Interviews
Amy MacDonald talks to Britsound
Interview with Amy MacDonald, May 2008.
RQ: You were in New York just a couple of days ago, and I read on your blog that you absolutely loved it. What did you love about New York?
AM: Just that it’s a great city, and there’s so much going on, and it’s so interesting and so entertaining.
RQ: You went shopping as well. I think that was a big attraction for you, wasn’t it?
AM: Quickly. I didn’t really have a lot of time. We were really busy there, so I didn’t have a lot of time to properly do everything I wanted to.
RQ: What would you have wanted to have done, if you had the time?
AM: I’ve pretty much done all the sightseeing things, but just to have had a bit of time to have wandered about would have been cool.
RQ: But isn’t that a problem anyway when you’re touring? You never quite have the time, unless you have that day off in between gigs.
AM: Yeah. You never ever have it. I mean, when I’m on tour all you see is the venue you’re playing at and the street that it’s on basically, and the inside of the bus that I’m on. So that’s the thing I can see. I’ve visited so many lovely cities, but I probably haven’t actually seen anything when I’m there.
RQ: It sounds really glamorous when you say you’re touring. But as you said, you probably actually don’t get to see anything of the places.
AM: It isn’t. It’s as far from glamorous as it could possibly be, sleeping in a bunk in a bus and singing in a grotty old venue. It’s not that special.
RQ: So let me ask you then, Amy. This Is the Life has done extraordinarily well. Many of the songs you wrote years ago. Have you written any songs for the second album?
AM: I’m not worrying myself with that right now, because I think it’s unnecessary pressure. I’m still right in the middle of promoting this album, and it’s still not even come out in a handful of countries, so there’s still so much work to be done. I mean, when I’ve had time off and time to myself, I have found myself writing a few songs, but I’ll just wait til I’ve got time to myself and until I can actually experience things that’ll make me want to write songs.
RQ: But surely the experiences you’ve had on the road touring, and the experience of success itself—has that given you a lot to write about?
AM: Not really at all, actually, because like I said, it’s a very unglamorous lifestyle, and I think if you go down the path of trying to write an album whilst you’re on the road, then you get that horrible on-the-road album, which is kind of classed as a difficult second album, and that’s where it comes from. I think I need to just wait and get back to the place where I was when I was writing all my other songs.
RQ: But that place where you were writing all those songs for the debut album, that was in many ways pre-fame.
AM: I don’t see myself as famous. I don’t adhere to all that sort of stuff, so I know that when I’m not touring or I’m not working I can go home and lead a totally normal life, and I’ve been able to do that so far.
RQ: Is success something you’ve enjoyed?
AM: Everyone says it’s an amazing achievement, and I’m really proud of everything I’ve achieved, and I’m really happy and really honored to be in this position, so it’s great to be successful. But luckily for me, I’ve managed to have a successful music career but still remain my own person and still have a normal life with it.
RQ: If you could pick one or two things, what are the things that this success has brought you that you really enjoy the most?
AM: I just love playing live. I absolutely love being able to go on stage and sing my heart out every night, and it is an amazing feeling and it’s a real privilege to be in this situation.
RQ: Many bands and artists come and go. You’ve been writing songs and playing gigs since you were fifteen. This isn’t just going to be a one-album deal.
AM: Well, you’d like to think so. I don’t think anybody hopes for just a one-album thing, so I’ll try my best and that’s all I can do, and hopefully that’ll be good enough.
RQ: Who are some of the artists that you really are quite inspired by?
AM: It started off for me with Scottish band Travis. If it wasn’t for them, then I don’t think I would have got into this industry. And then I love bands like The Killers, and I love Oasis and Bruce Springsteen and the Beach Boys—a whole host of kind of varied artists.
RQ: What you like is quite wide.
AM: Yes, definitely.
RQ: And that affects how you write songs?
AM: Not really. I don’t think so. I mean, I think that you can listen to music and be influenced by music, but then do something completely unique for yourself. I mean, all the artists that I listen to and that I’m inspired by, I don’t sound anything like them. So I think that it’s good to have a wide variety of influences but then do your own thing.
RQ: I interviewed Gomez and they said their success really is down to constant gigging. They never rest, they’re always playing someplace. And they attribute that to their success rather than any kind of Internet promotion. Would you say that’s the same with your career, because you’ve been playing live for years now, haven’t you?
AM: Yeah, I mean totally I think that getting out there and playing live is the best thing you can do. The industry seems to be so obsessed with hyping people up, and it’s all about what they look like and they’re the next big thing, but I think it’s better to just get out there and actually prove that rather than just having everyone talking about it. For me it’s all about music and nothing else.
RQ: If there’s one song on This Is the Life that you’re most proud of, what would that song be?
AM: It is the title track, it is the song “This Is the Life.” I remember exactly where I was when I wrote it and how I was feeling, and I think it’s a really apt song and sums up everything in my life right now.
RQ: Final question then: Best case scenario, where would you see yourself in a couple of years’ time?
AM: If things just kept going from strength to strength, obviously I’d be ecstatic. But I’ve been on such an amazing journey already, I’ve been to so many amazing places and made so many friends for life that if it all ended tomorrow I’d be happy as well!
Links:
http://www.amymacdonald.co.uk
