AC Scott’s story isn’t your usual debut single tale. A Sony Award–winning broadcaster, novelist, screenwriter and familiar face from The One Show, Alison Craig has spent a lifetime around music, but never at its centre. That changed two years ago when, sitting at her late father’s desk, the songs started pouring out of her.
Now, with her first single “Sometimes” out in the world and a debut album on the way in 2026, AC Scott is proving it’s never too late to light the fuse. She’s crossed the Atlantic by ship to record in LA, written hundreds of songs, and embraced a creative rebirth that’s as bold as it is unexpected.
We caught up with her to talk about creative madness, silencing inner critics, and why limits can sometimes set you free.
Hi Alison, How are you?
Great thanks. Excited to have my first single out in the world.
‘Sometimes’ is the first song you ever wrote. Can you remember that exact moment you realised you had to write it?
I was driving, brain in neutral, and I felt an overwhelming exhaustion. I just said the first lines out loud: ‘Sometimes I just feel so tired I barely lift my head; I just have to close my eyes.’ Then as soon as I got home, I sat at the piano, and it all just spilt out of me.
When people hear ‘Sometimes’ for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?
That it is the truth; when the song appeared unbidden, it surprised me more than anyone. If you have an inner voice, listen to it; hard as it is to acknowledge, in my experience, it never lies.
You’ve said that ‘Sometimes’ started as a farewell to your healthy former self. How has your illness shaped what and how you write?
It is the reason I started writing songs. I had to stop everything when my lungs collapsed and reassess everything. It took years to regain my strength and confidence to get back out in the world. I would not have had the time for the introspection and the deep dive into my psyche which has led me here. That’s why, ironically, it has been a blessing.
Your sound feels classic but also totally its own. Who were the people that inspired you? Were you consciously trying to bridge eras, or did it just come out that way?
Thank you. It just came out that way. No planning. There are no genres of music I don’t love, and I have immersed myself in it since I was a wee girl. Inspired by strong women and great storytellers. Chrissie Hynde, Blondie, Carole King, Marianne Faithful, and bands like Talking Heads, B52’s, Steely Dan, and Average White Band – I mean, tbh, the list is endless.
You’ve mentioned hundreds of songs written in just a couple of years. What’s your process like? Are you someone who writes in bursts, or is it a steady stream that never stops?
It’s like a previously dormant part of my brain has sparked up, and these hooks, lyrics, and ideas just keep coming. It’s a form of madness, I am sure. I do talk to myself a lot – the only child syndrome, maybe – thank God for voice memos; my phone is always clamped to my hand. Husband goes mad when I am driving, recording an idea, but you think you will remember it, and you don’t, so it has to be done.
You’ve crossed the Atlantic by ship to make music, can’t fly, and yet nothing seems to stop you. Do you think limits have actually fuelled your creativity rather than held it back?
100% fuelled it. When you have looked your mortality squarely in the eye, you make every day count. This journey is a dream come true; it’s hard and it’s tiring, but I have never been happier in my life. It has given me a lease of life that I never imagined possible.
Your songs range from folk to funk and rock. Do you feel like your years as a DJ, and hearing every kind of music under the sun, shaped that mix?
I started learning the piano at age 5; my folks were music lovers. There was a constant soundtrack to our lives, from jazz and classical to musicals, to answering the door one night to a Spanish mariachi band my dad had to come to stay and had forgotten. He played lots of instruments, and there was always music. When I said I wanted to work in the music industry at school, they told me to get a job in a record shop. So I did – as long as I was with music, I was happy.
And finally, you’ve spent years interviewing rock stars. Now you are one, in your own right. What do you know now that you wish you could have asked them back then?
When did you start to believe in yourself? I mean, really believe in yourself? Imposter syndrome is an evil force and one I now think most people contend with. Especially from Scotland – my first memory was of my dad saying, ‘Aye, you can play the piano, but I wouldn’t bother with the singing.’ His voice is still in there…and I am working hard to silence it!