Sarah Williams
Beaver Staff
Singer/songwriter Miss Emily returns to the stage in Napanee for what promises to be a unique evening of entertainment this Saturday at Doghouse Studios. The Prince Edward County native has been performing for more than 20 years. In that time, she’s recorded six studio albums, received a Juno nomination, is a two-time Maple Blues Female Vocalist of the year as well as New Artist of the year and Sapphire Blues Video of the year.
In anticipation of the concert, Miss Emily took some time to speak with the Beaver.
She noted that since October, touring has picked up from the lull offered by the pandemic.
“Out of nowhere there’s all this work…and I’m thrilled,” she expressed.
For Miss Emily, the pandemic was a time of sea change in her personal life, precipitating a shift in her music.
As COVID-19 swept the globe, Miss Emily spoke of the effect of the pandemic on her work, noting it was a good time to reflect on what’s important in life.
“I underwent massive changes in my personal life and, of course, when that happens it often does affect the personal stuff,” noted Miss Emily. “I’m a songwriter who writes about my own personal experiences, so I would say there’s a big difference between what I was writing before the pandemic and now.”
She explained that an album that kept getting delayed during the early days of the pandemic ended up being entirely different once it was recorded, given the depth of change in her personal life.
“I was supposed to make a record and it went in a completely different direction because it got held off several times and by the time we actually went to the studio to make it, it was a completely different album than what I was initially going to make. Big changes across the board,” she said.
Not only as her art changed, but Miss Emily was enthusiastic about how her work has improved since the pandemic hit.
“I think the art has improved. Broadened. All experience makes us stronger, wiser and gives us more to draw from,” said Miss Emily. “The nice thing I do is I get to create entertainment that reflects what everyone was going through, such as mass amounts of change and uncertainty. It was a good time to question what keeps us all rooted.”
Miss Emily described the upcoming show at Doghouse Studios as “unique” and a chance to catch the songwriter with her “brilliant multi-instrumentalist” bandmate Benni Vander.
“We create an evening. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience and it’s a really personal journey we go on. We get to play two sets. I’m excited to have this opportunity,” Miss Emily enthused.
To learn more about this show, or to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.doghousestudios.ca/events.php. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.
For more information about Miss Emily’s music, please visit: https://themissemily.com/