For someone who has still only been in the music business for six years, Amy Macdonald knows the importance of standing her ground.

Life In a Beautiful Light, the 24-year-old's third album, was released yesterday, and sounds exactly how the Bishopbriggs singer wanted it to sound, right down to the last detail.

"I used to be really timid and couldn't say how I felt, but my manager said to me that I should always say exactly what I felt to everyone," she laughs. "When it came to the track listing for this album, I'd spent weeks going through it to see how things flowed together. I got an order I was happy with, sent it to the label and they weren't satisfied with it at all.

"They wanted it to start with the first single [Slow It Down] and I just said how passionate I was about how it should be, and thankfully they agreed."

Macdonald is now used to fighting her corner, it would seem, and the record represents that. After years on the road that saw success for 2007's This Is The Life and 2010's A Curious Thing at home and abroad, the chatty, affable singer decided she needed a break from touring.

So she returned home to the outskirts of Glasgow and spent 12 months relaxing, seeing friends and starting to write songs again in a casual manner. The result is a collection of upbeat, strident pop songs that makes full play of Macdonald's powerful voice. "I was writing these songs because I wanted to, and because I love writing songs," she says.

"That felt very natural to me, like I was back to where I was at the beginning, where it was a hobby I enjoyed. That's why there's a variety of different topics there, because I just see where my inspiration takes me. That's me, my family, things happening to me, what was in the news at the time – if they move me then it inspires me to just start writing."

Macdonald has recently become inspired by something else in the shape of the STV Appeal aimed at helping disadvantaged children in Scotland. That's why she's playing five gigs today, starting in Aberdeen at 8.30am and then proceeding to Dundee, Stirling and Edinburgh before concluding matters in Glasgow at 11.30pm tonight.

"Someone suggested doing five gigs in a day and I thought, are you crazy? But you know what, I love a challenge and I love performing live, so it was a no-brainer to do several shows in a day and to be helping kids who really need it too. I've been lucky enough to meet the kids who benefit from the appeal; they were lovely and so passionate about music."

Macdonald is regularly involved in charitable activities, it's evident this is something she has a genuine passion for.

"A few years ago I was at a school in Edinburgh that was helped by Nordoff Robbins, and ever since then I've thought that it makes such a difference when you can actually see what these charities mean to people," she says. "Some people get involved in charity just for the sake of it, and I don't think that's right. It's nice to experience what you're contributing to and that's really important for me, to put a face to who you're helping."

Following her dizzying nationwide dash today, matters will return to a more sedate pace, though only slightly. She'll be promoting the album full on, appearing at T In The Park and the Hard Rock Calling festival in London (where she managed to alter her stage time so she didn't clash with Bruce Springsteen, one of her heroes) and a proper tour is planned for later in the year.

She's appearing at a London gig to celebrate the Olympics, too. Given her regular duties singing the national anthem at Hampden for Scotland, does she feel more Scottish or British?

"I'm definitely more Scottish than British," she says, enthusiastically.

"I'm very patriotic and do feel more Scottish than anything – when I go to other countries I always big up Scotland and they want to hear about it more than most. We're an intriguing country to many people. I'm so lucky to sing the national anthem at football matches and that means so much to me."

That doesn't, however, means she's already signed up for independence.

"I think we've yet to hear both sides of the argument – it's been spoken about a lot, but the arguments haven't been laid out. I'd love to hear balanced arguments from both sides rather than now, where it's all either independence would be brilliant or independence would make us a third world country. I'd hope it's a positive campaign and we can make our minds up then."

Life In A Beautiful Light is out now and reviewed in The Herald tomorrow.