EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Emma Taylor
In such a short period of time, Emma Taylor’s voice has been streamed countless times with the release of her EP, Hazy. With a soothing, yet powerful voice, her voice fills a void listeners may have never known existed. Her songs are heartfelt, and straight from the soul. Most recently, she’s released a new single, “My Dear”!
Emma Taylor chatted with CelebMix about inspirations, her songwriting process, “My Dear”. Read on to learn more!
1. How would you personally describe your musical style?
I always say that my music is very acoustic, with some indie flairs. I like to think of it as sad girl music with a huge emphasis on unique melodies and meaningful lyrics. I gain all of my inspirations from my surroundings. My goal is to pay homage to the great singer-songwriters, like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Carole King by bringing back the vulnerability that they had in their music. I want my music to be the music that my listeners put on to help them get through something, to help them believe that they are not alone.
2. Was there a defining moment when you realized you wanted to pursue music professionally?
I know it’s a cliché to say that music has been a part of me ever since I can remember, but it’s true! My parents used to tell me that I would hum before I even said any full words, so I do believe that music has been a part of me since birth. It wasn’t until I was around 6 years old that I started feeling comfortable singing in front of my family. I remember specifically bringing my karaoke machine into the living room one night and singing ‘Maybe’ from the musical Annie to my whole entire family. It was from that moment on that I was addicted to performing. My songwriting seriousness came a bit later and although I wrote songs here and there, it wasn’t until I was 12 years old and attended a songwriting intensive that I knew that I had to become a professional songwriter and singer.
3. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of the songwriting process?
Songwriting is my personal therapy so it is a very emotional and intimate process for me. The trickiest part of it all is making sure that I don’t start getting too comfortable in a certain theme or aspect of my life that inspires my songwriting. After writing so many songs, it’s easy to have things sound the same or use similar stories, so it’s up to me to make sure that I continue to stay in tune with all aspects of my emotions and my experiences in order to create new material.
4. You already play the piano, guitar and ukulele, is there an instrument that you’d like to learn how to play?
I want to continue to master guitar, piano, and ukulele because there’s always room for improvement with those instruments. I’m really trying to learn harmonica but it’s actually extremely challenging! My goal is to be able to play guitar and harmonica at the same time, so I would definitely say harmonica is my next instrument to learn.
5. Your debut EP, Hazy has been streamed by thousands of listeners worldwide, and the song “New Found Sound” went from 8,000 streams to 55,000 overnight – how did it feel, waking up to find out that your work had been listened to by so many people?
It was unreal! It’s still so crazy to me waking up every morning and seeing that there’s still so much growth daily on the song. Having the song do so well overnight was validation more than anything else, that what I’m doing is attractive to people worldwide and that my music can resonate with a larger audience than what I had expected. It’s been so incredible, especially because I’m a completely independent artist and it has given me even more confidence to continue to create the music that moves me the most.
6. Do you have a personal favourite song from Hazy?
Each song has a special place in my heart, but I think ever since I wrote it New Found Sound has been my favorite. I wrote it at 2am and at the time I was pretty lost in what the next steps were in my life, so I wanted to create something to help me get through that. When the song was done and my producer Adrian Cota sent it to me, I bawled my eyes out because it was powerful and came out exactly how I had envisioned it would.
7. What is a message you’d like to convey to listeners through your music?
My main goal is to connect to listeners and create music that is universally relatable to let them know that they are not alone. I like to share stories of my life as a young adult trying to find my way through life in the hopes of helping others get through their own struggles. In particular, I aim to encourage young girls especially to remain true to who they are and to be confident in their own journeys.
8. If you could spend a day songwriting with any artist or musical group, who would you pick and why?
Joni Mitchell, hands down. I feel like I would gain a lifetime full of musical knowledge if I spent just 5 minutes in a room with her. She’s one of the few artistic geniuses because of her unique melodies and beautiful storytelling, so to be able to witness her at work would be a dream come true.
9. What can you tell us about your new single “My Dear”?
My Dear was written during a tough transitional period of my life when I went to London a few months back. I was learning a lot of things about my relationship and I was trying to figure out what I wanted. I wanted to write a song that would embody that period of realization in a relationship when you know things need to change and you pray that they will, while still understanding that things might not work out. I feel like it’s a really relatable subject and it’s my hope that ‘My Dear’ can bring some comfort to those in similar situations.
10. Is there anything you’d like to say to your supporters?
Well first off, thank you so much for believing in me and enjoying my music! I can’t wait to continue to grow and share all my stories with you. Just stay with me and I promise you we will explore this musical journey together.
You can now hear “My Dear” here!
What do you think of “My Dear”? Let us know by tweeting us at @CelebMix!ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo7nIsWWcp51ksrmvy66qoq6VYravwMSrraKdp2LEqsDHZpympZFiwaLFy6ipaA%3D%3D