Dreaming to be something more than a worker at a local fish processing factory, Lee MacDougall, a singer and songwriter from England, took the bold step and put himself and his music out for the world to enjoy.
    Tahlequah High was able to interview the singer via phone call while he was on his way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the Tuscaloosa tornado relief show.
    MacDougall says that his inspiration for his music is life itself, being alive, traveling and meeting new people.
    “I am inspired by the human psychology, I find everything interesting,” said MacDougall.
     But he had to start somewhere; MacDougall says that he performed his first show in his hometown of Grimsby at the age of 15 in a youth club.
     “I was really nervous before the show, and I was thinking that if it went really well I was going to be a singer. And if it doesn’t then I will totally go and work in a fish factory. I think 4 people clapped, it felt so good and I wanted more of that.”
     Currently MacDougall is touring the United States. He says his favorite part of touring in the US is the differences and variations among the towns that he travels to.
     “Even if it is something as miniscule as accents or the people changing along the way, but I love to see the more characterful places.”
     Even though he doesn’t have a specific favorite artist, MacDougall says that he likes to listen to anything that paints a good picture.
     “I like the storytelling part of music. Also, I think that when you are a musician you should immerse yourself in music as much as possible.”
     After 14 years of playing music MacDougall says that his favorite type of music is Indie, Pop, Rock and a little bit of Folk.
     “Anything that is good and has passion, a good tune and good lyrics, I enjoy. I’m not really tied down to one thing.”
     According to MacDougall, the biggest difference between touring the US and touring England is the sizes of the two countries and the dedication of the fans.
     “England is really small so you can tour in about a week and have gone nearly everywhere. But here, it’s a whole new mindset. It is just a huge adventure. And most fans from the United Stated have to travel like 6 hours or something to get to a show but in England they don’t have to travel as far so they are a lot more laid back.”
     The weather of the United States is one of MacDougall’s favorite things about touring here.
     “I could be in Boston and it could be hammering you down with snow and then literally two weeks later I could be in the middle of the desert.”
     Usually with an artist or songwriter there is some sort of message that they want to tell their fans in their music. MacDougall wants to convey that, even though it may be cliché, life is not always great and people always have a hard time and to just look on the bright side. 
     “Everything isn’t as the way it seems and everything always has a silver lining.”
     The singer says that he is not the superstitious type so he doesn’t have any crazy pre-show rituals. He mainly likes to stay calm and keep himself focused. 
     “I usually just put on a song. I’ve got a playlist of mine that is really uplifting. Just something that puts me in a good mood. The worst thing you can do is go out on a stage mad.”
    MacDougall recently released a new album called “If Walls Could Talk,” and his favorite song to perform on the album is “All the Wrong Places.” However his favorite song to perform is “Star Hotel."
    “It’s got a really good groove to it. It’s a bit of a toe tapper. I like to look around the room and see people’s toe tapping.”
    His song that is most requested is “She,” even though he is uncertain why. He says it might be because it is a tribute to women. 
    “The song has a nice sentiment to it.”
    Not only does MacDougall perform songs that he has written, but he also sings songs originally created by other artists.
    “I really like doing ‘Ain’t no sunshine,’ a Rod Stewart song ‘I don’t wanna talk about it’ and “Iris” by the GooGoo Dolls."
    MacDougall says that he would really enjoy performing with Rod Stewart one day in the future.  
    Besides playing the guitar, piano and a little bit of bass, MacDougall writes his own songs. He says that it is exciting to create something that has never existed before, and experiencing the emotions that come along with it.
    “You have that excitement or that feeling you get when you know that you have written something good. And it’s kinda dramatic when you created something like this and it has ability to make people happy or sad.”
    MacDougall’s inspiration to write songs are the things that happen to himself and his friends. 
    “You’re only as good as your last song.”
    Through Facebook and Twitter, MacDougall has a big gateway to talk to his fans for support and feedback on his music. 
    “I like it because they bring people together. I have no idea if people like my music and I put it out there. But then in return, people like to know where my song came from and how I wrote it. So they get feedback as well. I like to get involved and it’s a great way to keep in touch with people”
    MacDougall will be performing in Oklahoma twice this month. His shows include once in Oklahoma City at The Blue Door on the August 28 and the second time in Tulsa at Joe Momma’s on August 31.