Rising Star Amy Macdonald, Singer-Songwriter
Interview: Sophy Grimshaw As she tunes up for the summer music festivals, the Glasgow Lass talks to Voyager about her number one album, this is the life, and her plans for the future You turn 21 this month and already you have had a number one album. How does that feel? I’ve always loved music and feel privileged to [...]
Interview: Sophy Grimshaw
As she tunes up for the summer music festivals, the Glasgow Lass talks to Voyager about her number one album, this is the life, and her plans for the future
You turn 21 this month and already you have had
a number one album. How does that feel?
I’ve always loved music and feel privileged to be making it.
It’s an honour for me that people have gone out and bought
my album [This Is The Life] and it’s very exciting. There’s a lot
of hype surrounding some young artists and that can be a
weight on their shoulders. My album was never massively
hyped. It slowly went to number one via word of mouth.
People bought it after they heard friends play it.
What’s been the best perk of success so far?
Meeting my musical heroes. People say, ‘Don’t meet your
idols because you’ll only be disappointed’, but I haven’t
been. I met Elton John when I supported him at a gig in
Glasgow. He asked whether he could please say ‘hi’ to me; I
said, ‘of course’! I’ve also met Paul Weller and Fran Healy
from Travis, a band I love.
You’re playing at the Hydro Connect music festival
in Argyll this month. Are you a festival fan?
I’ve always gone to live music festivals as a punter and
now I get to play at them. There’s such an eclectic mix of
bands at festivals and you can hear so many artists during
a period of just a few days. Going to live music festivals
was always the highlight of my year, even before I was
playing them, and I think it’s a highlight of the year for
everyone who goes.
Do you plan to stay in Scotland?
I decided when I got my advance from my record label
that instead of frittering it away on rubbish I should look
at a good investment so I’ve bought a house in Glasgow
and live here. My record company has never tried to
persuade me to move to London. When other musicians
tell me they’ve moved there to make it easier for the work
I don’t know where it comes from. You don’t need to do
that. But I travel a lot and I’m away so often that
sometimes I forget where I am in the world.
Is there a strong music community in Glasgow?
Definitely. There are so many great bands gigging in
Glasgow and in Scotland right now, many of which are
unsigned. It’s a great place for all things musical. I don’t get
out to see music as much I used to but there’s a band
called The Fire And I who are a bit like The White Stripes.
I’m a fan of theirs.
You wrote the song Barrowland Ballroom about the
Glasgow music venue of that name. What’s special
about it?
You can’t really put it into words, but if you go there you
get it. There’s a special atmosphere. I’ve seen so many
great shows there and now I get to perform on that stage
myself, and I have played that song there.
Do you think the music industry treats female
performers differently than males?
I haven’t had many problems as a woman in the music
industry, but one thing that can be hard is that people are
always trying to get you into glamorous dresses and to get
you to work with a stylist, but what if you’re just not that
sort of person? I’ve had to put my foot down and say that
I’ll wear what I want, and that might be scruffy clothes. No
one expects a male performer to go on stage in a tuxedo.
What are your ambitions for the future?
My music is starting to get heard in America now and it
would be amazing to become known there. But I take
it one day a time and I don’t tend to think in terms of
grand plans. I’m not the sort of person who over-thinks
these things.
Amy Macdonald plays the Hydro Connect music festival,
Inveraray Castle, near Loch Fyne, Argyll, Scotland, on
29-31 August; www.connectmusicfestival.com
THE LIFE OF AMY
Glaswegian Amy Macdonald
is one album into her career
as a singer-songwriter. Her
debut record This Is The Life
went to number one in the
album charts in January this
year. As a teenager she
wrote one of her first songs
about the actor Ewan
McGregor, because her sister
had a crush on him.
Macdonald first performed
live in branches of Starbucks
as a 15-year-old, as part of
the coffee shop’s campaign
to be seen to support live
music, before being signed
to Vertigo. For more
information see her website
www.amymacdonald.co.uk
