Emmy the Great: I’m not famous – who cares?
Seven years since she made her breakthrough in 2006, British singer songwriter Emma-Lee Moss is still not famous and she doesn’t care.
Obscure singer-songwriter Emma-Lee Moss, who is making a name for herself in the UK, has been making indie–folk music since her debut in 2006 with her first single “Secret Circus”.
“It would be very hard to make music with just fame in mind and I don’t think the most famous musicians in the world do that,” says the songwriter who hides behind the moniker Emmy the Great, which is also the name of her band.
She was in Singapore - her second visit since a 2011 gig at Home Club – to perform for a media party on Thursday. It was organised by the House of Haagen–Dazs and was held at a penthouse showroom called the P' Club Group at North Bridge Road.
The UK-based songwriter, who was born in Hong Kong, has been widely acclaimed by various British publications, such as The Guardian, for being “one of the boldest young writers in pop”. Her 2009 debut album “First Love” was lauded by the New York Times as “Album of the Year”. She has also performed alongside popular bands like “Florence and the Machine”, famous for hit songs “Dog Days are over” and “Shake it out”, as well as famous British deejay Fatboy Slim.
Currently working on her third album, she performed her latest single “Swimming Pool” for the first time in Singapore.
Yahoo! Singapore met with Emmy the day before her performance for an intimate chat. Sitting among Victorian-chic furniture and overlooking a spectacular view of the central business district, the soft-spoken singer tells us why she doesn’t care about fame.
"First Love" taken off her debut album of the same name.
Fame is a head f**k
The demure 28-year-old, who was born to an English father and Chinese mother, thinks it is “dangerous” for somebody to just want to be famous.
This she learned when she wanted to be as big as 90s alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins when she was younger, and she even dreamed of performing in landmark venues such as the Wembley Arena in London.
After focusing on fame for a period, she soon realised that the American band, and other successful groups like The Beatles, did not succeed because they became famous. Rather, they had an “obsession” with music instead and that the idea of having fame is just a big distraction – something she calls a “head f**k”.
After surprising this reporter with her sliver of angst, she adds, “At the end of the day, you want to perform at good shows and make good songs.”
Bullied for her mixed heritage
Looking poised and elegant in her cream pastel vintage shirt, it is hard to believe that a troubled past hides beneath that serene face.
Growing up with a mixed heritage was difficult for Emmy. In Hong Kong, she was always picked on at her school for being “white” and the same happened when she moved to the UK at age 11 – but this time, for being Asian.
However, growing up in a Western household meant life was better in the UK.
“I felt really weird and uncomfortable with myself for attending the local Chinese school in Hong Kong because I was quite Western,” she said. "It took some decompression when I went to England to be okay.”
In her 20s, she eventually let her “freak flag fly” and embraced her unique identity.
“I feel like a product of the modern world.”
"Paper Forest (In the Afterglow of Rapture)" taken off her second album "Virtue".
Don’t want to fit in
Today, she feels proud that she does not belong to any particular society or country, which helps when she goes on tour.
“I’m lucky I can make a home anywhere I go because I don’t have the sense that I need to be married to one place and I don’t feel shocked when I see different cultures,” she said.
Even her loved ones are located in various places around the world - her parents are currently living in Hong Kong, her boyfriend is in London and her best friend lives in New York.
Travelling the world has also helped her with her upcoming album, which is slated to be released latest by early 2014.
Contrary to her earlier two albums, she no longer writes songs about being dumped by lovers and has replaced them with observations of her surroundings. Hence, her latest release, “Swimming Pool”, which was inspired while relaxing by a pool in Hong Kong.
“The song really reminded me of the time when I was in Hong Kong. Back then, there were many pool parties and I was always sitting in and watching the older kids,” said the observant songwriter, who took note of the older kids’ behavior, such as “the way they dived into the pool” and how attractive the “preppy boys” were.
One can sense Emmy's underlying longing to fit in but those feelings are in the past. They shall now reside only in her songs.
