By Jimmy G
“So my outlook at the time was ‘when I’m out of this funk and I get where I want and the things I want, why would I want to share that? I’d rather get there and know that I have myself and I love myself more than anyone else can.”
Credit: Emma Gatsby
“I don’t think there’s any formula whatsoever. If a song can take me somewhere else or make me feel something then it’s great to me.”
Question, when was the last time the first ten seconds of a song really hooked you? Really made you feel immersed in the soundscape and made you crank up the volume, sit back and really listen to the track, paying attention to every detail, every tiny, almost unnoticeable sound?
If you can’t remember the last time this may have happened, I recommend you give a listen to Emma Gatsby’s “Alone”. Haunting, distorted sounds with the strong backing of strings, the familiar crackle of a vinyl player and then booming clear vocals. It’s hard not to be totally pulled into the song from the ouset. Brilliantly produced, “Alone” is a phonically unique and fascinating track that will no doubt start many conversations regarding the 23-year-old who grew up on the Gatsby estates – yes, those Gatsby estates.
Credit: Emma Gatsby (instagram)
When talking about the creative process behind ‘Alone’, Gatsby says she “was feeling very alone at the time and cynical towards a lot of my personal and professional relationships. My interactions with people felt very empty and not real. It was a low point in my life and I felt that no one really wanted to be around for that... so my outlook at the time was ‘when I'm out of this funk and I get where I want and the things I want, why would I want to share that? I'd rather get there and know that I have myself and I love myself more than anyone else can”.
When discussing new sounds, Emma is keen to produce tracks that are “just purely honest music”, with her claiming “I want these next songs to be lively and all, but I also want to get more vulnerable as I move forward”.
“You hear a lot about the “dark side” of the industry. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to have never really come across that. I’ve mostly encountered people that have helped me grow.”
When discussing the music business, Emma gives us her take on it: “you hear a lot about the "dark side" of the industry. I've been pleasantly surprised to have never really come across that. I've mostly encountered people that have helped me grow.
“The only downside is most people don't "see it" until they see it. The people that really want to start from the ground up are few and far between”.
But it’s clear that despite the struggles of launching a music career, she still has an unconditional love and passion for the art, stating “music is probably the only thing that still thrills me to do. To be able to take what you're going through, whether it's beautiful or glum, and turn it into a piece of music is one of the most wonderful things I'm lucky enough to experience. The people around me are super supportive and I the fans I have are great. I still get amazed when people reach out to me about a song”.
A track that is as mesmerising as it is powerful - with touching and powerful lyrics that touch on Emma's past - we're certainly looking forward to Emma's upcoming releases. If the first ten seconds are good, imagine what the album will be like.