Inspired #78 - Emily Lockett
Emily Lockett has just released her new single ‘That Girl’, the UK based independent artist once again mixes country-pop with Americana beautifully. She took a moment to talk to us about Manchester, Ward Thomas and the inspirations behind her new track.
Who are you top three musical inspirations?
As a youngster I listened to Taylor Swift and her music got me interested in country music. I then started to look for other similar country artists and came across Ward Thomas and The Shires who have a modern day country sound.
Is there a certain film that inspires you?
Well I’m not sure it inspires me in a country music way but Titanic is my favourite film and it did inspire me to learn to play the soundtrack on piano. I couldn’t play the piano at all at the time, so the Titanic theme My Heart Will Go On was my first attempt at the piano. I can't read piano music so I had to learn it from ear and via Youtube videos.
What city do you find the most inspiring?
At the moment this is Manchester, this is where I went to music college and now go to university. I have grown to love the city and think of it as my second home. I have played in a variety of Manchester’s music venues and found it to have a vibrant and supportive country music scene.
Who is the most inspiring person to you?
Emily Davison, one of the suffragettes who threw herself in front of the king’s horse. I learned about her at school and she made an big impression on me at the time and made me think about going for what you believe in, in life.
What are the key inspirations behind the track?
I have tended to write mainly love songs to date, so this was a deliberate attempt to write a non-love song. At the time I wrote this song I was listening a lot to Catherine McGrath’s track Talk Of This Town and this inspired me to write something along similar lines. It's a song about coming out of your shell, I'm sure there is a bit of me in this track !
How would you like to inspire people?
I’d like people starting out with music at school to see that with a lot perseverance you can become a musician and don’t let the school system put you off, it’s not all about exams.