My generation loved the charts.

It was a ritual, almost, tuning in to the top 40 on Radio One on a Sunday afternoon, listening out for the bands you liked, taping - remember taping? - your favourite songs.

For me, it was Echo and the Bunnymen, U2, Gary Numan...it was always a bit of an event, the charts. To be fair to us, there were few distractions back then...

I never imagined I'd have a chart hit. I never imagined being in a band, or 'doing' music for a living. I'm sure that's a particularly Scottish thing - that whole 'it's not for the likes of me' mentality; the sense that you have to get a 'proper' job.

Music has been in my life since my childhood, when I sang in church choirs, at the Boys Brigade, in school shows. The radio was always on in the house - my mum listened to Radio Two, but every so often something would come on, like a David Bowie song, and I'd be blown away by it, trying to make sense of the lyrics, understanding that this was something amazing.

I went to university, studied journalism, got a job at the Sunday Post. And then on holiday, I was singing at a lock-in in an Irish pub, a woman came up to me and told me I could do it professionally. I think that was the first time it occurred to me that might be possible.

Still, though, the band didn't happen until I was about 22. I met guitarist Steven Dora, through a colleague in Aberdeen, and I discovered I could write songs, and Geneva was born.

Our first gig was in Aberdeen, in October 1992 and our first single, No One Speaks, came out in January 1997. It went into the charts at number 32, and it was the first of all four of our singles to make the top 40.

The best-placed one was Tranquilizer, and I can still remember listening to the charts, all of us together on the tour bus in central London, desperate to hear where it was in the run-down. When we heard it had gone it at number 24, we went a bit mad. There we were, the four of us, doing this mad, rollercoaster dance along to the chorus, singing at the tops of our voices, not quite believing what had happened.

After Geneva came to an end, I had a fairly turbulent time for a few years. I went back to the day job, I moved to England, my marriage ended and I lost confidence. A chance 'meeting' on social media with record producer Sean McGhee, who had always liked Geneva, got me thinking about writing songs again. I didn't know if anyone would remember, or still care. But you have to focus on the positive and move on. Songwriting comes from heightened emotions. This new album, my solo career - it's not just about making music again, or conquering my own insecurities, it's about planting a full stop at the end of a particular period of my life.

Now I'm moving to Stockholm to live with my girlfriend, leaving the day job behind, to concentrate on music again.

This time there is no record company, Sean and I are doing it all on our own. But it's still a jolt of excitement, astonishment even, when you hear your song on the radio.

I remember at the height of Geneva's popularity, part of that manic 90s indie-pop scene, going to America for a band showcase the record label wanted us to do. We were flying home from San Francisco, and as the plane took off the views were incredible. It was a beautifully clear day, and the whole of San Francisco was laid out below us - you could see the hills, the city and later on Lake Tahoe, crystal clear and still.

And just at that moment, Tranquilizer came on the in-flight radio. I'll never forget that heart-stopping joy, that goosebumps moment, when you realise your song is a hit, that your music is finally out there, connecting with people. Everything changes, but that thrill will always be the same.

Andrew Montgomery's album Ruled by Dreams is out now - www.ruledbydreams.com. He plays King Tut's in Glasgow tomorrow, The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on Sunday, Beat Generator Live in Dundee on Monday 31, Deeside Inn in Ballater on April 2, Woodland Centre in Stornoway on April 4 and the Old Bridge Inn in Aviemore on April 5.