Flower of Scotland
Despite shifting three million copies of her debut, Scottish singer-songwriter Amy MacDonald has refused to let fame go to her head. This month she releases her follow-up A Curious Thing and chats to Edwin McFee about her relationship with her fans, meeting U2 and controversial lyrics
Edwin McFee, 13 Apr 2010
Showing it’s not the Yanks that have the monopoly on insanely-driven teenage singer-songwriters, Amy MacDonald has been keeping the European end up (so to speak) by selling a staggering three million records since she shot to fame in 2007 at the tender age of 18.
However, while her success story may parallel her Mickey Mouse worshipping counterparts in the US, Macdonald’s songs have a grittier, more down to earth feel that’s a million miles away from the likes of Taylor Swift, Britney Spears et al. If the lyrics on her recently released second record, A Curious Thing, are anything to go by, it seems that she’s not afraid to take a chance. Don’t believe us? Take a listen to her new song, ‘Spark,’ partly inspired by a documentary about murdered toddler Jamie Bulger. It has set tabloid tongues a-wagging.
“A Curious Thing is about everyday life really,” offers Amy, realising it’s a sensitive subject and choosing her words carefully. “There have been some things written in the press about the album that aren’t really true and that’s obviously difficult for me to read. It’s about real life topics. The record is about things that have happened to me or are going on around me. I realise that sometimes reporters are so desperate for a story behind a song they can twist things. In the case of ‘Spark’ I felt so moved by the bravery of Jamie’s mum, I was inspired to write a song about it. Simple as that.”
The tune, featuring the lyrics “I am the match/I am the spark/Don’t worry I’m ok now”, has already provoked a few sensationalist headlines. Amy insists that she doesn’t mean to upset anyone.
“When I write songs I’m not thinking about how journalists or listeners might interpret things,” she says. “The last thing on my mind when I’m writing a track is: how am I going to describe it when I’m asked about it? When I sit down to write one, I’m feeling a particular emotion. To be honest I sometimes find it really difficult putting that into words and giving a meaning to a song. For me that’s the tricky part. Getting the odd negative reaction is a part of the job.”
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