I love going out and touring, and maybe people understand that it's not about making a quick buck. Maybe that translates.
— Amy Macdonald
When I wrote the first album I had never played live before, and I'd never been on tour. So that was really just me and my guitar.
I've been on loads of promotional trips in so many other countries, and most of the time, you just want to go home.
On my first album some of the songs were written when I was 14 or 15 so your life experience means you change, but my style is similar.
I've seen other people getting into trouble for glamorising breaking the law.
I just go out and sing my songs. I don't put on elaborate stage shows with ridiculous fancy dress.
It's hard for me to always explain my songs, and people always expect a meaning and to know what it's about. Sometimes when I write these songs I'm feeling a particular emotion, so to then come back and explain what I was feeling or put it into words is quite difficult.
I have always said that it is completely about the music, and I have never been interested in anything else. I think I've been able to maintain that. I'm a totally normal person, I don't get followed or have photographers waiting outside my door. So yes I have a very ordinary life.
You just have to have a song that you're desperate to play along to, and for me it was 'Turn' by the Scottish band Travis. I went to see them headline the Scottish T in the Park Festival, so after that festival, I went home and taught myself all of the Travis back catalog with an old guitar and a little chord book.
One of the problems trying to play an instrument outside in the cold is your fingers give up on you and you can't wear gloves, even fingerless.
If you put lots of auto-tune on your voice on the album, people are going to be disappointed when they come to see you live. The imperfections make it better, more natural.
I prefer playing with a band. It's good to do both, but for me it's quite exciting when I hear my songs completely transformed with the band behind me. You can really get into it more, and so can the audience.
But I absolutely love New York. Every time I go there, I still get excited. When you come over the bridge and you're coming towards Manhattan, I still get goose bumps every time.
My aim is always catchy songs, or songs with meaning and I want to write music people can relate to, about things anyone could go through, just real, honest music... songs that mean something, songs that are inspired by true life events.
It's one of these baffling things about the world we live in that there is still homelessness, and it's good that there are charities like Social Bite that go all out to help and make a difference.
My band and I sometimes can't believe where we are in the world and what we're doing. But I'm very privileged to be in this position.
