Amy Macdonald was born on 25th August 1987 in Bishopbriggs in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland.
As a child she used to go each year to major music festivals such as the “V Festival” and the “Glastonbury Festival” in England and the “T in the Park” in Scotland. There Amy would camp for a couple of days with her friends, listening to their favorite bands, partying all day and enjoying life.
It was at one of this festivals in 2000 “T in the Park” where she was amazed by the scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow, Travis. It was Fran Healy and his brilliantly singing of the simple songs that drove her to pick up one of her dad’s old and dusty guitars and start practicing on her own, trying to nail the songs she heard on the radio by ear or with the help of a few chord patterns from the internet, having an increased desire in writing and playing her own songs.
The inspiration came from her older sister, herself a huge fan of Ewan McGregor, and her room filled with posters. The idea of fans worshiping their idols with their posters all over the walls came into the young aspiring singer’s head turning into her first song, “The Wall”. The second song she wrote, “Fade Away”, was also inspired by her sister and her love for Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Career
The first opportunity to perform gigs in Glasgow came from a community group named Impact Arts. The local musicians came to her High school in search of young talented kids with vocation for music, stumbling across Amy’s amazing voice and passion for guitar.
She was only 15, mostly playing her own songs on her acoustic guitar, performing shows in Glasgow venues, the Barfly, Starbucks and also jamming with her friends in the Brunswick Cellars where she used to sneak in on Saturday afternoons.
A couple of years later, despite being accepted to numerous universities, she decided to take one year off to write songs and record her own tracks in her bedroom, sending demo tapes to recording labels and hoping she’ll be noticed. The inspiration for “This Is The Life”, song that would eventually name her first album, came one night at one of her friend’s house, after they had been out to listen to Pete Doherty’s show in Glasgow, where they would sit around sharing a guitar and playing songs. It wasn’t long before a production and management company from London, Melodramatic Records, showed interest in her singing, allowing her to record her songs at a much better professional sound.
The publishing deal came half a year later from Warner Chappell and a recording deal with Vertigo.
The successful single “Poison Prince” launched on May 7 2007, reaching number 136 in the United Kingdom Singles Chart, had lyrics inspired by none other than Pete Doherty, the singer of The Libertines and later on of Babyshambles, the title being a reference to the singer’s drug addiction.
“Mr. Rock and Roll” single came on July 16, 2007. It was released both on CD and vinyl charting number one in the Scottish Singles Charts, 12 in the United Kingdom ones and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 Chart and Swiss Singles Chart.
On July 30, 2007, Amy MacDonald’s debut album “This is The Life” had it’s release, becoming number 1 in UK album charts on January 13, 2008. It received two Platinum awards having sold over 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom and over two and a half million copies worldwide.
Her third single “L.A.” was released October 15, 2007, placing only 48 in the United Kingdom singles chart. The single was inspired by the american actor Jake Gyllenhaal, of whom she is a big fan.
“This is The Life” came as the next and most successful single, released on December 10, 2007, reaching number one in the Austrian, Belgian, Dutch, Greek and Swiss Singles Chart, platinum in Belgium and Germany and gold in Switzerland and Spain.
The fifth single to be released under the Vertigo label was “Run”, released on March 3, 2008, staying at number 75 for a week in the UK charts. The inspiration came from a show performed in Glasgow by the American alternative rock band “The Killers”.
