Emma Anglesey
Emma Anglesey has just dropped her captivating new single Mary-Anne, a gripping ride that will have listeners enthralled and intrigued. There’s no doubt that this single is a winner and the film clip is a stunner also celebrating the beauty of the Tasmanian wilderness. The future looks bright for Emma Anglesey and she makes time for a quick Q&A for Hi Fi Way The Pop Chronicles.
Is it an exciting time building up to the release of the single Mary-Anne?
Yes it is exciting actually. It feels amazing having a song that you really love and think is special and no one has heard it yet. Then all of a sudden it’s like BAM hello world, here’s a new song.
What is the story behind this song?
Mary-Anne is about how you don’t always know where the road is leading and sometimes things happen that are totally out of your control but you just keep going. I wrote it to turn a feeling of struggle into a feeling of revelling in the fight.
Have you been encouraged by the response so far by people coming to shows or discovering you over the internet?
Yes! It’s been awesome to have people dancing and singing along at the shows and just having a good time. I’ve also had some really nice messages from people I’ve never met too.
How have the shows gone so far?
They’ve been beautiful. I’ve always been a really nervous performer and for some reason all my nerves have gone away throughout this tour which feels just amazing.
Have you always written songs? Was it always your intention to be a singer-songwriter?
I started singing songs when I was five and I wrote my first song when I was eleven or twelve. When I was little I would say to my mum that I wanted to be a dancer or a singer when I grew up, and I’ve been lucky enough to do both.
What would you be doing if you weren’t playing music?
Well I reckon I’d still be listening to music all the time and pursuing another art or craft like painting or writing (I’d still like to do that one day).
How would you describe the your sound?
It’s a hard thing for me to do but others describe it as alternative, pop, folk, indie.
Are there any significant influences that have shaped your music?
I listen to new music all the time and I feel like I’m constantly being influenced by different sounds and songs. Specifically in the last few years I’ve listened to Radiohead, Susanne Sundfor, Bonobo, Fever Ray just to name a few.
Was the process of writing and recording your debut as hard/difficult as you thought?
My songwriting process lands somewhere between the Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen styles (RIP Leonard). Honesty and inspiration combined with intentional technique. My songs normally start with pure emotion, rhythm, guitar riffs and vocal melodies all at the same time and then the right words materialise and find their way into the song.
With this album I wrote songs and sent them to my producer Joshua Barber – I think I wrote thirty all together and sent him around twenty. He worked on the ones he really liked and then sent them back to me then together we pretty quick picked a group that we thought fit really well together.
Before we went into the studio to record them, we sat down and shared ideas about sound palates for each one so by the time we started recording most of the big decisions had been made. This meant that we could focus on performances when we were in the studio. We did also write new parts when we were in the studio when they really jumped out.
Are there a lot of lessons you can take from this in to the next recording experience?
Definitely. For me I learned the value of working with a producer that has the same taste as you. I’m pretty much really into all the music that Josh is in to and I totally fell in love with all of the sounds that he produced for my songs.
Does technology make that any easier?
Josh lived in Melbourne when we made the album (I live in Launceston, Tasmania). We sent a lot of music back and forth and so yes technology made collaborating easier for sure!
What is the biggest lesson you have learnt so far?
To have fun and not worrying about things too much.
Are you looking to expand your horizons and tour overseas? Where would you focus?
Yes! I have a bit of a following in Anglesey off the coast of Wales (I am officially “Emma du Anglesey” after all). I’d like to tour in Europe next.
What’s the plan from here? Is there another EP or album in the works?
I’ll release some more music – another single, then the album – and then just see where to from there.
Any plans to come to Adelaide?
For sure! I’d love to ;o)
Checkout the video for Mary-Anne
Further information on Emma Anglesey can be found here…
Interview by Rob Lyon