Maintaining Humility Through Friendship and Personality
Amy Macdonald has been a public figure for nearly twenty years, building a music career that includes best-selling albums, international tours, and selling out Scotland's largest music venue. Despite her long-standing fame, the Bishopbriggs-born singer credits her grounded nature to her close friendships and personal character.
"People say I seem like someone they could have a pint with, and I love that,"
she said with a laugh ahead of a busy period that includes a prominent performance at TRNSMT, Scotland's largest music festival.
"I've got the same two best friends as I had at school and I'm really lucky to have good people around me. I think I lack the temper to be a demanding diva."
Macdonald emphasized that while she is not a diva, she has learned to assert herself more effectively over time, a skill she has developed since launching her career in 2007 with her debut album This Is The Life.
The album reached number one on the charts when she was still close to her school days and performing at open mic nights around Glasgow.
"There were so many times when I got talked into doing things that I didn't want to do, or didn't feel right,"
she recalled about her early experiences.
"You always question yourself and I probably convinced myself that everyone in the industry must know better than me. Now I know they're all winging it!"
Last year, the 38-year-old released her sixth studio album, Is This What You've Been Waiting For?, which reached the top five in the UK as well as in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, where she enjoys significant popularity.
This weekend, she is releasing several remixes of the track "Can You Hear Me" from that album for Record Store Day, an annual event celebrating independent record shops.
Having started her career when CDs were still prevalent and streaming was emerging, Macdonald expressed enthusiasm about encouraging fans to purchase physical music formats again.
"It's so important, even more so now when the industry is caught up so much in making videos go viral,"
she explained.
"I don't think that focus is great for helping you have a lasting career. Being able to go back to physical music, having a rummage through what shops have and finding something you've never listened to before, is really great."
Macdonald's concerts have grown substantially since her early days. Last year, she sold out two nights at the OVO Hydro, a feat she said was encouraged by her manager as she initially doubted she could sell enough tickets.
This year, she is scheduled to perform second on the final day of TRNSMT at Glasgow Green, following headliner Lewis Capaldi.
"I've got the same two best friends as I had at school and I'm really lucky to have good people around me. I think I lack the temper to be a demanding diva."
In doing so, she will be as close to headlining the summer festival as any female artist has been. The festival has faced criticism for never having a female headliner.
Macdonald believes the issue is more complex than simply blaming festival organizers.
"It's always targeted at festival organisers and I don't think that's fair, because this is a bigger issue,"
she said.
"It's all tied to radio support, TV support, streaming support and women artists are still massively disadvantaged in those categories. In the last year there's been a lot of great acts breaking through like Olivia Dean and Lola Young, but we tend to see festival headliners as being more like bands.
"Radio stations that focus on that music can be very male orientated and turn their nose up at female-fronted bands. I've been directly told by certain stations that my music won't get played as 'male artists work better' for them.
"Ultimately, they're looking at stats and listeners though, so it's about making the whole system work better and I think we are getting there - just everything happens at a snail's pace."
Beyond traditional media, many artists use social media for promotion. Macdonald has embraced platforms like Instagram and TikTok, although she joked that nobody needs to see her dancing on TikTok.
Social media posts can sometimes take on a life of their own, as happened when she posted a celebratory message after Scotland qualified for the World Cup last year.
"I was in a hotel room in London watching the game and I put a wee message on Instagram afterwards,"
she recalled.
"Then I was watching the news and they showed the clip – so there was me on the national news in my pyjamas unexpectedly."
A passionate football fan, Macdonald has concerts scheduled during Scotland's first two World Cup matches but hopes to attend the final group game against Brazil in Miami.
She is aware of the criticisms directed at FIFA and the USA as hosts but feels there is a limit to her influence.
"I get anxious and overwhelmed a lot, and over the past few years I found I was making myself massively stressed about all the things going wrong in the world,"
she said.
"I would love to have power to sort everything out, but I don't. I'm trying to teach myself not to worry myself about things I cannot control."
Anxiety among pop stars has become more openly discussed, with artists like Lewis Capaldi speaking candidly about mental health.
"It's incredibly difficult when everything you do is judged by everyone,"
Macdonald said.
"It can get overwhelming. One of the most important things is having people who care about you, like my manager – he started as my guitar tech, then became tour manager and is now my manager.
Having someone who has been with me every step of the way and genuinely cares makes a massive difference."
