ScottishNews.com

The album is the latest massive achievement from an artist who has truly made 2026 his own, rocketing from King Tut’s in January to two packed Barrowlands shows in September.

His debut Hydro headline date was announced and sold out in minutes, a second show at the country’s biggest arena was added due to phenomenal demand and now fans are buzzing to hear the album he has poured his heart and soul into.

Cammy said: “The album is called Common Man and it literally is a lifetime of work that has gone into it, working to find my sound.

“It is unapologetically me and very much driven by traditional instruments, pipes, fiddles and folk instruments. It’s very Scottish, proudly.

“I haven’t tried to write what anyone wants to hear. I have made my dream album. Again I am being stubborn, it is my first album and it is there forever so I have to like it.

“It’s the story of all these years and I am singing about my home town, normal Scottish things and just growing up. There are people popping up through the album.

“It’s all the things I love and not being in anyone’s lane. I am excited about it, I feel great about it. It’s the sound of me. I have this chance to do this great thing and I love it, I feel very lucky.”

On top of all that, last week he was officially named Scottish Artist of the Year at the prestigious Scottish Music Awards – and it clearly means the world to him.

Cammy said: “I never expected any of this, I can’t believe how crazy things are right now. So much has happened in the last few months especially.

“Being named Scottish Artist Of The Year is the absolute cherry on top of the best year of my life.

“We sold out the Hydro in no time – it’s still weird saying that – and we hadn’t even announced the album, never mind released it.

“The second date is on sale and I am now at last allowed to tell the world about my first album coming out. Obviously I might have hinted at it once or twice.

“The Scottish Music Awards really took it to whole new heights with the award, I’d no idea so it was really emotional.

“I’ve worked my whole life for this and was so close to quitting. If I can do it, so can you – not just music, whatever your dream is. Do it.”

Cammy’s incredible vocals and fusion of traditional instrumentation – especially his beloved bagpipes – with contemporary rock and pop, all heavily influenced by American and Scottish country, have seen him genuinely create a fresh take on the sound of modern Scotland.

“I had this thing where I never wanted to put bagpipes in my songs. I’d always played them and I kept it apart, I was playing guitar for my solo stuff.

“I felt I never had anything that separated me from anyone else but it was there all along at my fingertips my entire life, I just never saw it.

“I left the Pipers and wanted to do a different thing. I did Leave A Light On with Tom Walker and it went bang, my dad was saying why do you not do this on your own stuff.

So then I just thought ‘aye, I am Cammy Barnes and this is my song, I am a piper and this is me’.

“I put it online and it got a million views in no time. Just mad, my thing was always there but I couldn’t see it.

“We were always told bagpipes would never be on the radio. Then we broke the barrier and now they’re everywhere.”

A lifelong piper, he battled for 20 years to get to these moments and admits the single that started it all just a year ago was the end of the road – his last crack at it before walking away forever.

Fortunately that song was Whiskey Roll. It blew up on socials before sparking singalong madness and millions of views. And here we are, with the country’s biggest arena filled in minutes, a second date on sale and his life’s work available for pre-order.

“The first 10 videos I put up for Whiskey Roll I had lost every bit of belief that I could make a living from music. That was all I wanted that was the dream. To be able to pay the bills with music.

“I came to guitar and singing late in the day because I was always a piper.  I am terrible at remembering lyrics so I couldn’t learn covers and push myself by doing covers gigs in pubs. I only remember the lyrics I write. I was just done.

“So I just thought I am Cammy Barnes, this is my song. I am a piper and this is me. I was trying bits but just saying here I am, listen. it grew legs and slowly I started to get that belief in myself back. I had no management and was just doing it and hoping.

“It felt like there was nothing ahead and then this all just came together organically, it all grew as this team who are in it together – my management now are my brothers, my  mates they’re part of the team and the band.

“Again my old man said I didn’t do it because I enjoyed it any more, I had lost that and I needed to get back to it.  He was right about that too.

“The second I did, it all changed. People see that I love this and I am being myself. It’s just me. And I am so so lucky that people seem to like it.”

Common Man by Cammy Barnes is available for pre-order from 5pm today - Fri 13th - from shop.cammybarnes.com