Amy Macdonald

**Amy Elizabeth Macdonald** (born 25 August 1987) is a Scots sangster-sangwriter, guitarist, an muisician. She has selt ower 12 mulyeon records warldwide. Macdonald lowsed her debut album, *This Is the Life*, in 2007. The singles "Mr. Rock & Roll" an "This Is the Life" fae it wis chairt hits. The latter hit nummer ane in sax kintras, whiles gettin intae the tap 10 in 11 mair kintras, sellin three mulyeon copies warldwide. Moderate success in the American muisic mercat follaed in 2008. She wis a guest on programmes sic as *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* an *The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson*, whaur she performed twa singles fae the album, an  *This Is the Life* got tae nummer 92 on the *Billboard* 200.

Macdonald's seicont album, *A Curious Thing*, wis lowsed on 8 Mairch 2010. Its lead single "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" wis lowsed in Mairch 2010; it peaked at nummer 45 on the UK Singles chairt, an did weel in ither European kintras as weel. Five singles hae sin been lowsed fae *A Curious Thing*. Macdonald is ane o the airtists that kythed wi Ray Davies on his 2010 album *See My Friends*; she sang wi him on a cover of the Kinks' 60s hit "Dead End Street". Her third album, *Life in a Beautiful Light*, wis pit oot on 11 Juin 2012. It haed three singles: "Slow It Down", that became a nummer 45 hit on the UK Singles chairt; "Pride", an "4th of July".

On 17 Februar 2017, Macdonald pit oot her fowert studio album, *Under Stars*, that cam in at nummer twa on the Scots an UK Album chairts. It peaked wi-in the tap 10 of the album chairts in Germany an New Zealand an aw.

## Early life
Amy Elizabeth Macdonald went tae Bishopbriggs Hie Schuil in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Efter bein inspired bi Travis at the T in the Park fest in 2000, she heard Travis' sang "Turn" an wantit tae play it hersel.
She bocht a Travis chord buik, an stairtit playin on her faither's guitar, lairnin hersel hou tae play at juist 12 yeir auld. Suin efter, she began componin her awn sangs, the first bein cried "The Wall". She stairtit playin in pubs an coffee hooses athoot Glesga at the age o 15, includin the Brunswick Cellars on Sauchiehall Street.

## Career

### Breakthrou

Macdonald sent aff a demo CD in repone tae an advert pit in the *NME* bi a new production company set up bi sangwriters Pete Wilkinson ani Sarah Erasmus. Wilkinson said he wis "literally aghast" at her sangwritin abilities whan first he heard Macdonald play the sangs "This Is the Life" an "Mr Rock n Roll". He then spent aroond aicht or nine month recordin demos wi Macdonald at his hame studio wi an aim tae siccar a record deal fur his new client. In 2007 she subscrieved a contract wi Vertigo.

### 2007–2009: ''This Is the Life''

In 2007, Macdonald lowsed her debut album, titled *This Is the Life*. The album selt 3 mulyeon copies, an rexed No. 1 in the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland an Denmark. *This Is the Life* raxed No. 92 on the US *Billboard* 200. The single, "This Is the Life" raxed No. 25 on the US *Billboard* Triple-A radio airplay chairts.

The first single fae the album, "Poison Prince", wis anerly a leemitit lowsin. The seicont single, "Mr. Rock an Roll", becam Macdonald's first tap 40 sang, chairtin at No. 12 in the Unitit Kinrick. Houaniver, the third single, "LA", missit the tap 40 at No. 48.

The fowert an maist successfu single, "This Is the Life", chairtit at No. 28 in the UK, an wis No. 1 in five ither European kintras. The single wis awardit Platinum in Germany an Belgium an Gold in Spain an Switzerland. It wis also the theme song of *True Law* (*Prawo Agaty*), a Polish legal drama TV series. The fift single, "Run", gied Macdonald her seicont lawest chairt position in the UK at No. 75. Hounaiver, "Run" chairtit at No. 36 in Germany. The saxt an final single wis the re-lowsin o "Poison Prince"; it chairtit at No. 148 in the UK, Macdonald's lawest chairt position.

The album's track "Youth of Today" wis waled as the first single featurt on Bebo/iTunes' "Free Single of the Week" programme.

She kythed as a muisical performin guest on Breetish an furren programmes siclik *The Album chairt Show*, *Loose Women*, *Friday Night Project*, *Taratata* (France), an *This Morning*. She won the best newcomer awaird at the Silver Clef Awards. She haes kythed on sindry US tauk programmes siclik *The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson* (2008), whaur she performed "Mr. Rock an Roll" an *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* (2008) an aw, whaur she performed her hit single, "This Is the Life".

### 2010–2011: ''A Curious Thing''
Macdonald stairtit wirkin on her seicont album in 2009. She said "Some o the soonds are juist magic an we'v managed tae persuade ane o ma favourite airtists tae whack some stuff doun on thaim, bit ye'll hiv tae haud on an see." The airtist in quaisten wis Paul Weller, that contreibutit electric guitar on the track "Love Love" an piano an bass guitar on the track "This Pretty Face". Titled *A Curious Thing*, it wis lowsed on 8 Mairch 2010.

"Don't Tell Me That It's Over" cam oot a week afore the album on 1 Mairch 2010. The single wis lowsed to UK radio on 11 Januar, an Macdonald performed it the same day on the Simon Mayo Show on BBC Radio 2. "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" wis lowsed tae radio in kintras siclik UK, Switzerland, Germany an France an aw. The album's seicont single "Spark" wis pit oot on 10 Mey 2010 on digital doonload format. Macdonald confirmt an aw, thit she wid tour the Unitit Kinrick an ither pairts o Europe in 2010.

The album's third single "This Pretty Face" wis pit oot on 19 Julie 2010 efter Macdonald confirmt she wid be gangin on a tour entitled *The Love Love Tour*. Forbye that year, she wis ane o sindry airtists that recordit wi Ray Davies on his 2010 album *See My Friends*, in that she sang wi him on "Dead End Street".

### 2011–2015: ''Life in a Beautiful Light''
Macdonald's third album, *Life in a Beautiful Light*, wis lowsed on 11 Juin 2012. Macdonald began tae scrieve *Life in a Beautiful Light* efter haein a "lovely year off" efter tourin in support o *A Curious Thing*. Macdonald haed nae time tae scrieve sangs on her seicont album as she wis tourin wi *This Is the Life*. Houaniver, Macdonald said she felt thit the creation o *Life in a Beautiful Light* wis a mair naitural-lik process. Twa sangs fae *Life in a Beautiful Light* wis stairtit afore Macdonald's break. "In the End" wis scrievit wi Macdonald quaistenin gin bein a muisician wis a wirthy thrift.

Macdonald scrieved "Human Spirit" inspirt bi the Chilean miners' rescue. The sang "Left That Body Long Ago" descrieved her grandmither's faw intil Alzheimer's disease whiles "Across the Nile" is a repone tae the conflict o the Arab Spring.

Three sangs fae the album wis pit oot as singles: "Slow It Down", "Pride" an "4th of July". She telt BBC News thit Pride wis scrieved tae descrieve her feelins anent performin Flouer o Scotland at Hampden Park afore Scotland international fitba matches.

Macdonald scrieved the last track on the album, *In the End*, at the end o her foregaun tour an *Life in a Beautiful Light* wis then recordit in Surrey. It wis produced bi Pete Wilkinson an mixed bi Bob Clearmountain, that haed warkit on her debut album aforehaun. On 2 Juin 2012 she sang her sang "Slow It Down" wi the finalist o the seicont saison o the Pols version o *The X Factor*, a girl group the Chance.

### 2016–2018: ''Under Stars''

Macdonald stairtit scrievin sangs fur a new album in early 2014, 2 year efter the lowsin o her previous album, *Life in a Beautiful Light*. In May 2014, she performed 4 new sangs live. She sang "Leap of Faith" durin the Scots independence referendum in September 2014 an aw. In Mairch 2015, Macdonald annooncit via Twitter she wis finishin aff the sangwritin fur the album, bit hadnae yet stairtit recordin. On 28 October 2015, she annoonced via Twitter she stairtit the recordin sessions fur the album. Later on, she statit on 9 December 2015 via her Instagram accoont thit she haed finished the sangwritin for the album an that she hoped the album would be finished sometime in 2016. On 9 August 2016, Macdonald annooncit via Instagram her fowert album wis finished an wad be pit oot early 2017.

Macdonald sayed thit awtho it wis twa an a hauf yeir in the makin, that is the langest she haes e'er taen wi an album, she wis gled tae hae taen the time an she feels the album haes "the TLC that it deserves".

Macdonald pit oot the new album entitled *Under Stars* on 17 Februar 2017. A video o an acoustic version o new album track "Down by the Water" wis lowsed an aw. She performit live on BBC Scotland's Hogmanay 2017 shaw whaur she debuted her upcoming single "Dream On".

### 2018–2019: ''Woman of the World (The Best of 2007–2018)''
In September 2018, Macdonald annoonced her first greatest hits album, *Woman of the World (The Best of 2007–2018)*, that includes aw o her successfu sangs, alang wi a aforehaun unlowsed sang, "Woman of the World". The album wis pit oot on 23 November 2018. Macdonald annoonced a European tour an aw, thit she went on durin Mairch an Apryle 2019.

### 2020–present: ''The Human Demands''
Macdonald stairtit scrievin sangs atween 2018 an 2019 an started the recordin o her fift studio album in Februar 2020. Efter an disruption caused bi the COVID-19 pandemic in Mairch, she resumed recordin in Juin 2020.

On 27 August 2020, she lowsed the album's lead single "The Hudson" an said the lowsin o album *The Human Demands* wid be on 30 October 2020. Macdonald annoonced a European tour an aw, that she will embark on atween Apryl an Julie 2021. Macdonald tawked anent the album, an performed an acoustic version o the track "We Could Be So Much More", on BBC Radio 4's *Front Row* in November 2020.

On 15 Mey 2021, she representit Scotland at the Free European Sang Contest 2021, hostit in Cologne, Germany. Her sang "Statues" finished in fowert place wi 77 pynts.

## Muisical style
Reviewers hae descrieved Amy as saft spaken but wi a boomin singin vyce. Her vocal reeng is contralto.

Macdonald cites Travis as her biggest influence. Ither influences include the Killers an Rammstein.

## Personal life
Macdonald wis engaged tae fitbawer Steve Lovell in 2008, but didna mairry. She annoonced in Januar 2016 that she wis engaged tae fitbawer Richard Foster. They mairret in 2018 in Las Vegas. Macdonald is a supporter o Rangers F.C.

Macdonald haes vyced doots an scepticism anent Brexit at sindry times. In 2017, she stated that she micht hae to flit tae Germany gin Brexit went aheid.

## Discography

* *This Is the Life* (2007)
* *A Curious Thing* (2010)
* *Life in a Beautiful Light* (2012)
* *Under Stars* (2017)
* *The Human Demands* (2020)

## Accolades

### Awairds overview
Macdonald wan Best Newcomer at the 2008 Tartan Clef Awards an Best Newcomer at the 2008 Silver Clef Awards. In December 2008 she wis votit "Scottish person of the year" by *The Daily Record*.

Macdonald performed, alang wi U2, at the German 2009 Echo Awards, whaur she wan an awaird in the category "Best International Newcomer". She wan Best International Album an Best International Song at the 2009 Swiss Music Awards anaw.

In 2010, Macdonald won "Best Album" for *A Curious Thing*, at the annual Tartan Clef awairds on 20 November in Glesga. Macdonald won "Best International Album Rock/Pop" wi *A Curious Thing* at the Swiss Music Awards in Mairch 2011 as weel. Forbye, Macdonald wan "Best International Rock/Pop Female" at the Echo Awards.

On 23 August 2013, Macdonald performed at the 46th Sopot International Song Festival in Poland wi her sangs "This Is the Life" an "Slow It Down". She wis gien a speicial prize bi the Radio RMF FM.

In 2013, Macdonald wis shortleetit fur the Scottish Fashion Awards "Scottish Fashion Icon 2013". She wis shortleetit again in 2014, winnin the awaird.

### Awairds an nominations

## References
 

## Fremmit airtins

* Amy Macdonald Offeecial steid