Emma-Lee
Emma-Lee is a Canadian pop singer, songwriter and photographer[1] from Toronto, Ontario. She is considered a mezzo-soprano and is a self-taught vocalist.[2] She has written hit songs for other artists in both the pop and country genres.[3]
Emma-Lee | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Emma-Lee, June 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | pop |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter, photographer |
| Instrument(s) | vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Website | emma-lee |
Early life
Emma-Lee was born in Toronto and raised in Markham, Ontario. She started playing guitar at age 14 and credits her father for teaching her. She soon began writing her own songs.[4]
Never Just a Dream
She released her debut album Never Just a Dream in 2008 to critical acclaim from the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail.[5] The album was picked up by Bumstead Records and re-released on March 3, 2009. Her vocal style is frequently compared to k.d. lang,[6] Norah Jones[7] and Feist.[8] No Depression magazine described Never Just a Dream as "an album so full of ideas and potential that it is hard to know how to properly frame a description of its contents. It is a collection of songs that is far more than the sum of its influences"[9] and dubbed her "the voice to remember from 2009."[9]
Emma-Lee's song "That Sinking Feeling" was featured as the single of the week on iTunes Canada.[10]
In November 2016 she released her first Christmas recording "It Won't Be Christmas" (by songwriters Karen Kosowski & Julie Crochetière) to radio and iTunes.[11]
Backseat Heroine
On February 7, 2012, she released her long-awaited second album Backseat Heroine, co-produced by Emma-Lee, Karen Kosowski and Marc Rogers.[12] The album features collaborations with Nicole Atkins, Jill Barber and Luke Doucet.[13] Most of the album was tracked at The Chalet, a studio near Uxbridge, Ontario.[14] Backseat Heroine blends multiple musical genres including pop, country, soul and rock. According to her online biography, "Emma-Lee's goal was to make a record that lived and breathed in its own world and could cross genres while still being a soundscape that was complete from start to finish."[15]
Discography
Albums
- 2009: Never Just a Dream (Bumstead Records)
- 2012: Backseat Heroine (eOne Music Canada)
- 2017: Fantasies: Volume 1 (Special Agent)[3]
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC |
CAN Hot AC | CBC Radio 2 | ||
| 2011 | "Shot in the Dark" | — | — | — | — |
| 2014 | "What Would Tom Petty Do" | — | — | — | 9 |
| 2015 | "All the Way" | — | — | — | — |
| 2016 | "Worst Enemy" | — | 18 | 24 | — |
| 2016 | "It Won't Be Christmas" | — | 4 | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Awards and nominations
- 2014, won for best female vocalist in NOW Magazine's best of Toronto feature.[16]
- 2013, her album Backseat Heroine won "Best Adult Contemporary Album" and the video for "Shadow of a Ghost" was nominated for "Best Short Form Music Video" for the 12th annual Independent Music Awards.[17]
- 2013, her album Backseat Heroine won the 12th annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop Fan Choice Award for "Best Adult Contemporary Album" and the video for "Shadow of a Ghost" won the Independent Music Awards Vox Pop Fan Choice Award for "Best Short Form Music Video."[18]
- 2013, won for best female vocalist in NOW Magazine's best of Toronto feature.[16]
- 2012, nominated for a CBC Radio 3 BUCKY award in the category of Hottest Pipes.[19]
- 2010, Emma-Lee's song "Until We Meet Again" from the album Never Just a Dream won in the 9th annual Independent Music Awards as "best love song".[20]
Film/TV placements
- "Boomerang" in Syfy's Wynonna Earp
- "All The Way" in CBC's Hello Goodbye
- "Flow" in Degrassi: The Next Generation, CBC's The Border and Bomb Girls
- "Pick Me Up, Dust Me Off" in CBC's Heartland - performed by Carleton Stone
- "Never Just a Dream" in CBC's 18 to Life and Alias
- "That Sinking Feeling" in Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?[21]
- "Shot In The Dark" in HBO's Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, Lifetime's Dance Moms, promotional ad for FX's Wilfred, 2014 feature film The Scarehouse
- "I Could Live With Dying Tonight" in NBC's Saving Hope and MTV's Teen Wolf
- "Shadow Of a Ghost" in Degrassi: The Next Generation
- "Figure It Out" in Beauty & the Beast
- "It Won't Be Christmas 'Til You're Here" in CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles - performed by Julie Crochetière
Collaborations
- sings backing vocals on the album "Let Me Prove It To You" by Steve Strongman (2014)
- sings backing vocals on the album "Rustbucket" by Sean Pinchin (2013)
- sings on "I Put a Spell On You" and "Ne Me Quitte Pas" on Jesse Cook's The Blue Guitar Sessions album (2012)
- sings a duet with country music artist Josh Macumber on his song "Tomorrow" (Josh Macumber Was Here, 2012)
- sings on "It Was You" by Peter Katz (Still Mind Still, 2012)
- sings on Jill Barber's song "Took Me By Surprise" (Mischievous Moon, 2011)
- sings on Rob Szabo's song "Something Like Me" (Rob Szabo, 2011)
Songwriting Credits (Selected Discography)
| Title | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts and Ends | Brett Kissel | The Compass Project | Big Star Recordings |
| Bad for Me | Tebey | The Good Ones | Jayward Artist Group |
| What Are You Gonna Tell Her? | Mickey Guyton | Bridges | Universal Music Group Nashville |
| Bridges | |||
| Home To Me | Ross Ellis | Single | Sony Music Nashville |
| Good Love | Shawn Hook | Take Me Home | Ultra Music |
| I Still See You At Parties | Port Cities and Emma-Lee | Single | Independent/Warner Canada |
| She Drives Me Crazy | Brett Kissel | Now or Never | Warner Music Canada |
| Hummingbird | Brett Kissel | Now or Never | Warner Music Canada |
| Country Thunder | The Washboard Union | Single | Warner Music Canada |
| Memphis T-Shirt | Melanie Dyer | Single | Universal Australia |
| Lit In The Sticks | Ryan Langdon | Single | Hidden Pony |
| Wasted | Sam Drysdale | Single | Warner Music Canada |
| Wild At Heart | The Abrams | Reminder | Warner Music Canada |
| Care | Whitney Woerz | Single | 600 Volt |
| How It's Done | Kendra Kay | Single | Independent |
| Wasted | Sam Drysdale | Single | Warner Music Canada |
| Swerve | Samara Yung | Single | Independent |
| Over Me | Michelle Treacy | Insane | Independent |
| What A Song Should Do | Tim Hicks | New Tattoo | Open Road Recordings |
| So Fresh & Legs | Stacey Kay | 11 O'Clock Number | Independent |
| The Story | Leah Daniels | The Story | LDM Entertainment |
| I Don't Wanna Know | Kira Isabella | Sides | Creator |
| Anthem | Brett Kissel | We Were That Song | Warner Music Canada |
| No Last Call | Dan Davidson | Found | |
| Pony Up & Jim, Jack, Johnnie & Jose | Nice Horse | A Little Unstable | Coalition Entertainment |
| Colours | Michelle Treacy | Single | Sony Music Canada |
| Live On Your Love | SATE | Red Black & Blue | CLK Creative Works |
| Crush | Madeline Merlo | Free Soul | Open Road Recordings |
| I'm So Over Getting Over You | Kira Isabella | Single | Sony Music Canada |
| Salt Water | Leah Daniels | What It Feels Like | Independent[22] |
| A Little Bit Goes A Long Way | River Town Saints | Single | Open Road Recordings[23] |
| Only The Strong Survive | Alee | Single | Wax Records |
| Sawdust | Victoria Duffield | Accelerate | Warner Music Canada |
| Pick Me Up, Dust Me Off | Carleton Stone | Draws Blood | Groundswell Music |
| One More Light | Alee | This Road Goes Everywhere | Independent |
| Cabin Fever & Man Up! | Tia Brazda | Cabin Fever | Rebeluck Records |
| Sheets | Carleton Stone | Carleton Stone | Groundswell Music |
| Fall Apart | Sabrina Carpenter | Single | Independent |
References
- "Toronto singer Emma-Lee ready for her close-up". Thestar.com. 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- "Emma-Lee Never Just a Dream Review". awmusic.ca. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
- Sharpe, Lizzie. "Review - Emma-Lee". Canadianbeats.ca. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- Carter, Kern (Spring–Summer 2013). "Emma-culate" (PDF). Boss Magazine: 54–55. Retrieved 2015-02-04.
- "Gold Sprinkled Dream". Globe and Mail. 2012-12-19. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- "Emma Lee's Never Just a Dream - Americana and roots music". No Depression. 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- "Album Review: Emma-Lee - Never Just a Dream | Music". ShowbizMonkeys.com. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- "NOW Magazine // Music // EMMA-LEE". Nowtoronto.com. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- Doug Heselgrave (2009-05-05). "Emma Lee's Never Just a Dream". No Depression.com. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
- "Free iTunes 2008 - MacRumors Forums". Forums.macrumors.com. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- Heldman, Linda (21 November 2016). "Christmas Comes Early For Emma-Lee". Canadian Beats Media. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- "Karen Kosowski Backseat Heroine Released". Archived from the original on 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- "Emma-Lee To Release Backseat Heroine Out February 7th On Eone Music". Top 40.com. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- "Raised on Radio Song of the Day". Raised on Radio. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- "Biography". Emma-Lee Official Website. Archived from the original on 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- "NOW's Best of Toronto - Best Music". Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
- "12th Annual Independent Music Awards". Independentmusicawards.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- "12th Annual Independent Music Awards". Independentmusicawards.com. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- Wright, Graham. "Vote now on the 2012 Bucky Award Short List". CBC Radio 3. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- "Emma-Lee To Release Backseat". Top40.com. 2012-01-24.
- soundtrack, IMDB.com. Retrieved August 2011
- "Leah Daniels - Salt Water Music Video". Topcountry.ca. 4 November 2016.
- "Artist of the Month: River Town Saints | Country Music Association of Ontario". Archived from the original on 2016-11-20. Retrieved 2016-11-19.