“Blues inspired music is timeless. I truly believe that. Having said this, I also believe when we gate keep a genre or refuse to allow it new veins of inspired sub-genres we keep it limited to a very specific audience.”

Miss Emily: Music is The Medicine

JUNO-nominated and Maple Blues Award winning Miss Emily returns with her new album, The Medicine, released by Gypsy Soul Records on November 7th, the album is produced by Grammy winner Colin Linden (Keb’ Mo’, Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Gregg Allman, Diana Krall). The highly anticipated new album masterfully blends soul, blues, and roots, and features an all-star cast of musicians at the top of their game. Including players from Bob Dylan and Keb’ Mo’s bands, the new album pairs her thunderous voice with songs of truth and resilience. Known for her powerful voice and exhilarating live shows, Miss Emily channels two decades of raw experience into music that heals and uplifts. Miss Emily has a voice that demands your attention. She is never predictable. She values community above all else. For more than 20 years she has channeled those principles in her songwriting and performance, never shying away from an open conversation with her audience about the struggles she has faced. Whether it was domestic violence or being a musical road-warrior and a single mother at the same time, Emily Fennell has always opened her heart in a communal invitation to share, heal and celebrate. 

(Miss Emily / Photo by Céline Klein - Jamstone Productions)

During the writing process for The Medicine that commitment was tested. “I wasn’t in a great head space,” she says, her voice cracking under the emotional weight of the memory. “Like so many of us, sometimes life brings you down. In one of my darker moments, I wrote an angry song. Then, as I continued prepping the songs, I realised I didn’t want anger to be a prominent theme on my new album. I wanted to celebrate community. I wanted to record music that made people feel better.” Her debut single “Stand Together, Band Together” is “a soulful singalong that embraces the idea that my struggle is your struggle, your struggle is my struggle and none of us gets through this world alone.”

Interview by Michael Limnios                          Archive: Miss Emily, 2022 interview

Special Thanks: Pati deVries / devious planet media

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

My growth as an artist has paralleled my growth as an individual. I’ve built confidence in the last four or so years of my life that I could never have imagined I’d ever have - this has been evident in the growth of my career work. My stage shows are more vibrant and energetic. I’m just less concerned about being viewing negatively. I give what I’ve got. I leave everything on the table, be it during a live show or an interaction with music lovers after the show or in the studio. I’m here to squeeze the most out of every moment I can in this life and in this business. I used to be more timid. This is the greatest gift growing in this career has given me over the last 2+ decades and I can feel the benefit across so many aspects of my life.

Generally my writing style has remained the same as it was when I was a teenager.  I “barf” out most songs, meaning they come to me in anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.  Quickly and intentionally, I write like I’m channeling somebody else it feels like. I’ve always mostly written this way.

I also still love what I do. I say I will quit when I stop loving this job - but I think this means I will die with my boots on and I’m ok with that.

“Music is a reflection of life and the times of our world. Blues and Roots music reflects the life we are living back at us. It comforts us and it inspires us and makes us feel acknowledged. The genre goes hand in hand with day to day living in the majority of my home country.” (Miss Emily, Canada-based singer known for her powerful voice / Photo by Céline Klein - Jamstone Productions)

Currently you’ve one release produced by Colin Linden. How did that relationship come about? Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album The Medicine? 

I met Colin Linden at the 2020 Maple Blues Awards (Canadian Blues Awards) in Toronto. It was February before the pandemic hit and it was my first blues awards experience. I won three awards that night and was nominated for four. It was an incredible evening for me and meeting Colin was part of it. We chatted a bit, exchanged contact info and during the pandemic re-connected and wrote a couple songs via voice memos sent back and forth (one of which is on the new record). One day I texted and asked if he’d ever like to make a record together. He said he’d love to and the rest is history… as in very long ago history… It took us til September 2024 to actually go into the studio to make the record we’d chatted about. The week we spent in studio was amazing, a dream come true. Colin curated the most beautiful group of musicians to appear on the album and we worked during the daytime (so civilized!). Colin’s home and studio is in Nashville, so I crashed with my pal Kelly Prescott and her room mate Andrew Hyatt (both successful artists). It saved me hotel costs (Nashville prices can be nutty!) and the bonus was having a little Nashville family while I was in town. I am forever grateful to them for the sincerely sweet hospitality.

Why do you think that Canadian Blues & Roots scene continues to generate such a devoted following?

I’m from what they call ‘The Great White North’. The Canadian roots are real and they are mostly very rural. My upbringing was rural. Although I didn’t grow up in poverty, my parents and grandparents did. My grandparents were Great Depression kids. Intergenerational trauma is a real thing and it takes generations to work through. The residual issues of isolation and life uncertainties were still very present in my upbringing. Music is a reflection of life and the times of our world. Blues and Roots music reflects the life we are living back at us. It comforts us and it inspires us and makes us feel acknowledged. The genre goes hand in hand with day to day living in the majority of my home country.

“Generally my writing style has remained the same as it was when I was a teenager.  I “barf” out most songs, meaning they come to me in anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.  Quickly and intentionally, I write like I’m channeling somebody else it feels like. I’ve always mostly written this way. I also still love what I do. I say I will quit when I stop loving this job - but I think this means I will die with my boots on and I’m ok with that.” (Miss Emily / Photo by Céline Klein - Jamstone Productions)

How do you prepare for your recordings and performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?

Twenty plus years into my career I’ve shifted what I do to stay fresh both artistically and physically so I can continue to do my job and ideally, continue to get better at my job. Yoga is a daily practise for me. It’s my form of meditation and it helps keep my head clear to allow creativity to flow whether I’m prepping a performance or writing for a new album. I work out frequently every week doing cardio and weight training.  Again, this is a mental focus first and also helps my physical body continue to tour and work long days without too much fatigue or pain. Most of all - I love what I do. My career is my life’s work and I’m so passionate about connecting with as many music lovers as possible be it through a live performance or through the air waves.  That love I have for this job sees me through even the most challenging times.

How can a musician truly turn the blues into a commercial and popular genre of music for the today's audience?

Blues inspired music is timeless. I truly believe that. Having said this, I also believe when we gate keep a genre or refuse to allow it new veins of inspired sub-genres we keep it limited to a very specific audience. I am always trying to authentically take my music and work it “outside the box” of the traditional blues genre. I want the audience to be more diverse in age and I think that’s actually crucial for the longevity and sustainability of the music to try and keep building our audience. Artists like Amy Winehouse and Adele worked old-soul style genres back into mainstream listening. I think audiences are more open to these more diverse sounds in their mainstream playlists and festival line-ups. My friend just sent me a screenshot of my new single on a pop station yesterday. A good example!

What keeps a musician passionate in blues? Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? 

You have to perform and write the music that moves you. I am a music lover. Period. I am a soul-inspired singer and the genre that makes the most sense for my music is the blues genre. It’s an honour to be included in a genre with such deep and meaningful roots as Blues music has. It is also humbling and comes with a level of responsibility, I believe. I’m the first to say I’m not a traditional blues artist. I don’t pretend to be what I’m not. I will also immediately state that I am inspired by the traditional genre and here to celebrate it. Blues music is the foundation for so many other popular genres.

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(Miss Emily / Photo by Céline Klein - Jamstone Productions)