Emma Blackery is releasing her new single ‘Dirt’ on Friday, and obviously we could not be more excited!
The 26 year old sensation from Essex has already released a number of EPs, and we are sure this debut album will blow everyone away. We chatted with Blackery about her inspirations, her new style and, of course, got all the dirt on ‘Dirt’.
Trending All Day: How will this single (and upcoming album) be different to your previous work?
Emma Blackery: It’s livelier. I think its sound will find a home with a lot more people than my previous releases, which were a little more niche. Over the past year I’ve been inspired by so many amazing pop albums that have been released, and I wanted to make a record with a sound that I would really resonate with. Something I could dance to. I’ve had so many people speak their truth and say that my previous releases weren’t their ‘thing’, but that this new sound excites them. If I love it, and they love it, I’ll be happy.
Hello. My new single, ‘Dirt’, is out on March 16th.
Here is the cover.
Believe me, for some, the storm has barely begun. pic.twitter.com/LybwpBMvHq— Emma Blackery (@emmablackery) March 2, 2018
TAD: The cover art of you holding a lemon is honestly iconic. What inspired that?
EB: Without going into too much of my personal life, Dirt is heavily inspired by the breakdown of a friendship over the past couple of years. There was an instance where someone in my personal life called me ‘bitter’ over something very trivial, and Dirt is very much an over-the-top pisstake of that. If you think I’m bitter, I’ll take your insult and turn it into personal success. I wrote the song last summer, and personal feelings have cooled since then, but I love that this song and its concept is frozen in that moment in time.
TAD: Who was the biggest inspiration for your new musical style?
EB: If I name drop an obscure Scandinavian artist, does that sound impressive? Honestly, I’ve just been absorbing so much pop, which is a genre I hadn’t paid too much attention to since my early teens, and worked hard to learn how to write pop songs that I love. I can’t spoil too much about the album, but the tracks are all very different in their sound, and all have different inspirations.
TAD: To promote ‘Dirt’ you told us “Believe me, for some, the storm has barely begun.” What did you mean by this incredible and cryptic note?
EB: Again, I’m not going to name any names - there’s no point. Witch hunts are very much against what I stand for. However, as I said previously, every track on this album is inspired by personal experiences, meaning they all involved other people, too. I’m sure certain people will believe certain songs are about them - it’s up to them if they want to put that out there.
TAD: We can see you’ve come out the other end of this writing process a much happier person, and we’re loving watching you thrive. What was the emotional process like while writing this single?
EB: ‘Dirt’ was written in August, just after I’d had a massive public online fallout with some people. I was feeling the most frustrated and disillusioned with social media - to the point where I ended up leaving social media and deleting all apps for a few weeks (how wild that in 2018, that’s an eternity online?) I just wanted nothing to do with certain people. Anything I said was deliberately twisted. My name went through the mud privately and publicly. Dirt was the first song I’d written with this new sound - in losing my faith in online friendships, I gained a new perspective on how to present myself going forward. Dirt may be a little hypocritical in that, when you listen to the lyrics, but it was the very start of my journey into becoming happy again - I think it’s only right to share my story from the very beginning.
TAD: If you could perform with any musician in 2018, who would you choose?
EB: There are so many artists I’m loving right now, but I wouldn’t want to jinx myself, or make myself look too eager! There should be some exciting events and opportunities coming up later in the year, and honestly, being able to share this new era with the world is an honour, so I’ll just say that any performance with an artist I love would be an amazing bonus.
TAD: Describe your new single in three words.
EB: Best served cold.
The single and music video will both be released for us to enjoy at midnight (GMT) on Thursday the 15th of March. Be sure to download the song, and follow @emmablackery for all the updates you need!
