Amy MacDonald

Amy MacDonald biography

Amy Macdonald (born 25 August 1987 in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire) is a Scottish recording artist. Macdonald rose to fame in 2007 with her debut album, This Is the Life (2007) and its fourth single, "This Is the Life". The single charted at number one in six different countries worldwide, and charted inside the top ten in another eleven countries worldwide.

The success of the single achieved Macdonald success in the American music market, where she was a guest on shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in 2008, where she performed two singles from the album, leading her album, This Is the Life to reach ninety-two on the Billboard 200. In the European Union, This Is the Life reached number one in six European countries, including the United Kingdom, Denmark and the main European album charts. This is the Life has sold three million copies worldwide.

"Don't Tell Me That It's Over" was released in March 2010 as the lead off single from Macdonald's second studio album, A Curious Thing which was released on March 8, 2010. Five singles have since been released from A Curious Thing. The album's lead single, "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" was released worldwide on March 1, 2010 and this was followed by the release of a second single "Spark" on May 10, 2010. Further singles were released, with the third being "This Pretty Face" which was successful in Europe countries such as Germany, where MacDonald holds a strong fanbase. A further two singles were released, "Love Love" and "Your Time Will Come" which were both released in late 2010. Worldwide, A Curious Thing, the album has sold 1,000,000 copies worldwide.

Early life

Macdonald attended Bishopbriggs High School. She is a self-taught musician, playing her father's guitar after being inspired by Travis at the T in the Park Festival in 2000, where she heard Travis' song "Turn" and wanted to play it herself. She started playing in pubs and coffee houses around Glasgow at 15, including the Brunswick Cellars on Sauchiehall Street.

Career

Breakthrough

thumb Macdonald sent a demo CD in response to an advertisement placed in the NME

In an interview with HitQuarters, Wilkinson said he was "literally aghast" at her songwriting abilities when first he heard Macdonald play the songs "This is the Life" and "Mr Rock n Roll".

Wilkinson then spent around eight or nine months recording demos with Amy at his home studio with a view to securing a record deal for his new client. In 2007, Macdonald signed a contract with Vertigo.

Macdonald received her first major press coverage when she questioned whether the 2007 winner of The X Factor, Leon Jackson, was suffering from tonsillitis, referring to it as "lazyitis". Macdonald had tonsillitis at the same time but still performed at Glasgow and at the BBC's Hogmanay Live show the same night.

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