Instagram story for all their fans to see the heartwarming exchange and Scottish cover of one of their most popular hits.

Calum Bowie is an Edinburgh based Singer and song writer and will be playing gigs across Edinburgh and London this April - you can find out more here.

Since his debut release in 2018, Calum's presence amongst the Scottish music scene has grown massively. He is well liked among fans for his captivating melodies and authentic lyrics that fuel his uplifting music.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.