EMMA LOUISE

She is the celebrated indie-pop singer that has collaborated with Flight Facilities and opened for Sam Smith, and now she is debuting a brand-new sound on her third studio album, Lilac Everything (out Sept. 14). The 27-year-old singer has made the brave decision to drop her vocals down to a lower register. “I heard my voice pitched down on tape and loved it. I called the character Joseph,” she tells WHO. “It felt like the right thing to do.” Here, Emma Louise tells us about the music that defines her life.

What song do you wish you’d written? I love “( You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Carole King. That’s a ripper. It just feels so good to sing. Who influences your sound now? At the moment I’m kind of bouncing in between a few different worlds, but a lot of old-school folk artists inspired a lot of the writing on Lilac Everything. People like Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon.

What musician or band reminds you of your childhood?

Probably Eagles. My dad listened to them non-stop, and Bread and Nat King Cole. There were probably three CDS that my parents listened to in the car and it was those ones.

What was the first concert you went to?

It was Missy Higgins in Cairns and it was great – I was obsessed with her. The concert was life-changing because I went home and wrote four songs that night. Once I saw her, I was like, “I want to do that.”

What’s your go-to song to kick-off a party?

Maybe “September” by Earth Wind & Fire. My friend’s mum, who is a party queen, always used to play that song and still does, and I remember dancing to it.

What song would you consider your personal anthem?

I love the song “Real Emotional Girl” by Randy Newman. When I first heard that song, I had full-body goosebumps and thought, “Oh my gosh, this song is written about me!”