In Conversation With #225 - Emmeline
Rising star Emmeline releases her debut EP Satellite Navigation System - a four-track project produced by Fraser T. Smith out via 70Hz Recordings.
As an artist that does not limit herself to one form of genre, Emmeline draws from a plethora of musical influences on her latest track. The heavy bassline and chopped 808s of ‘Girls Write Rhymes’ sets the stage for Emmeline to paint her tongue and cheek lyrics onto. Her empowering lyricism above the echoey backing vocals is a call to action for female writers, especially in an industry that is predominantly occupied by men. As she confidently occupies an opulent church in a Joan of Arc-inspired outfit, she solidifies the message held within her lyrics before donning a billowing gown and futuristic headphones.
She took a moment to talk to us about how the EP came together.
Hey there Emmeline- how are you? So your EP is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
I’m good! More than good. There’s definitely a nice internal buzz you get in the process of releasing music. And with this project, which is both a labour of love and a kind of opening statement to the music I’m now making, it’s nice to be able to finally hand it over to people, and give it another life outside of my head.
It is called ‘Satellite Navigation System’ - what is the meaning behind that?
I made this EP just as I’d moved to London and left Uni/ many of my close friends/habitual routines. As exciting as it was I definitely felt displaced for a while, and writing music became a really useful crux for me to try and find a sense of place/space/belonging again. I arrived at the metaphor that I was reliant upon a ’satellite navigation system’ of things and people and places that kept me tethered at the core, pulling me in the right direction even when I felt lost.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
Funnily enough, a lot of this EP is really the product of texts and voice notes sent between me and (producer) Fraser T. Smith. I had the fortune of meeting him just over a year ago, and we established a kind of ‘remote’ collaboration - he’d send me a beat and the next day I’d reply with lyrics. So by the time we got to the studio these songs were kind of like old friends, which was a comforting way of going about things.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
It’s definitely about the transition between adolescence and adulthood, and navigating a loss of coordinates. Because it was predominantly written in the city it’s also definitely attached to London, and that soundscape I was suddenly experiencing every day. You can also hear me and Fraser experimenting with our sound on the EP, and trying to push the boundaries of the sort of music we could make. This was really my first time in the studio, first time making music seriously in this way; it's about finding a voice and a sound, and the simultaneous pleasure and struggle in that journey.
If the EP could be the soundtrack to any film - which one would it be and why?
We talked quite a lot about the ‘cinema’ of music whilst making this project! Specifically with ’Stay With Me’ I wanted the opening to have a kind of drive and pacing, like I could be narrating the start of a film. I guess for that reason it’s hard to map the music onto an existing filmic project, because I was thinking so much about the individual narrative. It’s coming of age, it’s London centric, it starts lost but finds itself. That’s the film.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP - if so, which one and why?
.‘I’m taking pictures of you/ call it cool geometry’.
Now the EP is out there - what next?
I won’t say much, but I don’t think you’ll have to wait very long to find out…
