An Interview With Emily Rose Martin
A new release from Emily Rose Martin takes contemporary piano pop and gives it a refreshing spin with heartfelt vocals, passionate piano performances and a theatrical undertone that ends up inspiring and compelling at times.
The In This Moment EP is made up of a beautiful set of tracks that seem to flow together like a concept album or a diary even as the personal lyrics are taken from chapters in her life.
The record features piano driven and emotionally textured songs that paint vivid pictures and leave an impactful mark all without losing that pop sensibility.
Songs laced with gorgeous melodies and cinematic tones that all can feel like you're watching her perform live in front of you.
The EP has a power behind it and Martin gives it her all singing wise as she lets it all out for the world to hear.
A wonderfully woven palette of songs that ll feel warm and real, In This Moment has quite a few memorable moments and at times can even make your own memories flash in your head.
Acoustic guitar ballads come in strong and bring extra flavor to this already colorful record and there are lush and in depth hooks running live throughout the course of this release.
Added instrumentation like violins show face and build on the emotional feed as songs burst into bright choruses that move you.
This was a hell of an EP and any fan of pop music or film even will fall right in love with this one.
With such a great release, we wanted to have a sit down with Emily Rose Martin to find out where this all came from and where it may all be headed.
TSWS: Hey Emily! Thanks for being here!
Emily: Thank you so much for having me!
TSWS: I think we should start with the In This Moment EP. This record feels personal and boasts a great contemporary pop feel. Where did this come from?
Emily: It’s incredibly personal. They say “write what you know”, and that’s exactly what I wanted to do. Honestly, I don’t think I set out for it to be a certain genre, I just wanted to make music that reflected the emotions of my story. Though most people say it does tend to lean more towards pop and soft rock, I think there’s a real beauty in it not fitting perfectly into one genre. I don’t know any other EP or album that sounds like this, and that uniqueness is one of my favorite things about how it turned out.
TSWS: Upon listening to the EP, it feels like it's a concept album. Is that true?
Emily: I would definitely say that’s true. There’s a very distinct theme of home and what that can mean for anyone throughout the EP, but each of these songs are also based off of a specific feeling or moment that I’ve been through.
TSWS: Do you find writing music is a way to let out emotions for you?
Emily: Absolutely. It’s incredibly scary at times to share something so personal with the world, but at the same time getting these memories out of my head and into the music is really great because now I know if I ever want to look back on this time in my life, I’ve catalogued it in a really special way.
TSWS: How did this begin for you?
Emily: My whole family has always been really supportive of my career in the Performing Arts, and one day my grandpa found Pearl Sound Studios in the paper and asked me if I’d be interested in recording an album. When I said yes, I never could have predicted the journey that I’d go on for the next three years, but I’m incredibly grateful for it.
TSWS: This EP has some great pop styles! Who are some of your actual musical influences?
Emily: Well, I’ve always had a lot of musical theatre influences in my life, so I’m a huge fan of ballads that grow into these lush and gorgeous anthems. But before I found musical theatre, my mom would play Martina McBride and James Taylor around the house all the time. Nowadays, I still have a huge musical theatre presence in my life, but I also really like artists like Sam Smith, Little Mix, Nathan Sykes, and Pentatonix, just to name a few.
TSWS: Can we expect any music videos from you this year?
Emily: Unfortunately, I don’t think there will be any music videos any time soon.
TSWS: Things are always up in the air with the Pandemic happening. Are you planning any live performances?
Emily: I don’t plan on any live performances soon, but I occasionally post a few covers to my Instagram.
TSWS: What's next for you as an artist?
Emily: It’s always been my dream to perform on Broadway, and I’ll be moving to the East Coast soon, so I hope that will happen eventually. I’d also love to be a director if I get the chance.
TSWS: Who are you listening to right now?
Emily: A little bit of everything, but Sammy Rae, Ben Rector, and Brandi Carlile are some of my favorite artists right now. But also, Hadestown is a musical I’ve been obsessed with for the last few years.
TSWS: How do you write your songs? Is it lyrics first or chords? What's your process?
Emily: Lyrics first. I’m not as talented as I’d like to be when it comes to writing the melodies, but sometimes I hear very specific melodies when writing the lyrics, and I know I have to include it in a song. Sometimes the background of a song takes two years to live and twenty minutes to write, and then other times a song is a culmination of feelings that I’ve experienced throughout my life.
TSWS: What is the most rewarding part about doing this?
Emily: Getting it done, and knowing that I could accomplish something like this. The reaction to my music has been so wonderful, and getting to share a part of my story is really rewarding.
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Emily: I mean, I can’t really put into words how grateful I am when anyone takes the time to listen to my music. Ultimately, just thank you so much for supporting me and my musical journey.