Artist To Watch | Emelia Austin

Rapid-fire Questions

1. What have you been listening to lately?

I can’t stop listening to Hovvdy’s album True Love.

2. What is your favorite album cover, unrelated to its content, just the art?

Yo La Tengo’s album And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. It’s one of my favorite albums of ALL TIME, but I also truly love their album art. It’s a photograph by Gregory Crewdson, who’s known for recreating fictional sets of suburbia. He creates these huge sets that seem like they are a still out of a movie, but it’s just for his photography. They are incredibly cinematic and moving.

3. Is there something that is common knowledge if you’re in the music industry, but unknown outside of the industry?

Yes, I will be hiding away in the green room. No, it does not mean I hate you.

4. You ever play the role of janet from Rocky Horror show?

I actually have! In college I was in a Rocky Horror shadow group before I started playing in bands.

5. What would your final words on your deathbed be?

Whatever you do with your life make sure to live, laugh, and love …

6. If you could eat anything non-edible and be able to digest it, and not get sick or die, what would you eat?

Maybe crystals? They could probably give me magical powers.

7. Okay, this is a serious question. In the movie “Groundhog day” how did Bill Murray break the cycle of repeating the same day? I don’t remember him doing anything special. Did it just randomly stop?

I don’t think I ever that finished the movie… he probably found true love or something. That’s what always happens.

8. What would you get in trouble for most often as a kid?

For not doing what adults told me to do.

9. I had never broken a bone until this past year. What is something that’s pretty common that has never happened to you?

I was never asked out to Prom. Boys didn’t like me like that in High School.

10. Any bands that you think everyone should check out?

My other band Gal Pal just released a new single called ‘Mirror’ and I think it’s fucking awesome.

To start things off, can you introduce yourself for those who may not be familiar with you?

My name is Emelia Austin, and I make music, among many other things.

What was your first involvement with music?

My parents forced me to start one musicial thing when I was little so I’ve been doing music in some capacity since elementary school. I used to play piano, do vocal lessons, sing in a classical choir and perform in musicals. But singing was my main focus when I was young cause I didn’t have the patience to stick to an instrument until later on in life.

Was there anything or any moment in particular that made you want to start writing/recording your own music?

I starting writing music around the age of 14. There wasn’t anything pushing me in particular to write, I was just a young girl going through puberty and feeling like I didn’t belong in the world. I didn’t know how to express that in my everyday life so I think music was that escape.

I saw that you also have a ton of other creative outlets like you’ve directed music videos, you make collages, flyers, and you paint as well. Are those things that you kind of got into to compliment your musical projects.

I’ve always been a creative person from a young age so I’ve been dabbling in visual art for awhile. I went to film school for my undergrad so making and studying films was something I was doing before I started performing in bands and writing music more seriously.

I absolutely love your latest album. It feels like an instant classic for me. Can you talk to us a bit about, From Another Sky?

Thank you for saying that :) The album From Another Sky is about viewing things from a different lens after an event changes your life forever. Each song is a different lesson. It’s like when you go through a devastating break-up and everything in your life feels different. Life is changing and you just have to try and keep up. It even feels like when you look up at the sun and stars you are watching them from another sky ;)

What were some of the inspirations behind the album?

Mazzy Star, Babehoven (even though they are my friends), Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, Liz Phair, just to name a few…

Were these songs that you’ve had for a while, or were they written specifically for the album?

I started writing the songs for this album in 2019, so it’s been a collection growing over the years. But I had no idea they would become an album. I didn’t really have a direct vision until I finished most of the songs, then I realized their connections. I knew I had planned on releasing a body on work; I just didnt know I could write enough to become a full-length. With that said, early on I knew the EP or album would be named From Another Sky. That was crystal clear from the beginning. Same with the visual album art. My friend Lynn Torres shot those photographs of me in 2019, it just took me a few years to finish the actually songs.

Were you listening to anything in particular while working on the album?

Over the past 3 years? A lot.

Oh man, this is such a good album. This may change the more I listen to the album, but my current favorite song is “Shifting weather”. Can you give us some background on that song?

Shifting Weather is my favorite too. It was the first song I wrote for the record and it made me realize I was capable of writing cool things. It’s essential about loving yourself and your flaws because we only live once. It’s about imagining what the world would be like if fear wasn’t holding you back from becoming who you are meant to be. A song about learning to love yourself.

One of my favorite parts where there is this buildup and then at 1:15 and 3:40 there's a split second where everything stops. To me it almost feels like the moment you kind of hold your breath before diving into a pool or like holding your breath before doing something you’re nervous about. Idk it’s just an interesting choice to me. How did the idea for that come about?

That’s a great visual to describe that section. I forget exactly how I came up with that part but I always wanted a big break in the chorus to build up the tension. I’m all about writing music that has surprises.

Is that a little steel guitar in your song “Gaslight”?

Yes, steel guitar added by my friend Cody Ackors.

Is there anything that you learned from working on or making this album that you think you’ll carry with you into your future projects?