INTERVIEW: Amy Macdonald releases sixth album 'Is This What You've Been Waiting For?': "I’m doing it now because I want to do it rather than feeling I have to, and that really shows in this album."

Published: 13 July 2025

With close to 20 years in music, Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald has won hearts with her honest, down to earth music that has explored multiple soundscapes without ever being constricted by one, with folk, pop, country and rock criss-crossing her discography.

First bursting on the music scene in 2007 when her singles ‘Mr Rock & Roll’ and ‘This Is The Life’ became major hits in the UK and Europe, the latter having over 600 million streams on Spotify alone, her debut album This Is The Life hit number one in the UK and every one of her following four studio albums have peaked within the UK top 10.

On Friday, she released her sixth studio album Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?, her first album in five years. It is a new chapter for Macdonald, and it is in many ways an album of catharsis for her, as it delves into toxic relationships, feeling trapped in a relationship, survival, moving forward and the pressure of societal expectations.

It also sees Macdonald continue to play with genre, with the album leaning more strongly in a pop direction than her previous releases, with a liberal dash of glam and synth alongside her foundation of pop-rock.

“I feel very lucky to be in the place I am now,” Macdonald says. “I’ve got this career, good friends, my family, and people still seem to want to hear my music, which is great. There’s a realness in me, something raw – honestly I’m winging it most of the time.” 

Title track and first single ‘Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?’ opens the album and is an uplifting pop-rock track with a driving, infectious beat. The song looks at Macdonald’s music career, the thrill and tension of performing live, but also the negative side of being a musician in a society where streaming has created an expectation that artists will constantly release new music, leaving us in a permanently heightened state of always wanting more: “This is what I'm searching for / Something that'll blow my mind / This is what I came here for.”

Third single ‘Can You Hear Me?’ is an album highlight. With a brooding sound it brings in elements of electronic and synth music and with its soaring chorus it brings to mind the glam pop sound of the 1980s. The lyrics celebrate the power we all possess inside, with an urging to believe in ourselves. ‘We are not powerless to change / We can write the story / We can tell them how it ends.’

‘I’m Done (Games That You Play)’ is a gorgeously melancholy song, with a skipping beat augmented with lush strings towards the end, that sees Macdonald walk away from a controlling relationship. ‘You said I’ll never ever leave you / And you said I’m always gonna need you / And I said I’m never ever gonna stay.’

‘The Hope’ begins as a gentle, piano led ballad before breaking into a rousing rock track, while ‘Forward’ follows the rock sound, this time infused with country sounds as it gallops along with a frantic beat as it looks at the sensation of living only for the weekend, with everything else leaving you numb. ‘I’ve been living like I’m dead inside / On the weekend we survive / On the weekend we get high’.

Some of these emotions begin to be resolved in ‘Physical’, a gentle pop-rock track that has a discreet shuddering synth in its foundation. It sees Macdonald continue to express a sense of loss - ‘As soon as I start living again, I’m gonna let you know / As soon as I stop feeling afraid of what I used to know’ - it also acknowledges a resolution to the hurt is perhaps not that far away: ‘Tell me why can’t we try / To make the best of life.’

The album ends with ‘It’s All So Long Ago’, another pop-rock track that sees Macdonald look back over her music career and also the people she has lost: ‘I was so young / 17 you were all 21 / Driving round the country playing every dive bar in the land…I’m a rolling stone you were born a rambling man / And that’s where we parted.’ It is an incredibly emotional song to end the album on, celebrating Macdonald’s career and giving in to nostalgia and a touch of melancholy - ‘Time will come and take it all away’ - but ending on a positive that music is who Macdonald is and ultimately what continues to drive her forward - ‘I feel alive like I did that day’.

Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For? is arguably Macdonald’s greatest album to date. Her songwriting has never felt more confident and assured and the songs are full of delicious melodies and beats, with a truly varied yet cohesive sound, while also telling meaningful and relatable stories. It may have been a five year wait for a new Amy Macdonald album to arrive, but the answer to the album’s titles is a resounding yes. We recently caught up with Macdonald to chat all about the creation of this gem.

Hi Amy! Thanks for giving as a slice of your time today. How is life with you right now?
Life is pretty busy right now. It’s always a bit crazy when you release a new album. Stressful, crazy but exciting too.

I want to start off by talking about your latest single ‘Can You Hear Me?’ This is such an incredible song, and I love the empowering message in the lyrics: ‘My girl, you’ve come this far / You can be who you like’. Can you tell me a little of the inspiration behind this gorgeous song?
I was inspired by an amazing young crowd I performed for at a festival. I thought they were too young to know my songs and they blew me away, they knew every word and had so much enthusiasm and zest for life. It really was so inspiring and it made me excited for the future. The young generation get so much stick but they were just such a lovely bunch that I wanted to write a rallying call for them.

The song has a delicious disco-rock soundscape, synths mixed with guitars. It is quite a different soundscape from the previous two singles, was it your intention to play with this kind of sound when you went into the studio or did it develop organically?
It’s always a really natural process for me, I never really know how something should sound but I know how it shouldn’t sound. This track is really exciting and one of my favourites and it just felt like an empowering song like this needed a big bold and exciting production.

The music video for ‘Can You Hear Me?’ is really beautiful as well, showing people connecting deeply with you music - with you even surprising one with an in person appearance! What was this like to make?
It was really lovely to make. I’m never usually a big fan of making music videos but this one felt so personal having my actual fans in there. It was so lovely to meet Maisey and her mum. Maisey had no idea I was going to be there and it was so nice to surprise her at the end. I’m so lucky to have such great fans and it meant so much having some of them in the video.

You have just released your sixth studio album Is This What You've Been Waiting For? on July 11. It is your first studio album since 2020, what has the journey been like creating it?
It’s been a really rewarding journey. I took my time writing and recording, so I didn’t feel any stress with it. I’m so pleased with how the record sounds and I think there’s something for everyone on there. I’m really proud of how it’s turned out and can’t wait to share it.

Was there a particular message or theme you wanted to project with this collection?
I always see albums as a collection of short stories. Each song has its own story but it all ties together with where I am in my life at that time. I feel content and really happy in my skin but with the same ups and downs that we all have. I think that real life feeling finds its way into these songs.

You have been releasing music for close to 20 years now, how do you feel you have changed as an artist making music, and making this album in particular?
I think I’m just more confident in what I do. I’m doing it now because I want to do it rather than feeling I have to, and I think that really shows in this album. I took my time making this record and I’m really glad I did. I think the finished article really shines because I had that time and space.

You have a massive UK and European tour kicking off very soon, with dates through to February next year.  How are you feeling about this tour?
I’m excited to get these songs out on a live stage. Nothing ever really comes together until there’s a great audience and a live band behind me. We have a lot of fun on tour and make a lot of great memories, so I can’t wait to make some more.

The music industry has traditionally been a difficult space for women to exist in, thanks in part to being run by older, straight, white men for so long.  There is pressure for women to fit into a particular box or look a certain way, pressure that is never put on male artists. What are your thoughts on gender (in)equality in the music industry, and after close to 20 years in the business do you think there has been significant change?
I don’t really think there has been much change at all. I think the conversations happen now, but there’s not really been much action. Men are still represented way more in every single area of music and live music. I don’t really know what the answer is. I think there seems to be a lot of great female artists breaking through now which is great but they still seem subject to the same crap that’s always happened and it feels like it will never change.

Is This What You've Been Waiting For? is out now, followed by a huge tour - do you have anything else planned for the rest of 2025?
I don’t have any time to plan this year, when I’m not gigging i’m doing promo trips so this year is a bit of write off in terms of personal plans. I’ll look forward to a holiday in 2026.

Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For? is out now. You can buy and stream here.
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