Raised in the small mining town of Coatbridge, Scotland, MacLeod was heavily influenced by the music of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks, though he claims it was the music of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana that first inspired him to pick up a guitar. Throughout the 2000s, he independently released a string of singles, EPs, and albums on his own ModRock Music label, mostly under the moniker the Star69. He spent several years living in California before returning to Scotland to release the EP Glasgow Keeps Me Real, California Lets Me Heal in early 2013. The EP was well-received and the song "Rolling Stone" was chosen as the single of the month on BBC Radio Scotland. MacLeod's music soon caught the attention of Creation Records founder Alan McGee, who signed the artist to his newly launched 359 Music label. In late 2013, MacLeod released the Rolling Stone LP, his debut for 359. ~ Timothy Monger