Emei
It’s good to get to feature Emei on my blog again. I love how her music and artistry have evolved since the beginning of her career and I’m happy to see things have been doing so well for her lately. “Late to the Party” is an ultimate smash and her new single “Better People to Leave on Read” is another big record. I love how aggressively honest and poignant her songwriting is. Emei is an Artist, but also a Storyteller.
I know she will continue to do big things and I can’t wait to see/hear what she’s going to offer next.
But for now, let’s stream “Better People to leave on Read” - now available !! :)
Photo credit: Jade Sadler
Hey Emei, how are you? What have you been up to since our last conversation?
I'm good! I just graduated college last month and just moved to LA this week. So it's a very overwhelming but exciting transition! I've gone through a lot of ups and downs with friendships in the past few months so although I've been pretty emotionally exhausted, I have a lot of new music in the works.
What lessons did you learn since the release of "Late to the Party"?
Main lesson would probably be that it's a marathon not a sprint. I've always put a lot of pressure on myself to push myself to be the best I can be while doing the most I can do. However, I found myself struggling a lot this last semester with balancing graduating a semester early and also finding my first bit of success in music. I've definitely felt like I've been drowning in self-imposed expectations and pressure. And I guess through the past few months, I've recognized that pushing and pushing just isn't sustainable and I need to figure out a way to balance everything in a more healthy way.
"Better People to Leave on Read" is your new single - what's the inspiration/story behind this song?
The lyrics really speak for themselves but it was written after an ex best friend texted me congratulating me on Late to the Party after we hadn't talked for a year (for unfortunate reasons). It's a pretty angry song which is reflective of how I felt in the moment.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single? When did you start working on it? Who helped you create it?
I was visiting LA over Thanksgiving break and I was writing with Rob Auerbach and Areli Castro from KiNG MALA. We were catching up about how our lives have been and the ex best friend had actually texted me the night before the session so it was fresh in my mind. We wrote the entire song in an afternoon and recorded all the vocals as well in one session. Something about the demo vocals were so special that we decided we had to keep it in. Then, I came back for another trip in December and we finished up everything in a few days! This song was definitely one of the fastest I've finished in a while.
What's your favorite thing about this song?
The brutal honesty of the lyrics is definitely my favorite part of the song. Every additional line we wrote, we were all like wow can we really say that in the song...
What made you want to release "Better People to Leave on Read" as a single?
I've been writing a lot of songs circling the idea of growing pains. Late to the Party was about feeling constantly behind. Better People to Leave On Read captures the anger and sadness that comes with losing old friends. And honestly, we had so much fun writing this one and working on it that the moment we were done, it felt like it was the one that had to come out. The excitement around the gang vocals in the last chorus and the aggression in every word gave it a special energy. It's definitely quite different from Late to the Party but the grunge and messiness of the production felt so fitting with the emotional energy that was in the room.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
Jade Sadler (the best) took the photo and we were going for a mug shot-esque aesthetic with the album art. We've been circling around the color red for the last singles so with this one, Jade brought her roommate's red eyeliner and her scarf and we took it from there. The raspberries were a fun last minute addition!
In your opinion, what makes a good song?
Honest lyrics always make a song. I think that if you're telling a story that reflects honestly on a part of your life, someone will relate to it in some way. I grew up obsessed with Sara Bareilles and Joni Mitchell for their lyricism and I still gravitate towards lyrics more than anything else in a song.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
Hardest part would probably be the constant pressure to be churning out content. The best part is finally meeting the people who support you online in person. It's easy to get caught up in the numbers but once you realize every number is a person who listens to your music, it's really unbelievable. When I get messages from strangers about how my song has helped them through a difficult time in their lives, it makes everything worth it.
How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What message do you want to deliver to women out there?
I had always worked with male producers up until very recently, and since working with a few female producers and writers, I've noticed that the energy in the room is always very different when it's all women. The same goes for A&Rs and managers. Why? I'm not sure. I think we might all hold up a wall of some sort when working with the other gender; to seem smarter or more accomplished or less emotional. I would emphasize that it's important as a woman in the industry to have a community that you turn to for advice or help.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
In the vein of the song, don't waste time on people that aren't worth your time. Focusing on the negative is so much easier than focusing on the positive and that's something I've been telling myself recently: Make sure you take time to appreciate the lovely people around you who support and care about you instead of spending all your energy on people who don't.
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