October 2024
What Can Be and What Will Be
For six-long-years, musician Emily Hicks has been delving into the kind of songwriting that has verve. She has achieved this in her debut CD ”Weird Wild Wonderful.” The CD, according to the Website, has captured the hearts of audiences through powerhouse vocals, and intimate nature-based lyrics. And Hicks’ enjoys touring and using her quippy stage banter. In a recent interview, Hick’s talks about what inspired her the most in music.
Jupiter Index: What other musicians in the industry have made a difference for you or inspired your music?
Emily Hicks: The community of other songwriters/musicians I've made through years of playing out, attending shows, going to music conferences, etc. has been invaluable to my career. If I need to vent about a recent music industry disappointment, if I need advice about an upcoming career move, or if I just need someone to listen to one of my new songs, no one is more ready to show up and help out than OTHER musicians who have been through or are currently going through the same ups and downs you are experiencing. Not only that, but watching my friends/colleagues chase their dreams and achieve great things with their music is extremely motivating. Nothing inspires me quite like seeing a good friend get a huge win.
JI: What is the hardest thing about making a new record? is it the writing? Or the recording?
EH: The songwriting is the easy part. That is the part I can do alone in my living room at 1 am with a guitar and a glass of wine. Since "Weird Wild Wonderful" is my first full length album, I could say the actual recording process of the project was the most daunting, but even that wasn't so bad with my producer Nick Bullock on my side. He is extremely patient, positive, and talented, and so I felt like I was in good hands. Honestly, the hardest part for me is the branding and promotion. I'm not a natural in front of the camera so album photoshoots and social media content creation are the most challenging part of the process for me.
JI: You have a new album out now: was there any particular challenges that arose during that recording process?
EH: I recorded at Doghouse Studios in Nashville, TN mid-January. Since Nashville is in the south, I thought it would be the perfect time to escape Utah winter and get the record made. Turns out, Nashville had a record-breaking snowstorm and ice storm during my studio week and apparently people in Tennessee aren't used to driving in the snow, so the whole town pretty much shut down. Luckily, I'm no stranger to driving on snowy roads and my producer/studio band were quick to adapt. Nick (producer) stayed the night at the studio to avoid driving in the storm, and the band worked from home flying in tracks from their home studios when they couldn't make it in. It took some flexibility BUT we got the record made.
JI: Having such full creative control -- how does this shape the impression that people have of your creative work? And how so?
EH: The best part of making this record was getting to truly express myself with no limitations. Sometimes when singing on demos or songs that are intended to be more mainstream, I have to hold a lot back. For example, I try to sing everything straight and on the beat without too many runs or weird vocal things that aren't easily replicable by other singers. However, with this record, I was able to go full Emily and embrace all the weirdest parts of my voice and creative ideas. When I was in high school, I used to make demo tracks on Garageband. I would experiment with my voice, different midi sounds, and layered harmonies. Now when listening to my new record, I can hear the evolution. I told my producer at one point, "these tracks sound like something little Emily would have made on her laptop in high school but actually good". I hope when people listen to the record, they appreciate the uniqueness and the "emily-ness" of it all.
JI: Some people view music as being progressive and some view it as lacking the soul and spirit of past musical generations: what's your take on music today?
EH: I think because of modern technology, people are able to create new sounds and new genres that were not possible before, and I find that exciting. Anyone who believes the music of "today" is lacking soul, just isn't listening to the right artist for them. There are songwriters out there writing and releasing emotional masterpieces everyday - many of whom are my friends. That said, these smaller artists can be harder to find because there is SO MUCH MUSIC to sift through. However, I still love a good pop song. Sometimes you just need a song that makes you want to get up and dance. Not all music needs to be more complicated than that.
JI: What advice would you give to an up-and-coming musician?
EH: Since I still consider myself an up-and-coming musician, I'm not sure what my advice is worth, but here it is: make music you love. Don't try to cater to people's taste or the music industry powers that be, because you will never please everyone, and the more you try to please everyone, the less "you" your music will become. If you love it, there is someone else out there that is going to love it too.
by G.M. Burns
Emily Hicks: The community of other songwriters/musicians I've made through years of playing out, attending shows, going to music conferences, etc. has been invaluable to my career. If I need to vent about a recent music industry disappointment, if I need advice about an upcoming career move, or if I just need someone to listen to one of my new songs, no one is more ready to show up and help out than OTHER musicians who have been through or are currently going through the same ups and downs you are experiencing. Not only that, but watching my friends/colleagues chase their dreams and achieve great things with their music is extremely motivating. Nothing inspires me quite like seeing a good friend get a huge win.
JI: What is the hardest thing about making a new record? is it the writing? Or the recording?
EH: The songwriting is the easy part. That is the part I can do alone in my living room at 1 am with a guitar and a glass of wine. Since "Weird Wild Wonderful" is my first full length album, I could say the actual recording process of the project was the most daunting, but even that wasn't so bad with my producer Nick Bullock on my side. He is extremely patient, positive, and talented, and so I felt like I was in good hands. Honestly, the hardest part for me is the branding and promotion. I'm not a natural in front of the camera so album photoshoots and social media content creation are the most challenging part of the process for me.
JI: You have a new album out now: was there any particular challenges that arose during that recording process?
EH: I recorded at Doghouse Studios in Nashville, TN mid-January. Since Nashville is in the south, I thought it would be the perfect time to escape Utah winter and get the record made. Turns out, Nashville had a record-breaking snowstorm and ice storm during my studio week and apparently people in Tennessee aren't used to driving in the snow, so the whole town pretty much shut down. Luckily, I'm no stranger to driving on snowy roads and my producer/studio band were quick to adapt. Nick (producer) stayed the night at the studio to avoid driving in the storm, and the band worked from home flying in tracks from their home studios when they couldn't make it in. It took some flexibility BUT we got the record made.
JI: Having such full creative control -- how does this shape the impression that people have of your creative work? And how so?
EH: The best part of making this record was getting to truly express myself with no limitations. Sometimes when singing on demos or songs that are intended to be more mainstream, I have to hold a lot back. For example, I try to sing everything straight and on the beat without too many runs or weird vocal things that aren't easily replicable by other singers. However, with this record, I was able to go full Emily and embrace all the weirdest parts of my voice and creative ideas. When I was in high school, I used to make demo tracks on Garageband. I would experiment with my voice, different midi sounds, and layered harmonies. Now when listening to my new record, I can hear the evolution. I told my producer at one point, "these tracks sound like something little Emily would have made on her laptop in high school but actually good". I hope when people listen to the record, they appreciate the uniqueness and the "emily-ness" of it all.
JI: Some people view music as being progressive and some view it as lacking the soul and spirit of past musical generations: what's your take on music today?
EH: I think because of modern technology, people are able to create new sounds and new genres that were not possible before, and I find that exciting. Anyone who believes the music of "today" is lacking soul, just isn't listening to the right artist for them. There are songwriters out there writing and releasing emotional masterpieces everyday - many of whom are my friends. That said, these smaller artists can be harder to find because there is SO MUCH MUSIC to sift through. However, I still love a good pop song. Sometimes you just need a song that makes you want to get up and dance. Not all music needs to be more complicated than that.
EH: Since I still consider myself an up-and-coming musician, I'm not sure what my advice is worth, but here it is: make music you love. Don't try to cater to people's taste or the music industry powers that be, because you will never please everyone, and the more you try to please everyone, the less "you" your music will become. If you love it, there is someone else out there that is going to love it too.
by G.M. Burns
