An Interview With The Billboard Charting Australian Songstress, EMILY PERRY!

Photo Credit- Bobby Quillard

Meet the Billboard charting artist Emily Perry — as she gears up to release her new original single “Walk in Silence”.  Her recent single “Boom” ended up having a record-busting start on the Billboard Dance Chart being the 5th most added song in its first week out and being named #1 Breakout in its second week, peaking at #9.

Starting off 2018 on an exciting note, Emily will be performing at the SOIREE — the Music Industry’s Annual Kick-off Gala during GRAMMY weekend at B.B. Kings on Saturday, January 27th in NYC.

Growing up in Australia, Emily was immersed in a completely different culture with an entirely different take on the music industry.  Learning things a bit differently has given Emily the drive to purse a career in the United States.  Writing her single “Boom” with legendary producers The Jackie Boyz, Cindy Valentine and The Furthur was a transformative experience for Emily. “A collaborative writing session like this really is quite beautiful. Everyone’s adrenaline is up, ideas are flowing, vocals are vibin’ and you all just come together to create something really magical. The second I heard the track I was so pumped. It had a juicy vibe that I loved and that I couldn’t wait to start writing to.”

The song is complete with Emily’s unique, charismatic tone and a hook that hangs around long after listening. The remix package was done by 2016 Grammy Winner Dave Aude (Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Adele, Beyonce, Chainsmokers), Dave Matthias (Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Dua Lipa) and DJ Twisted Dee Martello (Nelly, Mary J Blige, Michael Jackson, Beyonce).

Describing her music as “a blend of pop and dance with contemporary undertones,” Emily keeps several songwriting books that are constantly flowing with ideas.  “Everything I’ve ever felt or thought or seen, I’ve written down.  When writing songs, I try not to over think it.  It’s most organic when you just let it happen.”

Her upcoming album will have the same vocal consistency, but will be quite a new direction for Emily in a lot of ways.  “We’re going to slow it down with this next single and I really hope it reaches people in a unique way. And that’s all I can say until you hear it! “

Outside of music, Emily loves to dance, read books, and watch movies.  She also loves fashion and is constantly embracing all styles and trends as they come and go.  She describes her personal style as “quirky, yet cool and classic, yet edgy.”  Dedicated to using her voice for good, she is passionate about foundations such as Art of Elysium, Butterfly Foundation, and Beyond Blue.  “The Butterfly Foundation and Beyond Blue both touch on issues that are quite misunderstood and often wrongly stigmatized yet affect so many people, including people close to me. Art of Elysium is a wonderful way for artists to bring joy and happiness to the lives of others on a more personal level.”

Learn more about Emily Perry in the following All Access interview:

Happy New Year! Thanks for your time today! Where does this interview find you?

Happy New Year and thank you for having me! I’m currently in Los Angeles preparing for my upcoming travels. I’ll be heading to New York, Chicago, Australia and Miami and creating plenty more music along the way.

Overall, how do you think 2017 was for you and your music career? What are you most excited about for this year? Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? Care to share them with us?

2017 was a challenging yet extremely rewarding year. I had the opportunity to experience so many new things and to create music that I’m very proud of and extremely eager to release. This year I’m especially excited to release all the music I created and kept tucked way in 2017. I’ll be doing a lot of traveling and performing, which will inspire lots of new music.

I don’t really believe in New Year Resolutions. I think they are notorious for being broken. Throughout the year I am constantly trying to better myself. Like everyone, I make mistakes – but that’s okay as I can learn just as much from my mistakes as from my successes. I like to live in the moment and take each experience as it comes.

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory? Was there a time where you thought of doing something completely different? 

My music actually stemmed from my dance background. I’ve been a dancer since I was 3 years old and from that I came to love acting and singing. Eventually music became my main passion and during my teenage years I started to really develop as an artist and plan for a career in the music industry. I started writing music at a very young age and it is, above all, my favorite thing to do. I have many other passions but ultimately they are all in the performing arts. I couldn’t imagine doing anything different with my life.

I always like to ask artists about where they came from and how that city or town has influenced them as an artist now. So how do you think your home has affected you and your music today?

Growing up in Australia is a big part of who I am and I wouldn’t want to change that at all. Australia is my home and now I have a home here in Los Angeles as well. It’s nice to have two places I can call home! Australia was a beautiful place to grow up. It has a really laid-back, relaxed culture. There’s a lot more energy in the industry over here and that’s given me the drive to pursue my career here. It’s a lot harder coming from a different country, juggling cultural differences and trying to break into this massive industry but I think having to jump through all these hoops has made me hungrier than ever. 

Let’s talk about your newest single, “Walk In Silence.” What was the inspiration for this track? How do you think it is different or similar to anything else that you have put out before? Compare it to your earlier track, “Boom”?

I am very eager for the release of my newest single “Walk in Silence”, which will be premiering January 19^th. I wrote this song with brilliant producers, Joe Cruz and Cindy Valentine. We’re slowing it down for this next one. Walk in Silence has a mid tempo, contemporary pop vibe. Lyrically this song means a lot to me and I hope that it can reach a wide audience who can all connect to its message. It’s completely different to “Boom”. If anything it actually reminds me of my very first single “Sugarcoated”. I wrote “Boom” with Grammy-winning producers The Jackie Boyz as well as The Further and Cindy Valentine. It was a high-energy collaboration, the room was vibin’ and it was so much fun! “Boom” reflects that energy and is upbeat with an acoustic undertone and a clean pop sound, whereas “Sugarcoated” is definitely a mellow mid tempo contemporary electronic song, much like this upcoming single. I can definitely see all these songs appealing to completely different groups of people. That’s what I love about them. They’re all so different but my vocal approach is similar throughout.

How excited are you to be releasing a full-length album of new music? How long have you been putting it all together? Has this process surprised you at all? Were there any unexpected challenges with it all? When do you plan on putting out this upcoming collection?

Excited is an understatement! This will be my first full-length album release. I’ve been working on this album for a while now. With it being my first album, I’m working hard to make sure it’s the best possible representation of my music. I’m having lots of fun working on this little baby of mine and once it’s released I know I’ll have a blast performing it. This process has showed me just how interested I am in all areas and genres of music. We’ve worked really hard to make sure this album has many layers to it so that it can appeal to a wide range of people and not be too flat. I want people to be surprised by each song and not be able to tell what’s coming next. I had an amazing team working with me on this album. Without them it would not be the same. I collaborated with several different, incredible producers giving the album that extra flavor, making each track different from the last. I am so grateful for the opportunity to write and create with so many musical geniuses. No firm date has been set but the album will premiere later this year. I’ve learned a lot and grown a lot throughout the creation of this album. I cannot wait for the world to hear it. 

As someone who would love to be able to put all my thoughts on paper, how do you go about putting all of your feelings onto paper? Where did this first start for you? Do you find that it is therapeutic to write down what’s going on around you all the time?

I think I was 11 the first time I started using a writing journal. Now I have stacks and stacks of them. I have songs in these books from years ago and songs from yesterday. Everything I’ve ever felt or thought or seen, I’ve written down. I carry one of my songbooks with me everywhere I go. Most of the time you think of something in the most unlikely situation. You don’t really even know what it means until you come across it later. But when you originally wrote it down, it clearly meant something to you. From that you can create beautiful music. I think some of the songs in my journals are the most organic, real songs I’ve ever written and I’m excited to turn them into something beautiful to share with everyone. I definitely do find it somewhat therapeutic. It makes the work you produce all the more real.

Can you talk about the foundations that you are a part of now? How did you get involved with The Butterfly Foundation and Beyond Blue? 

I feel that it’s important for all of us to look outside of ourselves and see what’s going on around us. I chose the Art of Elysium because I get so much joy from music and dance, that I wanted to share that joy with others.

The Butterfly Foundation and Beyond Blue are both amazing organizations in Australia. Like most people these days, I have friends and family who have struggled with depression and eating disorders and I would love to see a world where those things don’t exist anymore. They aren’t as recognized as they should be, and I would like to change that and help raise awareness.

What do you think of social media today and the importance of it for artists now? Do you find that it’s hard to keep up with it all?  

It’s a great platform to create your own content, to get yourself recognized without label support. This is a tough industry and most of the time you have to make things happen for yourself. It is also a great way to connect with fans and the general public. Besides that, it’s a productive way to meet others in your field, other musicians who you could collaborate with. Although social media is notorious for its hate, it is also a great place to build a fan base and have a support system throughout your career. It is difficult to keep up with it all! Social media algorithms will never make sense to me and are forever changing. Although I’m thankful for the perks social media provide, ultimately I still believe it will always be about the music.

We are living in a crazy and at times rough world right now so I am curious how you think being a musician gives you the most joy in life today? How do you think that new music being created today is going to reflect these difficult times?

Its true we are, however, I think music is one of the things that will keep the world together. Music today is becoming more and more honest, open and truthful. I think music gives me the most joy for that very reason.

Who are some of your favorite artists or rather, what musicians have continued to inspire you and your music? What musicians would you absolutely still love to work with in the future? 

I think my top inspirations in the music industry today would have to be P!nk and Lorde. You look at someone like P!nk and she knows how to do it all. She can move, she has killer vocals and everything she does is original and completely unique. Not to mention her vocal stamina is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. I definitely look up to her on a vocal and performance level. Lorde knows how to completely command a stage. She has a unique, distinctive sound that is absolutely mesmerizing. There are so many artists in today’s industry that I look up to and that inspire me. However ultimately it’s about being yourself. I think when creating music, as well as drawing from my own experiences, I create from experiences I see around me. You’re creating music for yourself but also for the world to hear. You want others to be able to connect to your music in a way that means something to them. This means telling a story that they will be able to identify with. I think two artists in particular that took us all by storm in 2017 were Dua Lipa and Khalid. They both have such unique styles and individual tastes. Plus they both know how to put on a killer show. Working with them would definitely be a fun time.

What do you hope your fans take away from your music? Do you find that a lot of your music has a greater meaning behind it?  

I want people to take away a feeling. And that could be any emotion. Sometimes when you’re sad or angry you need to listen to a song that understands the way you are feeling. And in turn that can make you sadder. So heck, it may be one of my songs will make someone feel sad. But sometimes people need to feel sad before they can feel happy again. It’s cliché but it’s true. And then they can crank up ‘Boom’ on their stereos and go crazy to overcome the sadness. Of course I also want people to have a crazy fun time when listening to my music! That’s why I like to create a variety of music that appeals to everyone’s state of mind. There is so much that I still need to explore and display through my music. But I am excited for the journey.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

There’s a lot of influence in this industry so its important to have people around you who care about you and people who are going to have your best interest at heart. However, at the end of the day, you know what’s best for you. So do what’s best for YOU. I am feeling very inspired for the year ahead. You can keep up with everything I’m doing on all social media outlets under @theemilyperry.