Amy Elizabeth Macdonald (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, This Is the Life, which produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll" and "This Is the Life"; the latter charting at number one in six countries, while reaching the top 10 in another 11 countries. The album reached number one in four European countries – the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland – and sold three million copies worldwide.[1] Moderate success in the American music market followed in 2008.
In 2020, Macdonald released her fifth studio album, The Human Demands, which spawned four singles and one promotional single. The lead single "The Hudson" reached number twelve in her native Scotland, whilst The Human Demands performed favourably in European album markets. She represented Scotland at the Free European Song Contest 2021 with her song "Statues", finishing in 4th place with 77 points.[4] Macdonald has sold over 12 million records worldwide.[5]
Early life
Amy Elizabeth Macdonald was born on 25 August 1987.[6] She attended Bishopbriggs High School in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland.[7] After being inspired by Travis at the T in the Park festival in 2000, she heard Travis' song "Turn" and wanted to play it herself.[8] She bought a Travis chord book, and started playing on her father's guitar, teaching herself how to play.[9] Soon afterward she began composing her own songs, the first being called "The Wall".[9][10] She started playing in pubs and coffee houses around Glasgow at the age of 15,[11] including the Brunswick Cellars on Sauchiehall Street.[12]
Career
2006–2007: Breakthrough
Macdonald sent a demo CD in response to an advertisement placed in the NME[11] by a new production company set up by songwriters Pete Wilkinson and Sarah Erasmus.[13] Wilkinson said he was "literally aghast" at her songwriting abilities when first he heard Macdonald play the songs "This Is the Life" and "Mr Rock n Roll".[13] He then spent around eight or nine months recording demos with Macdonald at his home studio with a view to securing a record deal for his new client. In 2007 she signed a contract with Vertigo when she was 18 years old.[14]
She has claimed that she feels she was "in the right place at the right time" by answering the advertisement in NME, later claiming that the subsequent success she endured to be "a weird life". Macdonald has been described as "one of the last artists" to gain a recording contract by sending a demo to record companies, with Macdonald claiming it to be "mental", citing the music industry changes since 2007. Macdonald claims that "what’s funny is even then, everyone found it bizarre that I got a record deal from sending a demo, because this was when people were being discovered on MySpace — Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys; they were all doing it that way".[15]
In 2007 Macdonald released her debut album, titled This Is the Life. The album sold three million copies, and reached No. 1 in the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark.[16][17]This Is the Life reached No. 92 on the US Billboard 200.[18] The single, "This Is the Life" reached No. 25 on the US Billboard Triple-A radio airplay charts.[18]
The first single from the album, "Poison Prince", was only a limited release. The second single, "Mr. Rock and Roll", became Macdonald's first top 40 song, charting at No. 12 in the United Kingdom. However the third single, "LA", missed the top 40 at No. 48.
The fourth and most successful single, "This Is the Life", charted at No. 28 in the UK, and was No. 1 in five other European countries ― Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.[19] In her native Scotland, it achieved considerable success, peaking at number seventeen.[20] The single was awarded Platinum in Germany and Belgium and Gold in Spain and Switzerland. It was also the theme song of True Law (Prawo Agaty), a Polish legal drama TV series. The fifth single, "Run", gave Macdonald her second lowest chart position in the UK at No. 75. However, "Run" charted at No. 36 in Germany. The sixth and final single was the re-release of "Poison Prince"; it charted at No. 148 in the UK, Macdonald's lowest chart position.
The album's track "Youth of Today" was chosen as the first single featured on Bebo/iTunes' "Free Single of the Week" program.[21]
Macdonald began working on her second album in 2009.[24] She said "Some of the sounds are just amazing and we've managed to persuade one of my favourite artists to whack some stuff down on them, but you'll have to wait and see."[25] The artist in question was Paul Weller, who contributed electric guitar on the track "Love Love" and piano and bass guitar on the track "This Pretty Face".[26] Titled A Curious Thing, it was released on 8 March 2010.[27]
The album was preceded by the release of the first single from it, "Don't Tell Me That It's Over", a week earlier on 1 March 2010. The single was released to UK radio on 11 January, and Amy performed it that same day on the Simon Mayo Show on BBC Radio 2.[28] "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" was also released to radio in countries like UK, Switzerland, Germany and France.[29] The album's second single "Spark" was released on 10 May 2010[30] on digital download format. Macdonald also confirmed that she would tour the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe in 2010.[31]
The album's third single "This Pretty Face" was released on 19 July 2010 after Macdonald confirmed she would embark on a tour entitled The Love Love Tour. Also that year, she was one of a number of artists who recorded with Ray Davies on his 2010 album See My Friends, in which she sang with him on "Dead End Street".
Macdonald's third album, Life in a Beautiful Light, was released on 11 June 2012.[3] Macdonald began to write Life in a Beautiful Light after having a "lovely year off" following touring in support of A Curious Thing. Macdonald had no time to write songs on her second album as she was touring with This Is the Life. However, Macdonald said she felt that the creation of Life in a Beautiful Light was a more natural process.[32] Two songs from Life in a Beautiful Light were begun before Macdonald's break. "In the End" was written with Macdonald questioning herself whether being a musician was a worthwhile occupation.[32]
Macdonald wrote "Human Spirit" inspired by the Chilean miners' rescue.[32] The song "Left That Body Long Ago" described her grandmother's decline into Alzheimer's disease whilst "Across the Nile" is a response to the conflict of the Arab Spring.[33]
Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Slow It Down", "Pride" and "4th of July".[3] She told BBC News that Pride was written to describe her feelings about performing Flower of Scotland at Hampden Park prior to Scotland international football matches. Macdonald wrote the last track on the album, In the End, at the end of her previous tour and Life in a Beautiful Light was then recorded in Surrey. It was produced by Pete Wilkinson and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, who previously worked on her debut album.[34] On 2 June 2012 she sang her song "Slow It Down" with the finalist of the second season of the Polish version of The X Factor, a girl group the Chance.
She co–presented the Real Radio Breakfast show alongside Ewen Cameron in 2012 whilst regular presenter Cat Harvey was on holiday.[35] In 2014, she performed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. In the television broadcast of the event, Macdonald performs "Rhythm of My Heart" in the middle of George Square with Glaswegians, before panning to Macdonald performing the song live in Celtic Park during the opening ceremony in which she was later joined by Rod Stewart.[36]
Macdonald performing live at Deichbrand Festival, 2018
Macdonald began writing songs for a new album in early 2014, 2 years following the release of her previous album, Life in a Beautiful Light. In May 2014, she performed 4 new songs live.[37] She also sang "Leap of Faith" during the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014.[38] In March 2015, Macdonald announced via Twitter she was finishing the songwriting of the album, but had not yet started recording.[39] On 28 October 2015, she announced via Twitter she started the recording sessions for the album.[40] Later, she stated on 9 December 2015 via her Instagram account that she had finished the songwriting for the album and that she hoped the album would be finished sometime in 2016.[41] On 9 August 2016, Macdonald announced via Instagram her fourth album was finished and would be released early 2017.[42]
Macdonald said although it was two and a half years in the making, which is the longest she has ever taken with an album, she was glad to have taken the time and she feels the album has "the TLC that it deserves".[43]
Macdonald released the new album entitled Under Stars on 17 February 2017. A video of an acoustic version of new album track "Down by the Water" was also released. She performed live on BBC Scotland's Hogmanay 2017 show where she debuted her upcoming single "Dream On".[44]
2018–2019: Woman of the World (The Best of 2007–2018)
Macdonald performing during the Woman of the World tour, 2019
In September 2018, Macdonald announced her first greatest hits album, Woman of the World (The Best of 2007–2018), which includes all of her successful songs, plus a previously unreleased song, "Woman of the World". The album was released on 23 November 2018. Macdonald also announced a European tour, which she embarked on during March and April 2019. The album includes hits, like "Mr Rock & Roll" and "This Is the Life", plus two new songs, "Woman of the World" and "Come Home" from the film Patrick. Talking about the album, Macdonald said, "I remember the week of the 30th July 2007 – I released my first ever album This Is The Life, and I wasn’t quite sure how I found myself in that position. My album was number 1 in countries I’d never even been to before [...] 10 years later people were still interested. I just felt that after such an incredible journey it was time to look back and feel proud of everything that has happened."[45]
Upon release, Woman of the World achieved moderate success in continental Europe. It charted at number 46 on the UK Albums Chart,[46] where it spent one week within the UK Top 100.[47] In her native Scotland, it charted at number 19 on the Scottish Albums Charts,[48] remaining in the top 100 of the Scottish Albums Charts into January 2019, spending a total of nine week on the chart. [49] Elsewhere in Europe, it charted at number 19 on the Swiss Hitparade Albums Chart, spending a combined total of ten weeks on the chart, re–appearing in the top 100 at number 94 in April 2019.[50] In Germany, it peaked at number 22, spending four weeks on the German Albums Chart, number 29 in Austria, number 93 on the Ultratop Flanders Chart and 130 on the Ultratop Wallonia Chart in Belgium.[51]
Macdonald, a prominent fan of popular Scottish sitcom Still Game, made a cameo appearance as herself in the episode "Hitched" in the ninth and final series of Still Game, broadcast on 21 March 2019 in Scotland, and 26 July 2019 elsewhere in the United Kingdom.[52]
Macdonald started writing songs between 2018 and 2019 and she started the recording of her fifth studio album in February 2020. After an interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in March, she resumed recording in June 2020.[53]
She signed a new record deal for the release of The Human Demands, with Macdonald claiming that signing a new record deal was "actually great" and that it "gave that feeling during the first album".[14] Macdonald had been signed to the same record label since she was 18 years old and released all four of her first studio albums with the record company.[14]
On 27 August 2020, she released the album's lead single "The Hudson" and said the release of album The Human Demands would be on 30 October 2020.[54] Macdonald also announced a European tour, which she will embark on between April and July 2021.[55] Macdonald discussed the album, and performed an acoustic version of the track "We Could Be So Much More", on BBC Radio 4's Front Row in November 2020.[56]
On 15 May 2021, she represented Scotland at the Free European Song Contest 2021, hosted in Cologne, Germany. Her song "Statues" ultimately finished in fourth place with 77 points. In July 2021, she hosted her own radio show on BBC Radio Scotland entitled Life Tracks with Amy Macdonald where she played a selection of her favourite songs, explaining what each song meant to her and why she considered it a favourite.[57] Ahead of her European touring schedule through the summer period of 2022, Macdonald released the extended playDon't Tell Me That It's Over on 7 July, which includes three re–recordings of previous singles "Run" (2008), "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" (2010) and "Slow It Down" (2012). Macdonald claimed that she had chosen the three songs based on fan reaction during live performances, claiming that they are "fan favourites". Macdonald recorded each of the songs for the extended play in a live performance style, based on the way she performs the songs whilst touring.[58]
Reviewers have described Amy as softly spoken but with a booming singing voice.[59] Her vocal range is contralto, [60] and blends acoustic and folk with rock and indie influences.[61]
Macdonald has expressed concerns and scepticism about Brexit at numerous times.[67][68][69] In 2017, she stated: “For me suddenly to be put in the position when Brexit happens to need to get visas for every single gig I do – particularly when I do most of my gigs in Europe – might be a little bit mental. Whenever my band play in Switzerland and arrive on the bus, it is a total nightmare” and she might have to leave the United Kingdom because of that and relocate to Germany if Brexit went ahead.[70]
Controversies
In 2008, Macdonald sparked controversy over comments she made regarding Leon Jackson who had just won the fourth series of The X Factor in 2007 following Jackson cancelling a performance with Macdonald after it was reported that Jackson was suffering from tonsillitis. When asked about this, Macdonald did not speak favourably of the situation, and claimed that Jackson was "suffering from lazyitis" and not tonsillitis.[71] In 2015, she was critical of Sandi Thom who had posted a video of herself online having a "meltdown" following BBC Radio 2's rejection of her latest single "Earthquake". Macdonald said that she thought Thom "did not go about it the right way" but claimed that she sympathised with Thom and that "a lot of what she said was probably right".[72]
Personal life
Macdonald is a fan of cars, and has owned a Range Rover Vogue, an Audi R8, a Nissan GT-R and a Ferrari 458 Speciale amongst others. [73][74] She is a prominent supporter of Scottish independence, claiming that "I’ve always been very proud of where I come from. Who knows if I’d be the same if I was from a different part of the world? I think it can also be harder for Scottish artists to break through, I don’t think we always have great support. Sometimes you have to battle that little bit harder."[75] The song "Leap of Faith" from her fourth studio album Under Stars was written about the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. About the song, Macdonald claimed that "the idea of Scotland being in control of its own affairs is something that I actually never thought I'd see in my lifetime. People fight and die for this right and all we've to do is put a little cross in a box. You know what to do Scotland."[76]
She was engaged to footballer Steve Lovell in 2008, but did not marry.[2] She announced in January 2016 that she was engaged to footballer Richard Foster.[77] They married on 4 June 2018 in Las Vegas.[78] Macdonald is a supporter of Glasgow club Rangers.[79]
In 2015, Macdonald had an estimated fortune of £6 million.[80]
Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included brothers and songwriters Rory MacDonald and Calum MacDonald (percussion). The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s, which was the band's most successful period commercially, also included Donnie Munro (vocals), Malcolm Jones (guitar), Iain Bayne (drums), and Pete Wishart (keyboards). Munro left the band in 1997 to pursue a career in politics and was replaced by Bruce Guthro. Wishart left in 2001, also to pursue a career in politics, and was replaced by Brian Hurren. The band released fourteen studio albums, with a number of their songs sung in Scottish Gaelic. At the height of their success during the 1980s and 1990s, Runrig were described by Billboard as one of the "most celebrated" Gaelic language bands in Scotland.
The MacDonald Brothers, now performing as The Macs, are a Scottish pop folk duo from Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland, consisting of brothers Brian and Craig MacDonald. They first rose to prominence in the third UK series of television talent show The X Factor in 2006, and have since gone on to release four studio albums. Their debut studio album, self-titled The MacDonald Brothers was released in April 2007 to positive reviews. The album went on to top the charts in their native Scotland and also performed well on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 18.
This Is the Life is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, released on 30 July 2007. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 13 January 2008 and sold over 900,000 copies in the UK as of February 2017, awarding the album a certification of 3× Platinum.
"Mr. Rock & Roll" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald. The song is the first track on Macdonald's debut album, This Is the Life. It was her first full single after the limited online release of "Poison Prince" and was released physically in the United Kingdom on 16 July 2007.
"This Is the Life" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald from her 2007 debut album of the same name. It was released on 10 December 2007 in the United Kingdom and in 2008 in most European countries. It became Macdonald's most successful single to date, topping eight European singles charts and reaching the top 10 on nine other European music listings. Conversely, the song did not match the success of "Mr Rock & Roll" in the United Kingdom, stalling at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video consists of pictures of Macdonald and her friends' night out.
"Run" is a single released by Scottish singer Amy Macdonald, released as the fifth single released from her debut album, This Is the Life (2007). The single was released via Macdonald's record label Vertigo and Melodramatic, and was written by Macdonald and produced by Pete Wilkinson.
"L.A." is a single released by Scottish singer Amy Macdonald, which was released in October 2007 as the third single from her debut studio album This Is the Life (2007). A moderate success, it reached #48 in the UK Singles Charts, and gain considerable success in Scotland, peaking at number five on the Scottish Singles Charts.
"Poison Prince" is the first single from Scottish singer-songwriter Amy MacDonald's debut album, This Is the Life, and charted at number 136 on the UK Singles Chart in 2007. Its initial limited release was on 7 May 2007, and it was later re-released 19 May 2008. The lyrics were based on the life of Babyshambles and The Libertines singer Pete Doherty, and were written as an ode to the troubled musician.
This is a comprehensive listing of the discography of Scottish singer Amy Macdonald. Her debut album, This Is the Life was released in July 2007, peaking at number one in the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Mexico, Scotland and Switzerland. The single "This is the Life" reached number nineteen on the US Adult Alternative Airplay charts, which lead This Is the Life charting at number ninety-two on the US Billboard 200. The album spawned the singles "Poison Prince", "Mr Rock & Roll", "L.A.", "This Is the Life" and "Run". Her second album, A Curious Thing was released in March 2010, peaking at number one in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, number two in Scotland, Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands, and number four in the United Kingdom. The album includes the singles "Don't Tell Me That It's Over", "Spark", "This Pretty Face", "Love Love" and "Your Time Will Come".
A Curious Thing is the second album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, released on 8 March 2010. The album's lead single, "Don't Tell Me That It's Over", was released on 1 March 2010. The album was confirmed for release in late 2009, and the album's title and track listing was confirmed in January 2010.
"Don't Tell Me That It's Over" is the first single released from Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald's second studio album, A Curious Thing, released on 26 February 2010 in Germany and on 1 March 2010 in the United Kingdom. The single was released internationally via Mercury Records, and was a commercial success for Macdonald across European music markets, particularly in Belgium, Germany and Austria where it reached the top ten. In her native Scotland, it reached number twenty one on the official Scottish Singles Chart, and reached number forty eight in the United Kingdom.
"Spark" is a song performed by Scottish singer Amy Macdonald. The song is her second single released from her album A Curious Thing and was released in the UK on 10 May 2010. The song has charted in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, however it was the first time a single failed to chart in the UK.
Life in a Beautiful Light is the third album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, released on 11 June 2012. The lead single is "Slow It Down" and was released on 20 April 2012. Macdonald's official website confirmed the album for release on 13 April 2012. The track listing was confirmed on Universal Music's store on the same day.
"Slow It Down" is a single release by Scottish recording artist Amy Macdonald, released as the lead single from her third studio album, Life in a Beautiful Light. The song was released on 20 April 2012 and was written by Amy Macdonald and produced by Pete Wilkinson. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 45, her highest charting single since "This Is the Life" peaked to number 28 in 2007. The song also achieved considerable success in other European markets such as Austria, Belgium, Germany, Scotland and Switzerland.
Nina Nesbitt is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, and No. 11 on the Scottish Singles Chart. She is also known for being an ex-girlfriend of singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.
"Pride" is a single release by Scottish recording artist Amy Macdonald; it was released as the second single from her third studio album, Life in a Beautiful Light. It was released on 13 August 2012 and was written by Amy Macdonald and produced by Pete Wilkinson.
"Dream On" is a song by Scottish recording artist Amy Macdonald. The song was released as a digital download on 6 January 2017 through Mercury Records as the lead single from her fourth studio album Under Stars (2017). The song has peaked at number 28 on the Scottish Singles Chart.
Woman of the World is a compilation album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald. The album was released on 23 November 2018 by Mercury Records. Macdonald announced a European tour in support of the album, which took place between March and April 2019.
The Human Demands is the fifth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, and was released on 30 October 2020. The album includes the singles "The Hudson", "Crazy Shade of Blue", "Fire" and "Statues". That same day, Macdonald's official website and official Instagram profile confirmed the album for release.
"The Hudson" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald. The song was released as a digital download on 27 August 2020 as the lead single from her fifth studio album The Human Demands. The song was written by Amy Macdonald, Matt Jones and produced by Jim Abbiss. It is her first top 20 hit in Scotland since 2012's "Slow It Down".
References
↑ Sutherland, Mark. "Music: 6 Questions with Amy MacDonald." Billboard – the International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment 122, no. 9 (6 March 2010): 31.
↑ Simpson, Dave (4 July 2007) "Amy Macdonald: The Lamp, Hull"The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2007. "Although her speaking voice seems almost shy, her vocals fire singing bullets against the rear wall.".
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