Electric Dreaming with Emmy Wildwood
Interview by Adrienne Joelle
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
Life is about discovering yourself and being unafraid in doing so, and singer-songwriter Emmy Wildwood is no stranger to that. Hailing from Tucson, Arizona and based in Brooklyn, New York, Wildwood completely defies a set genre in her music – a true reflection of herself and the persona she possesses. Emulating the styles of artists like Kate Bush and PJ Harvey from decades past, Wildwood stands out with her rich vocals and unapologetic attitude, her music having no limitations. I had a chance to chat with her surrounding the release of her first self-produced album, Heavy Petals. We also talk about her inspirations, her unique style, life at home, and why her voice should be heard.
Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you.
I’m Emmy, I’m an artist and songwriter who just produced her first record and I’m super glad you guys dig it and want to talk about it. I’m sitting here in my living room with my partner eating vanilla ice cream with Fruity Pebbles on it and I just posted a video of a song I wrote earlier to IGTV!
I have to say, your style is very 80’s reminiscent, fused with punk rock. The bold red lip suits you like no other.
Thank you! I definitely draw inspiration from the 80’s, but if I could have everything I ever wanted, I would probably tailor my look to be fit for a 70’s male rock star. My hair will always be big though, so I guess I always will look a bit 80’s. But to be honest, I sort of think of everything like a deconstructed otherworldly version of a male rock star. I like everything and I will always try different looks, but thank you for saying that about the bold red lip! I’ve been wearing red lipstick since I was 11. My nana who always played piano by ear and taught me a lot of the chords I knew wore red lipstick every day and sowed sparkly clothes which she wore day or night.
Now, let’s get into your music. How would you describe your sound? I find it hard to do so myself. Maybe that’s the point?!
I always say my sound has no genre, but at the end of the day, I’ve been hitting up my friend Derek for post-punk records. I played punk a lot in college, and after like eighth notes on the guitar, because that’s how I learned it, from kids in sixth grade learning Nirvana songs. But my dad was a cowboy and he loved country and The Beatles, so he made sure I knew cowboy chords and classics. We listened to a lot of Joni Mitchell and The Beatles in our house. I got into hip-hop and R&B a little in junior high because I loved girl groups. I thought it was so much more empowering when I saw En Vogue, TLC, or Salt N’ Pepa than when I saw I can’t even name another band that’s not hip-hop or R&B during that time. I fell in love with rockers like Linda Perry and Alanis Morissette all around the same time. But then I also heard punk when I was 16. One of my best friends, Dan, started playing me these punk records, which I thought were really noisy at first, but man, everybody got so pumped up. So I went to my first all ages punk show and I saw the White Kaps with Bury Me Standing, whose bass player I later went on to date for 10 years! When I saw punk live, it made stardom feel accessible. Why? Because nobody is as excited at being at a show as punk bands are - they dress for it. It’s classic showmanship. They’re excited to hear the songs, they dance to the songs, they go crazy and are such good audience members. Everybody has the best time. And furthermore, the punk scene has evolved and has become super positive. I love what it’s becoming. It’s about the show again. Those kids pack festivals. Where are those kids online? That’s what I want to know. Anyways, I think you can hear all of that probably, and the fact that I was in theatre at four. It just all shows up.
KCM is always on the hunt to find some new music from new artists. What sets you apart from others, and why should people hear your music?
I’m in the mood to give people something that improves them; not that I have that kind of power, but every single one of these songs are like me talking myself through really terrible lessons that I’m learning, patterns I’m picking up. Some of the songs are super autobiographical where I’m just saying exactly how I’m experiencing something, and those can be really hard to listen back to. And when they are, I know they’re important for people to hear because it’s probably a time when I’m ashamed of myself or at a ceiling for compassion, and other people feel really alone when they don’t know others feel that way too. But even bigger than that, sometimes people are just feeling that and they haven’t identified yet. The gift that so many songs have given me is hearing a lyric and going ‘That’s exactly what it was like with so and so!’ There are so many songs that are the soundtrack to what I should have said, and the idea that one of these songs could be that for somebody is a moment that comes up every once in a while that knocks me on my behind. It makes me feel so heard, and I’m so glad I could be of use to anybody at all. It’s the most rewarding thing. I’ve digressed, but I want you to know I made sure you heard that in every single song. I took the care to make sure that each piece was useful and could maybe help somebody improve themselves in some way, because anytime I talk through my feelings I feel improved.
How did you discover your passion for music, and what made you pursue this career?
My dad played me music from the day I was born. He was a desert cowboy and played me guitar every night before bed. There was music in our house all weekend, regular family jams. We sang at weddings my whole life. My sister loved theatre and still continues to do it. I did theatre and never started to love it. I didn’t like doing other people’s work. I wanted to do my own. But I still love going. I started really writing songs when I was about 11. I saw the movie Grace of My Heart when I was in seventh grade and I was obsessed with it! It was a movie tailored after Carole King’s life and I knew it was. It showed her songwriting history in pictures, and I was convinced that that was my job. It seemed like simple math to me. Singers that can’t write need songs that are good. I had plenty of those, and was writing all the time. I just started saying “I’m going to be a songwriter” at some point. I got so brave writing in bands with other people that on a whim, I put an ad on Craigslist for producer partners who wanted to write, and I started working with Larry McConneughey. At the time, we hadn’t worked in each other’s genres, but we both clicked so fast because we both loved lots of different types of music. We wrote like 20 songs together in a few months. It was so easy, and then I started doing that any chance I got. Anybody who was like “I write,” I’d be like “Me too, let’s!” And it just started working out naturally with producers I was working with.
What’s your creative process like when you’re in the studio?
It changes, but usually it starts with an idea, one idea that’s nagging at you - a chorus chant or melody, or maybe I’ve written a whole song out on piano another day and I’ll start with just that because that’s how it happened. I just sort of listen to what it’s asking for and go from there. I did this one all alone mostly. It was easier and harder, lonely and unbelievably fulfilling.
Speaking of the creative process, you just dropped your first self-produced album. Tell us about Heavy Petals! I love that it was done completely without limits and unconstructed in the best way possible. “Comeback” and “Bad Thing” are my faves.
If you think “Comeback” and “Bad Thing” are your faves, I think we would be friends in real life! I think that means you’re a woman’s woman. I’ve had a lot of girlfriends around me. I love chicks; we are smart, strong and resourceful. I think that I felt far away from myself for a really long time, and I think this record was ultimately about getting back in touch with a more uninhibited side of myself, and I don’t mean sexually, because I’ve never felt more modest in my life! Maybe it’s just because it’s on trend, but I’m on board. My entire life I’ve been sexualized. I’m tall and curvy, but I’m also a people pleaser and probably co-dependent, and it’s difficult to field incoming attention, or even see it for what it is. I think I explore a lot of that on this record. I’ve let people see me as silly or sad for a lot of years, and that’s okay, because what people think is silly was me trying to make people laugh, and what they saw as sad was me being honest about where I was, because I’m a writer and expression matters to me. And because I’m a sucker for a ballad. But there were so many songs I think I had to write to sort of work through feelings before I could even get to a place, I needed to lighten up - and I’m glad I made all those albums and showed the world where I was at because it was so satisfying to show them that I’m a phoenix over and over, although I’m a bit tired. Heavy Petals is about being tired. It sort of references the weight on the delicate extensions of yourself. But the mood was ready to party, and so these are fun songs that are basically kicking all of the dark shit in the ass. And it’s contagious. I keep writing songs that are fun! I’m not going back.
You cross genres and have a very unique sound, shrouded by some major teenage angst vibes. I understand you listened to anything and everything growing up, especially in high school. Would you say this plays an important role in the theme of this album?
Absolutely. I love everything, I write everything, and I’ll work on any song that can be good. I evolve a lot too. People change. Every person changes. Their hearts change, the world changes around them. To say that you have to be one genre, or make it a big deal that people jump around genres; I still think everything should be played on the same station.
Where do you get your inspiration from as a whole?
This is my favorite question! I heard somebody say one time that they’ll get into certain eras and the vibes in the era and certain looks and sounds, and they really want to recreate that, and that’s totally cool, but sometimes when I do that, I feel like I’m playing dress up or something, like it’s not intrinsically motivated. I’ll get obsessed with something like tiny homes or honey in my coffee, and then all of a sudden honey in my coffee is landing in a song, and themes [and melodies] sort of blossom from there. It’s pretty psychic. I’ll be in my car and then one day I’ll start singing the melody for honey in my coffee. Really great artistry has a lot more to do with listening than with creating. You can’t have the moment without listening to yourself.
With how chaotic things in the world have been lately, how are you overcoming the obstacles surrounding the release - if you feel there have been any?
Well right off the bat, I’m really lucky I have food and shelter and water. My husband has a job and I was not going to tour for several months, if at all until the fall. I’ve been focusing on recording, and in a way, it’s been helpful to have the time and permission knowing there wasn’t another choice. But what’s really difficult is the reach. The internet is up 900 percent; the traffic’s absurd. There wasn’t really any time to strategize for this because it’s been so intense. The plan changes everyday. We’re not really in rescheduling mode, and we shouldn’t be. This is a time for taking care of ourselves and each other and staying at home. It puts things into perspective more than anything. It’s a record I hope people can listen to at home, while they’re sad or dance or work off steam in the year or under their pillow. It’s a bummer to not get to do what I love, but it’s nothing when you think of what’s happening in the world, so I’ve been trying to focus on easing suffering more than anything else. Magazines like this help. Anything helps, and it’s a real kindness to support an artist like me right now, so thank you.
What can we look forward to next from you?
I just finished producing my partner’s EP, Nic Pool, and I’m already deep into a mixtape that I’m making with my friend Chris Kuffner who’s based in Tennessee. But what I will say is the mood is different and possibly even more fun!
As Emmy Wildwood said herself: “Really great artistry has a lot more to do with listening than with creating. You can’t have the moment without listening to yourself.” She proves that sometimes it takes all different types of avenues to find your sound or path. This goes far beyond music. It means doing whatever it takes to bring your ideas to life, because anything is possible, as long as you simply take the moment to listen. Wildwood shows this through her music, and I think she has a great personality and charisma that is going to take her far. Be sure to check out her album Heavy Petals, available for streaming everywhere now!