Interview: Emmy the Great
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Emmy the Great aka Emma-Lee Moss is renowned for her thought provoking lyrics. Always into music from a young age she released her debut album “First Love” in February 2009 which ranked #7 in the New York Times “Best Albums of the Year” list. TNS catches up with her following the release of her second album “Virtue”.
So you’ve just released your second album. How did the creative process differ from the first time round?
Emmy: It was much more natural, a lot more flowing, and I didn’t have to think as hard about the situations. With the first one it was very much about putting songs in context, with the second album it was just more free.
What’s your favourite track from the album?
Emmy: Probably ‘Exit Night’. I always rally for the songs that other people haven’t mentioned. I think I would be a really bad mother, because whichever kid gets less attention I would favour!
You seem to take a lot of inspiration from things around you, is there anything in particular that inspired this album?
Emmy: Yeah. I think it was travelling on the road, especially up North and seeing big, beautiful fields and then old, strange, industrial structures like power stations. Then moving to West London where there’s concrete everywhere, there’s Trellick Tower and stuff like that.
How do you go about writing? Do you have any routines?
Emmy: My writing styles are changing album by album. My first one was really rigid – I would sit there and I wouldn’t stop until I’d finished a verse and a chorus. The second one I set times, but I was more free about it. And now, I just write when I feel like writing!
And do you find this way brings more creativity to the songs?
Emmy: It’s definitely more fun! I think the lyrics come out differently because they’re not coming in this really conscious brainwave, they’re just poking up at various points in the day. Sometimes I’ll be walking along the street and think ‘oh yes, I’ve got that lyric’, and if I don’t write it down it could get lost. But then I don’t mind that, because if it’s really great it’ll come back.

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