Amy Macdonald On Her New Album “The Human Demands”.
With over 200 Million Spotify streams, Amy Macdonald is about to release her highly awaited new album “The Human Demands”. She has already dropped the first track, “The Hudson” along with an iconic music video which is no doubt a perfect introduction to the album.
The song was inspired by the stories that Amy’s dad told her about going to New York with her mom in the 70’s. The album which will be released on October 30th of this year, consists of 16 tracks (including Deluxe CD additional tracks).
We talked to Amy regarding the journey behind the making of the album in a really fun interview!
Hi Amy. Thank you for joining us. How would you describe your sound in your own terms
My sound is natural and authentic at heart. I’m never trying to fit into a particular space or change who I am for publicity. I want to tell stories with my music and I like to keep things as upbeat as possible. This album is big, bold and insanely catchy.
Did you ever plan out to do something before entering the music industry or was being a professional musician always your first passion?
I actually had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I always dreamed of being a musician but i didn’t really hold out much hope that it would ever happen. The idea of getting a recording contract was like winning the lottery to me. I was due to start University before I signed my first record deal and I was planning to go down the teaching route — for no other reason than the holidays were great.
You recently released your highly successful new song- “The Hudson”. Congratulations on that! What was the idea behind the song?
The Hudson had loads of little ideas behind it that all came together at the perfect time. One of them was a story my dad had told me about a trip my parents had taken back in the day. New York wasn’t a tourist attraction at this time and their hotel room had 3 huge bolts across the door for safety. They had travelled to America with no bookings and were practically winging it around the country. I found this totally mad but inspiring from a songwriters perspective. I also spend a lot of time daydreaming, I think it’s a fundamental part of my writing process. I always reminisce and think about how different my life might have been had I made different decisions, this is something we all do and I find it so interesting because we’ll never ever know the answers. We spend so much time thinking about what could have been and this felt like the perfect idea for a song. Thirdly my absolute love of New York City. It will always be an inspiring place.
What was the creative process like with the track and when it comes to songwriting, do you need a specific setting to work in or do you consider yourself easily flexible?
I’m very flexible, I don’t really need a particular set of circumstances to write. I just need stories to tell. I need my songs to mean something. I’m not overly prolific with my writing because I wait until I have something to say. With The Hudson I had so many ideas and so many things to say that it happened really easily. I was sat at my dining room table with my friend Matt and he had played me a musical idea and the lyrics came to me without even thinking about it. It doesn’t always happen that easily but it’s a great feeling when it does.
Did your initial visualization of the track match up with the final outcome?
My initial visualization was surpassed in so many ways. My Producer, Jim Abbiss, was just brilliant. So many producers want to put their own stamp on things and you can end up losing the original magic of the demo. Jim just wanted to enhance that magic and he done that and then some. I love everything about this track. I’m clearly biased but it’s really one of the best things i’ve heard on the radio in years. I can’t wait to perform it live.
You are about to release your highly awaited new album “The Human Demands” on October 30th. What would you say, can the fans expect from this album?
I think this album is extremely powerful. I have matured with my writing and my singing is stronger than ever but more importantly the subjects touched upon in the album are meaningful and will resonate with so many people. The title track was inspired by friends who were struggling and I think it’s important that we all take time to understand that life isn’t always easy. We put so many demands on ourselves and others. We feel like we always have to be available and that we’ve always got to be happy. This isn’t life for most people. Life can be a challenge and this album represents all of those moments.
How was it like working on the production stage of the album? Did you face any sort of challenges during the making of the album?
Making this album was strange because we locked down right in the middle. I will never forget this year and my time making this record. It will be the most memorable recording process ever. On one hand it was scary with the lockdown and pandemic but on the other hand I have so many incredibly happy memories. I felt honored to work with such an incredible group of people and I feel like we spent 95% of the time laughing. No matter how weird this year and the process has been I will always look back and smile.
If you could go back in time and give one message to the Amy from five years ago, what would you like to convey?
I made some really difficult choices in the last year and at the time I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing but now I look back and wish I made those choices sooner. I’d tell myself to trust my gut and even if my gut isn’t sure to just do it anyway.
Lastly, I would like to ask you if there’s anything that you wish to say to your fans from all around the world?
I want my fans to know how much I’ve missed them. I am very lucky that I have fans that travel far and wide to come to my shows. I recognize them in the audience, I talk to them after shows and converse with them online. I have missed that interaction. I have missed being on stage and seeing them smiling and singing away in the audience. I can’t wait to be back together again.
