Top 40 Amy Macdonald Quotes

My favourite football memory is the opening match of France ’98, and unfortunately Scotland had drawn Brazil.

We have this obsession with celebrity, where people can go on shows and makes millions of pounds from being completely talentless – Jade Goody, all that type of people – and it really gets to me. I’m not interested, I’m a musician. It’s not about being famous and being a celeb.

I think I must be one of the only people who hasn’t done the whole let’s-crack-America thing.

I think it’s important to be in control of my own destiny; to a lot of people I’m just a product, so I feel it’s up to me to take a keen interest in what’s going on around me. After all, it’s my life.

I have been offered so many parts in movies and I just think it’s so outrageous as I’ve never really done acting or things like that.

No, I’m never confident with what I do, particularly playing and singing!

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.

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.

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.

I’m someone that maybe people who don’t know a lot about me actually know more of my songs than they think they do.

I come from Glasgow and being from Glasgow everyone knows about Celtic and Rangers. It is a big part of most people’s lives.

I was asked if I’d audition for a part in a Broadway musical because the director just loved me.

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.

I support Rangers and every time an Old Firm match comes up people will talk about it and look forward to it.

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.

I’m always being told I’ve got an old head on young shoulders, which is probably due to the way my mum and dad brought me up.

There are some amazing women’s football teams out there and it is good that they are being recognised. I was always terrible at football, so I am a little bit envious of their amazing skills.

I wouldn’t have wasted a lot of time pursuing music. I was very lucky that my first demos got accepted.

I love going out and touring, and maybe people understand that it’s not about making a quick buck. Maybe that translates.

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.

I’ve always been a fan of Bruce Springsteen.

I’ve played in practically every city in Scotland, and loads of towns as well. I just feel very grateful that I’m able to do that.

Singing Flower of Scotland was the only thing that made me nervous.I don’t get nervous doing my own shows.

My boyfriend has always been a collector of art. He once rang up Paul Kenton and asked him to paint a New York skyline for me. He did, and it is the first painting that has ever been painted just for me.

I’ve always been able to lead quite a normal life. It is a little crazy that I can travel all over Europe and play these massive shows but still come home to a relatively quiet life.

I just go out and sing my songs. I don’t put on elaborate stage shows with ridiculous fancy dress.

Hearing the statistic that one in four children in Scotland suffer from poverty just made me think that if there is even a tiny thing I could do that would help then it was totally worthwhile.

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.

My sister and I both used to wear matching clothes and now my mum, sister and I have the same bag which we all use even when together. Which probably doesn’t look that cool.

With my first three albums I did everything on my own. It was what I was used to and where I felt comfortable. I would write the lyrics and music and hide the songs from everyone until I felt confident enough for anyone to hear them.

I’m inspired by everything that goes on around me; my friends; my family; my own feelings; or even things that are happening in the world.

If I’m out shopping, in Topshop or wherever, I’m never spotted. In fact, I’m usually asked if I have a student card. No-one seems to notice me, they’re oblivious to who I am even in Scotland, and I’m very happy to be able to blend in with the crowd.

If I’ve done a gig and at the end there are people waiting for autographs, they always seem nervous, but they probably don’t realise that I’m more nervous than them. I get very embarrassed.

I arrived in London and I was terrified. I never wanted to be a celebrity – one minute I was in school and the next I was in London talking to people at a record company. If anything, I didn’t feel in any way worthy.

I didn’t have many celebrity crushes, it was mainly Rangers players! I had a thing for Giovanni Van Bronckhorst. Looking back, I really don’t know why! Great player though!

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.

I remember my mum playing ‘Dancing In The Dark’ and I thought it was cool.

My dad documented my whole life on video and there are so many recordings of my sister and I dancing and singing along to Michael Jackson’s music.

I loved Jake Gyllenhaal. He’s the most beautiful thing ever.

I don’t have the songwriter’s obligatory sob story. My sister and I both had a very happy, normal childhood and we’ve turned into sensible adults.