Amy Macdonald rejects chance to sing Flower of Scotland

AMY Macdonald has turned down the chance to sing Flower of Scotland at Hampden again because she fears being targeted for abuse.

By STUART MACDONALD AND JANE BRADLEY Tuesday, 25th August 2015, 10:57 am

Amy Macdonald sings Flower of Scotland before Scotland's match against Brazil in London. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

It would be the dream of many a young singer’s life – to sing Scotland’s unofficial national song in front of a crowd of thousands at Hampden stadium as the country’s top football stars prepare to play a major match.

But Glasgow-born star Macdonald has revealed she turned down the chance to sing the anthem again because she fears being targeted for abuse – more than two years after she fluffed her lines when singing before a game against Wales.

Sign up to our daily newsletter The i newsletter cut through the noise Sign up Thanks for signing up! Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting...

The singer was asked to return to belt out the unofficial national anthem ahead of the upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Germany and Poland.

However she admitted she is too nervous to perform the song after she stumbled over the words while singing it before a game against Wales in March, 2013.

She said the incident led to her receiving “dog’s abuse” from trolls on social media and said she does not want to put herself through the ordeal again.

Macdonald, who turns 28 today, revealed during an online question and answer session with fans that she had been approached to sing at the games in September and October.

After fan Sandy Munro asked “When are you doing Flower of Scotland at Hampden again?”, Macdonald, a former pupil of Bishopbriggs high school, replied: “It means too much to me that I get too nervous. They asked me to do Poland and Germany but I just couldn’t.”

She added: “Don’t need the haters.”

Macdonald apologised on Twitter after her slip-up at the Wales match, but still received cutting criticism on social media sites.

She told her followers: “I know the words but don’t know anyone who could go on to a pitch in front of 40,000 and not get nervous. Sorry, I’m not perfect.

“Always so proud to sing our anthem. Sorry for nerves - hope passion came across.”

She added: “Singing Flower of Scotland was the only thing that made me nervous. I don’t get nervous doing my own shows.

“I’d done it so many times before and I was nervous as hell but I managed to hold together. But that time I just had a mind blank and the nerves took hold. It felt like I was silent for about 10 minutes.”

Nina Nesbitt and X Factor’s Nicky McDonald have filled Macdonald’s shoes at recent games but the fans, and the Scottish Football Association, are said to miss her performances.

Football bosses reportedly told her she was the best singer they had ever had for keeping the Tartan Army in time.

German national team manager Joachim Loew is also a big fan and even asked the singer to perform his own country’s anthem before a game. But after her traumatic experience at Hampden, she politely declined.

No announcement has yet been made on who will perform Flower of Scotland at the upcoming games.

Earlier this year, the Tartan Army voted in favour of having the song declared the country’s official national anthem but MSPs have rejected a petition calling for the move.

Macdonald, who is dating Ross County footballer Richard Foster, also revealed she is currently working on her fourth studio album which will be released next year. She was previously engaged to retired Falkirk FC player Steve Lovell.