MORRISBURG – In 2020, she won the Female Vocalist of the Year, New Artist of the Year and the Sapphire Canadian Blues Music Video Award at the Maple Blues Awards in Toronto. She has amazed and thrilled fans across North America and Europe. Her music is passionate, exciting and unique.
On Saturday, October 30, Harmony Concerts is bringing Miss Emily to StoneCrop Acres Winery here in Morrisburg for one great evening concert. Miss Emily’s show is the final one in the summer series at the Winery. And what a great way to end the season!
“I usually call myself a ‘soul singer,’” Miss Emily explained during an interview with The Leader. “And blues, to me, is the closest to true soul. They go hand in hand.”
Her passion for blues and soul comes naturally. “I’m a child of the 80s,” she laughed, “but there was absolutely no 80s music in our house. Dad loved folk. Mom loved country and gospel. Those are what I grew up hearing. I started singing when I was 13.” The teenager was soon developing a signature style all her own.
“I actually went to university to study classical voice, and even though I left after two years to go directly into writing and performing, I remain grateful to this day for that professional training,” Miss Emily said. “I gained a strong foundation in music from home and my training.”
Like many artists, she paid her musical dues in small nightclubs and halls, building an audience. Eventually, she began performing at major venues like the Montreal Jazz Fest, Ottawa Bluesfest and Beaches Jazz Festival in Toronto. She has toured Europe. Her fan base has simply exploded.
I asked her about her voice, about her style.
“I would have to say, I sing how a feeling moves me. My voice is my emotion vocally. If I don’t feel it, I just don’t sing it. Cover music also has to move me before I will choose to perform it.”
She also writes original music.
“I write about personal experiences,” Miss Emily said. “Literally, music has sometimes been my way to work through difficult times in my life. For me, writing and music must be very personal, very intense. I don’t see that changing,” she laughed. “My brain and my heart must both match up.”
For Miss Emily, as for many artists, nearly 20 months of COVID was difficult. “I try to see it in perspective,” she explained, “although at the beginning it did feel like the end of the world.” As there was another income in her family to rely on, “I had a sense of security that many of my colleagues did not. But emotionally, it has been tough.”
She is thrilled that she can reconnect with live audiences again, and is looking forward to her Morrisburg concert. “There is nothing like that energy, that power you give and receive from an audience. I have my full band coming to Morrisburg, and they are all amazing musicians: many have been with me for years. And they all sing too!”
She has a new album coming out in 2022. In October 2020, she released a collection, Live at the Isabel. Despite the challenges of COVID, and changes in concerts and performances, she hopes the coming year will be a good one.
Miss Emily said it herself. “I will carry my passion for music forever. If nothing else, COVID reminded me that I am a ‘lifer.’ Nothing will distract or deter me from music and from singing. I will never retire. This really is my life.”
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