Rising star EMMMA faced up to the realisation that she had unwittingly become a supporting character in her own life. She reacted to that dilemma by writing herself out of that situation, and finding catharsis through her gorgeous brand of alt-pop that will surely draw comparisons to the likes of Chappell Roan, boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers, MUNA and Griff. It’s an experience she explores with today’s release of her debut single ‘Playing It Safe’. Listen HERE.
Far from ‘Playing It Safe’, the racing tempo of the track is an ambitious cocktail of switching rhythms, dramatic pauses and a huge, rousing chorus. Meanwhile, EMMMA’s voice is capable of flitting from a rich, full-bodied call to a perfectly pitched falsetto redolent of 2024 breakthrough Chappell Roan as she sings, “Am I missing out? / Not making mistakes? / Am I playing myself? / Playing it safe?”
EMMMA says, “I had very much fallen into a pattern in my life where I played the game too safe. I get really scared when I’m pushed outside of my comfort zone whether that be in relationships with other people or following rules. I was always so nervous that I was missing out on the joys of life because I’m boxing myself in by being too safe with my choices. Life had become stagnant.”
EMMMA wrote ‘Playing It Safe’ with Emily Haber (Joy Oladokun, Anna Clendening), with production and co-writing duties from Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, ASHE) and mixing courtesy of Lee Smith (Holly Humberstone, Griff).
‘Playing It Safe’ is the first taste of EMMMA’s debut EP, which is set to follow on Nov 28.
She laughs that music was always destined to be her career path, and the more you uncover about her story the truer that becomes. She first picked up the violin when she was just two-years-old, before moving onto the piano and performing in local music theatre when she was five. Her family’s music taste was a pivotal influence: jazz and classical to folk and classic rock, and particularly Carole King, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.
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