Cultural life: Amy Macdonald, singer

Scottish singer, Amy MacDonald (DPA)

Music

I always love a good Bruce Springsteen classic – his songs seem timeless and he has so much soul and gives everything when he sings. I really love the latest album Babel by Mumford and Sons. They are so talented and such a breath of fresh air compared to most of the manufactured things we are subjected to these days. I also stumbled across some YouTube clips of two young girls from Sweden called First Aid Kit. They are super talented sisters who sing a lot in harmony. They played a great cover version of Paul Simon's song “America” at the Polar Music Awards in Stockholm last year.

Films

The last film I watched was Argo, directed by and starring Ben Affleck. I thought it was absolutely great and it's pretty poor that he was left out of the Oscar nominations for his directing. Whilst on tour I like to go to the cinema and in Brussels I went to see Django Unchained, which was great.

Television

I'm a little behind but have finally got into watching Homeland. I think Claire Danes is brilliant and I'm completely captivated.

Books

I'm re-reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and a self help book called The Secret. It's about getting whatever you want out of life. I'm not sure if I believe it!

Amy MacDonald features on 'A Concert For Kirsty MacColl' CD out now.