We recently had the chance to chat with upcoming singer/songwriter Emma Kate. Discovered by the same people who launched Selena Gomez, Emma is gearing up to release her first EP. The album features her new catchy debut single “Neon Yellow Hearts” and it was just released to iTunes. The single was co-written by Aaron Kamin from The Calling and is the perfect tune for Summer days.
Fresh off a performance at The Bitter End in New York City, we had the chance to chat with Emma Kate about her upcoming EP, her debut single, and her work with The Joyful Heart Foundation.
Read on for our exclusive interview with Emma Kate below:
What inspired you to begin making music?
My whole life, I’ve been singing in my school choir and barbershop quartets and I’m in a large family of five kids. Growing up it was always hard to distinguish myself from my siblings. Music became my identity and my thing. I had the opportunity to meet singer/songwriter Matt White, and he needed someone to sing backup vocals for him and I was there, so we did it. I realized that I could really start doing this professionally. Now I’m working with a songwriter in LA, Aaron Kamin, and we wrote “Neon Yellow Hearts” together as my first single. I’m very excited about it.
Where do you draw your inspiration from as a songwriter? Does anyone inspire or influence you?
I definitely get inspired from being in college. I go to NYU so everyday things, parties, definitely give me inspiration as well as my ex boyfriend. He’s inspiration for some of the sadder ballads. I just get it from my everyday life. I have a fun bunch of siblings who tell me crazy stories that I can transfer into songs. Writing with my partner in LA, he’s been teaching me how to turn everyday things into cooler, fun songs.
What kind of music are you, yourself into?
Right now, I’m really into Ed Sheeran and Tori Kelly. I love the way they write songs and produce and write everything they do. I’m really hoping to be able to do that one day as an artist.
How would you describe your sound to someone thinking of listening who hasn’t heard you sing before?
It’s definitely Pop/Upbeat and fun music with singer/songwriter undertones. It’s all truthful and honest and about my life. It’s very fun but it’s still real.
How did “Neon Yellow Hearts” come to be? What was that process like and the inspiration behind that song in particular?
Of course. I started writing it right after I graduated high school. My friends and I were about to all go our separate ways for college and we went to my friend’s house. We played music so loud the speakers broke and we went up on the roof and we watched the sunset. It was one of those moments that was fleeting and I wanted to capture the nostalgia of that moment.
Do you have plans to release an album or an EP? Are you still working on your music?
Very soon. We’re working on the finishing touches on the songs to make sure they’re perfect. It’s all going to be done online and independently. Soon, we’ll have another single ready to go. I have a show tonight at The Bitter End where people can get a taste of what’s to come. It’s all original so I’m really excited for people to hear it
You’re playing tonight at The Bitter End, what can people expect from your performance?
The Bitter End is where I got my start performing live so I’m really excited about that. It’s on NYU’s campus so it’s perfect. I’ll be singing 9 original songs so it’ll be some of the songs on my EP. It’ll be an upbeat set and a fun night.
How has the fan support been so far?
I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback. It’s a very catchy tune and people are responding well to it and people are excited to hear it live. A lot of people are saying they want to put it on with the top down. It’s a summer song and it’s fun and it makes you want to dance.
What do you love about performing live?
I love being able to see people’s faces while singing a song that means a lot to me. Seeing a connection between me and someone in the audience that I don’t know. Music is really something that bridges people and brings them together. It’s so great when you get off stage and someone you’ve never seen before tells you that it really touched them. It’s just an amazing feeling and finally having people hear what you’ve been working on for so long is very rewarding.
Can you talk a little about your charity work and why you’re so passionate for it?
Yeah, of course. Right now I’m very focused on working with the Joyful Heart Foundation. Being in college, domestic violence and sexual assault is such an important issue and people don’t talk about it enough. It’s a tough thing to talk about. Working with the Joyful Heart Foundation, we’re really trying to get young people involved. They have a lot of actors and famous people involved and it’s a campaign to stop the violence. If I can help bring in young people and help educate them on the issues, why not?
Be sure to check out Emma Kate’s debut single “Neon Yellow Hearts” and listen at the link below. You can stay up to date with Emma by following her on Twitter @EmmaKateMusic19.
Purchase Neon Yellow Hearts on iTunes!
For more information on the Joyful Heart Foundation, check out their website.
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