Amy Macdonald

Amy Macdonald grew up in Bishopbriggs, Scotland, in a home where education mattered more than showbusiness. Her father, Jimmy Macdonald, was a school principal, and her mother, Jo Macdonald, worked as a teacher and later as a school administrator. Neither had musical ambitions but they gave Amy the stability and encouragement she needed to chase hers.

Macdonald's love affair with music began at 12 when she heard the Scottish band Travis play "Turn" at the 2000 T In The Park Festival. She went home, borrowed her dad's guitar, and learned from a Travis chord book. She was self-taught, stubbornly determined, and already showing the independent streak that would define her career.

By her mid-teens, Amy was gigging around Glasgow - playing to pint glasses and pub chatter - before landing a major record deal. When she filmed her first video - for "Poison Prince" at just 19 - it was a homemade affair featuring her real-life friends. She thought it would all be over in a few months, but she kept going strong.