Authenticity has been Amy Macdonald’s biggest strength over the course of a career which took off with ‘Mr Rock & Roll’ and ‘This Is The Life’ back in 2007. Since then, she has achieved so much – 12 million record sales, a billion+ streams and performing to more than 5 million people – all of which has come from exemplary songwriting and engaging live performances rather than chasing trends or strategic collaborations.
That purity continued with the release of the title track from her new album ‘Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?’, which will be released on July 11th via Infectious. The single was premiered on Radio 2 by Scott Mills and was followed by support spanning Absolute Radio, Bauer Hits, STV, BBC Scotland, The Sun and more. She also shared her distinct take on the Oasis classic ‘Live Forever’ during a session for Absolute. Amy now shares a second taste of the upcoming record by sharing the new track ‘Forward’. Watch and Listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLJhsfRxUSI&ab_channel=AmyMacdonald
The driving heartland rock of ‘Forward’ brims with Amy’s irrepressible spirit as she counters challenging times with a shot of escapist optimism. It’s a song clearly rooted in her love of Bruce Springsteen but Amy is her own force of nature, the passion and power of her voice inspiring a fighting spirit. ‘Forward’ was written by Amy and Thom Kirkpatrick, and produced by Nicolas Rebscher (Aurora, Ella Henderson, Louis Tomlinson) during sessions in Berlin.
Amy says: “I was consumed by the constant bad news cycle, which seems to have been a thing since covid, it’s just one thing after another – no jobs, bills going up, another war. So in the past few years, I’ve actually switched off a bit, because really all you can keep doing is put one foot in front of the other, and try not to get too bogged down by the things you can’t control”.
That theme of survival in the face of life’s challenges is central to the ‘Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?’ album as a whole. Amy has always excelled at capturing both melancholy and uplifting defiance within universally relatable emotions, sourcing light amongst the darkness. The album – her sixth – will remind fans of just why they fell in love with her in the first place, while also showing that experience only brings further nuance and accomplishment to her songwriting.
Amy Macdonald recently played her first set of 2025 at Zermatt Unplugged before attracting huge crowds during a surprise pop-up performance at Princes Square, Glasgow. She will play two key UK festivals this summer at the Neighbourhood Weekender and the Isle of Wight before playing further festivals and headline shows across Europe. November then sees the start of her UK and Ireland headline tour, which culminates with a homecoming arena show at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro. A broader European tour then follows in February 2026. Remaining tickets for the following shows are available.
‘Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?’ tracklist: 1. ‘Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?’ 2. ‘Trapped’ 3. ‘Can You Hear Me?’ 4. ‘I’m Done (Games That You Play)’ 5. ‘The Hope’ 6. ‘Forward’ 7. ‘We Survive’ 8. ‘One More Shot’ 9. ‘Physical’ 10. ‘It’s All So Long Ago’