Up and coming UK duo, Emma & Jolie are set to share their debut single ‘I Don’t Need A Man,’ tomorrow, read on to find out about the single.
You’re quite new to the scene; you met five years ago during music college. How did your first encounter occur?
Emma: We didn’t really interact until the second year, via a mutual friend. Then we ended up moving into the same student house (still not really knowing each other). It wasn’t until we had lived together for a month that we hit it off and moved into the same bedroom; we became inseparable!
Jolie: (laughing) We would just laugh all the time! We grew up listening to the same music and we had the same inspirations , so in that sense we predicted we were going to work well together as writers. We didn’t know where or how to get where we wanted to go but we both knew that music is our passion.
When was it that you decided to become a duo?
Jolie: I don’t think we had the confidence as individuals, so when we became a duo it just WORKED.
You’ve officially been a duo for just over a year now. How did you become to be signed by Triple Fret so quickly?
Jolie: We’ve just been so lucky! Tim Prottey-Jones, past member of The Wandering Hearts, came across our Instagram and planted a thought of contact with Imogen and Emily who had just begun a new management company. So, we began posting covers on social media and tagged them and we literally got an email the next day saying ‘we’d like to meet you’. We adore that they’ve done so much for us!
Emma: We just thought ‘Oh my God, is this real life?’ We hadn’t performed that much together but I’m glad that they saw a spark in us.
During lockdown, listeners have been able to keep up with you through your covers on Instagram. You’ve covered Ashley Monroe and Taylor Swift, would you cite them as major influences?
Emma: We really bonded over Taylor Swift; it was her Fearless album that actually got us both into music. It’s what inspired us to play the guitar and sing. She’s probably one of our biggest music inspirations alongside Kacey Musgraves.
What is your favourite Taylor Swift song?
Emma: I think…I’m gonna have to go with Enchanted from the Speak Now album.
Jolie: think mine is The Way I Loved You.
Last year you visit Nashville, which is probably one of the most concentrated places for country music. What was your experience like there?
Jolie: It was so amazing; we were like two kids in a candy shop! We weren’t yet signed with Triple Fret, but they set us up with a couple of writing sessions. When we returned in November we performed at the Song Suffragettes, which was incredible and completed a lot more writes during our second trip. We wrote ‘I Don’t Need A Man’ out there with Emily Hackett, which just made the whole trip the most super, productive trip for us.
Emma: It was so inspiring to be around such outstanding talent; that was a huge part of our experience. But also, Nashville is just so divergent to any other city. We genuinely just loved exploring it; going to the Country Music Hall of Fame, having fun with our managers, and visiting the bars. It was the best trip!
One thing that you mentioned on your trip to Nashville was that you were able to perform as part of a Song Suffragettes showcase. For some people who aren’t familiar with the Song Suffragettes, it’s an organisation that is trying to bridge the gap in female representation in the country genre. What was the atmosphere like there?
Jolie: Just astonishing! We felt such a full circle moment because when we first visited Nashville in June we watched them, and we were both so overwhelmed by watching how remarkable each artist was, and then, only a few months later we were part of the line up.
Emma: The atmosphere was ultra-inspiring. It was full of support and girls supporting other girls which helped us to gain a lot of confidence as well as a bigger following. We had some people approach us after the show who connected with our set, and to have such a positive response following our first proper show was overwhelming.
I can imagine that being in such a nurturing environment, especially one full of all female artists, for your first international gig must had been so momentous for you. Especially considering the image that your debut single ‘I Don’t Need A Man’ provokes. The single is set to be released on Friday the 10th , which you wrote on your trip to Nashville with Emily Hackett. How did that writing session form and what was she like in the writing session?
Emma: She is literally the best person ever! We love her music and she’s veritably one of the most talented people that we’ve had the pleasure of working with. We wrote together three times and each time we’ve just thought ‘this is one of our strongest songs’. She really takes on your idea and develops it and helps you get what you were looking for. We’ve never left a writing session with her unsatisfied.
Jolie: We wanted to write a female empowerment song about not needing a man because most of our most of our songs we had written in Nashville were love songs or breakup songs. Mid-lockdown I went through a break up and I felt that I wanted people to hear a song and think ‘that’s helped me feel like I can get through anything. If Perrie Edwards can get over Zayn Malik then girls can achieve anything!’
When fans hear the song on Friday, I think, it’s definitely a great anthem for self love and female empowerment. How important do you think it is that listeners hear this message during lockdown?
Emma: Being in lockdown with someone is a super intense amount of time to spend with someone. It’s made some relationships and broken others. People have also experience vast amounts of low self esteem during lockdown, I know that I’ve suffered with that a little bit and I think that it’s so important to be able to get an optimistic message across during difficult times.
Jolie: While we wanted to get that message across we also wanted something that sounded like summer . There’s such a negative experience when you’re labelled as a single woman and I feel that many girls undergo a sense of lost identity following a breakup when in reality a man does not complete you! I experienced a break up mid-lockdown and I just thought to myself ‘I’m going to be okay! I was fine before and I’m going to be fine now’
Emma: To elaborate on what Jolie said about the strange association with a woman’s romantic status and the fulfilment of happiness, it doesn’t always work out that way for everyone, and that’s okay. You should never want to get your validation from men. You’re a queen and you don’t need a man to tell you otherwise.
I think it’s such a modern stand against all the other country songs on the radio at the moment; quite a lot of country songs do put romantic relationships on a pedestal. It’s a track where listeners can quite easily and quite instantly understand what you stand for. Writing songs is such a fast way to broadcast a stance, but so are other medias such as videos and blogs. Emma on your blog, simply; Emmalucywalker.com, you are such a big advocate for LGBTQ pride and mental health. Not a lot of country artists discuss these kinds of topics on a regular basis and are met with a warm welcome. Think back to 2014 when ‘Girl Crush’ got pulled from the radio and when Kacey Musgraves released Follow Your Arrow, which received such controversy. Do you think the country genre is ready to kick down the closet door just yet?
Emma: I’d like to think so! Get with the times! It’s 2020! I’m never gonna be ashamed to express my sexuality and state things I’m passionate about. If people are reluctant to accept that then that’s that’s not my issue. I am a big believer in equal rights and I will always fight for the LGBTQ community. Masses of people are still discriminated against and I’m passionate about helping change that.
Music is not only such a positive way to spread a message but it’s also such a quick way thanks to streaming and social media. Social media is such a great way to connect with people in ways that you never thought you could. Jolie, on your Instagram back in early June you release a small snippet of a song called I Hope which is inspired by a loss in the family do you find writing songs it’s a great way to just get that weight off your chest?
Jolie: It’s like therapy for me. I find hard to talk about my feelings and I find it much easier to express my emotions by writing a song with Emma about it. She’s my best friend and I find it a comfort to write with her. I recommend it to anyone to pick up a guitar and write what they feel.
There’s so many snippets of such great songs, not only I Hope but also The Moment I Knew, Loud & Clear and Wish You Well, will we ever hear the full version of these songs,
Emma: Hopefully! We’ve written so many songs that we thought would be perfect for a debut EP but now we’re in a position where we may have to choose between over twenty possible songs! We’ve got a lot to give and fans are only getting a small piece of it with our release on Friday, but you’re going to get the whole cake soon, we promise!
Just to remind everyone that your single ‘I Don’t Need A Man’ comes out on Friday the 10th but the next day on the 11th you’re performing as part of the Dixie fields virtual possible. What can audiences expect?
Emma: We were lucky enough to attend Dixie fields last year which was really great. This year, while we’re unable to perform at the Essex festival due to obvious reasons, it’s great that we’re still able to have the opportunity to share our new song. We’re going to be performing an acoustic version of the songs but don’t worry! It will still be full of sass!
Hopefully festivals and live shows return soon and that way you can start building an even bigger fanbase!
Country music is…
Jolie: Emma & Jolie!
Emma: Diverse, there’s such a wide variety that everyone can find something that they relate to.
Emma & Jolie are…
Jolie: QUEENS!
Emma: passionate, empowering, strong, dedicated and talented women!
Be sure to listen out for Emma & Jolie’s debut single ‘I Don’t Need A Man’ set for release this Friday! In the meantime, be sure to follow them on social media and check out their merch!
