‘Feeling vulnerable is not a weakness’: Callum Beattie announces charity single presale

Tunes By the Dunes headliner Callum Beattie emphasised that he tries to be open about his mental health and vulnerabilities as he announced the presale of his new single.

The acclaimed Scottish singer/songwriter is donating a share of the proceeds from Something In My Eye to Mikeysline, the Highland mental health and suicide prevention charity for which he is an ambassador.

The single has a release date of September 27, with the presale and video available now. Actors Sam Heughan and Richard Rankin, in the midst of filming for Outlander, gave up their time to appear in the video.

Service users of Caithness Mental Health Support Group were treated to an unplugged version of Something In My Eye when Callum paid a visit to the Stepping Stones centre in Thurso, before starring at the Tunes By the Dunes festival in Dunnet for the second year in a row.

“Something In My Eye is all about mental health and the overwhelming feelings we sometimes experience,” the 34-year-old explained. “I’m really happy to be donating a share of the proceeds from the record to Mikeysline to support as many people as possible.

“The video for the new song features two wonderful actors, Sam Heughan and Richard Rankin, who I am now honoured to call my friends. Their participation is a true testament to the power of human connection.

“I feel very fortunate to have a career that allows me to use the power of music to enhance our human connections. My sincere hope is that this song will help even a tiny number of people to open up and talk.

“I always strive to be open about my mental health and my vulnerabilities, even when it’s incredibly difficult to talk about these things. I believe that being able to express how we feel is challenging but immensely important.

“I always try to wear my heart on my sleeve and help as many people as I possibly can. Men are expected to be strong all the time, which means we bottle up our feelings.

“This creates a paradox for me because my emotions are a huge source of my songwriting creativity, yet these same feelings can be so overwhelming that I struggle to cope with the pressures of everyday life. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way.

“What keeps me going is my ability to talk to those around me about those feelings.

“When I was asked to be an ambassador for Mikeysline, I was absolutely delighted to accept. It means I can use my songs to help make a difference to people who have similar experiences and raise awareness that ‘it’s okay not to be okay’.

“When we realise that it’s good to be open and talk about our emotions, we can be brave and turn our vulnerability into a superpower. I want to help as many people as I can to achieve this.

“Feeling bad or vulnerable is not a weakness. I know that these feelings are not permanent and can change. This experience can make you stronger.

“Love, compassion and openness are the keys to my journey, and my hope is that I can help others on their journeys too.”

Callum and his manager Dave Rogers have raised more than £650,000 for charities and good causes over the past three years. He has had two number one albums in Scotland.

In the aftermath of Tunes By the Dunes, Callum Beattie hailed it as “a beautiful festival, in a beautiful place, run by beautiful people”.

The UK’s most northerly mainland music festival is organised by North Coast Entertainments in a 1200-capacity marquee at Ham Park. Also appearing this year were Whisky, Torridon, Tide Lines, the Tumbling Souls, Mikie Henderson, Cammy Barnes, Calum MacPhail, Blazin’ Fiddles and Beat the Drum – The Runrig Experience.

Plans are already under way for the next Tunes By the Dunes on September 5 and 6, 2025.

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