Interview with Emily Hackett!

September 30, 2014

This rising Nashville singer/songwriter hails from Atlanta, Georgia but now calls the capital of music home! After graduating from Belmont University, she decided to stay in Nashville and pursue her love and passion for songwriting and singing- and all her fans are so glad she did! Her latest, The Raw EP, is a brutally honest album filled with songs from experiences in her life. Emily shares a lot of who she is and the mistakes she’s made along the way. There are no smoke and mirrors here and the lyrics are as honest as the music! Her single “Take My Hand (The Wedding Song)” with Will Anderson (Parachute) is a beautiful love song that will make anyone’s heart melt and swoon!

Check out my full interview interview below with Ms. Hackett and information on her upcoming Tour Dates!

XOXO,

Katelyn

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

 I was born in Cleveland, OH and raised in Atlanta, GA.

What got you interested in music and singing? Did you always love music growing up?

 My dad was always a music guru, especially with what he listened to growing up so I was always hearing good music, whether it was him playing a record in the basement or playing his guitar with friends around a fire. So yeah, I had no choice but to love music. I’m just really thankful he had good taste!

 Did you have any formal training?

 When I first started to play music, I jumped into the weirdest thing—the flute. I was really young and had heard Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) sing and play flute and I thought that was unique and cool until I realized I couldn’t sing and play at the same time and my heart wanted to sing. So, that’s when I picked up guitar. I took some voice lessons in high school as well—something that I’d like to get back into, because voice lessons aren’t so much learning how to sing as they are learning how to take care of your instrument.

Did you always know you wanted a career in music? How old were you when you started and what originally inspired you?

Not necessarily…I had a lot of different passions in the arts, but it always came back to singing and writing. It wasn’t until I discovered Nashville that I realized songwriting, for yourself or others, was something you could make a career out of. That’s when I really thought, okay, this crazy dream is starting to seem just a little more tangible.

Do you write your own songs? If so, what’s your songwriting process like?

I do. All of my songs I’ve written on my own or with friends and writers I’ve met. The process isn’t always the same for me. It totally depends on what I feel like writing that day or what I’ve been inspired by or who I’m writing with. But there’s usually an idea that I’ve been sitting on that gets things rollin’.

Who were your favorite artists or bands you listened to growing up? Which ones have influenced your music career the most? 

I always listened to a lot of what my dad listened to, and then of course, the pop favorites of the nineties and early 2000’s, but in terms of biggest influencers, my dad’s generation of music, the songwriters and the rock and rollers are who really caught my attention, especially lyrically. I was always pretty good about listening to both old and new and to well-known and unknown. My friends were always making fun of me for listening to songs or artists they’d never heard of, but that’s just what I do—I’m a song girl. If I hear a song I love and I’ve never heard of the artist, I’m still gonna love it listen to it and more importantly, be inspired by it.

Tell me about your new project ‘The Raw EP’! How did the writing and songs for it come about?

The writing of a lot of these songs came from a time I started being really honest with myself and even a little self-deprecating. It’s therapeutic to bring yourself down in a way that’s artistic, as opposed to detrimental to your well-being. On the contrary, I did both really, but living and mistakes are what make for a good song. So The Raw EP was about sharing a little about who I am, what I’ve done and what I’ve learned, and in a way where the music is raw and real just as much as the words are.

I absolutely fell in love with your single “The Wedding Song” when I first heard it! What was your inspiration for this song?

Thank you! It’s so exciting to hear about people connecting with that song because of what it stands for. I wrote “Take My Hand (The Wedding Song)” when I was asked to sing at a lifelong friend’s wedding. I couldn’t just sing anything. I worked really hard on that song with my friend Christian Luthi until we got it to a point where we thought, “This just feels like love, in it’s purest form.” There’s a little bit of humble, a lot of butterflies but unwavering need to have that person be next to you forever. I’m really excited to see what kind of wedding footage gets sent in for the music video I am trying to put together for this song. On my website, emilyhackett.com, I am inviting newlyweds–and those who have been married for a long time—to send in pieces of their wedding videos to be edited together for the “Take My Hand (The Wedding Song)” music video. I wanted to show the love on a wedding day at the same time the song sings about how it feels.

I notice your songs are about love and relationships, what usually motivates you to write your songs?

My songs are inspired by a lot of things but I’ve always been a very social person, so I find I have more to say when I’m saying it about a relationship I’ve personally been through, but a lot of my songs about good love or bad love are also about my friends’ relationships. People need to talk things out and sometimes you don’t know what to do with that once you’ve listened, other than take them out to drink away the sorrows. I mean, I’ll do that too, but I find more healing all around in writing about it.

What were the most important events or connections that brought you to the next level on your journey to success? 

Wow, there’s been so many blessings just this year. Nashville and Belmont have led me to a lot of the people I know in this industry and the support system I have both creatively and from a business sense. It’s an amazing feeling to have people on your team. I’m very thankful for that. I honestly have Will Anderson to thank too for being a super supportive friend and singing on “Take My Hand” with me. Working with someone in a different genre who is really successful at their craft has taught me a lot and helped in introducing me to a new fan base that I may have never been introduced to. Winning the Belk Modern Southern Musician Showcase earlier this year was a pretty monumental thing for me this summer too. It opened up some amazing opportunities to play shows alongside big name country artists and allowed me to book my first northern tour dates in Boston and NYC, all of which has been an incredibly fun learning experience.

What accomplishment in your career are you most proud of so far?

I did a cover video with my friend Megan Davies of Lorde’s “Royals,” last year and by complete surprise, it did really well on YouTube, so much that it was picked up by Sirius XM’s Coffeehouse Radio and put into regular rotation. That was by far one of the coolest things to happen to me as an artist, especially since it was by the grace of God. I mean, we just wanted to do something creative and fresh and simply have fun with it and in turn, good things came from it. Getting invited to play at Sirius’ studio in Nashville was an honor and something I hope to do again in the future.

What is your favorite hobby or thing you love to do the most besides music?

Traveling. I spent some time in the UK and loved how easy it was to hop around over there. I love exploring new places, near and far. I also love just hanging with friends. I know that’s not really a hobby, but those are the kind of things I get inspired by, so when I’m not working I’m trying to be social.

What do you like about performing live versus recording in the studio?

I think there are two different kinds of energy in performing live and being in the studio. The nervous, exciting energy of a show is really fun because it’s kind of a high that you can ride for a little bit when the show is going well or once it’s over. The energy in the studio feels kind of magical because you are creating something from nothing. It’s exciting, but there’s nothing nervous about it. You have time to paly around with ideas and when you come up with something really cool, it’s really gratifying as an artist, in the true sense of the word.

Do you have any shows coming up for fans that want to see perform live?

Well, I’m excited to play at Vanderbilt University Saturday, Sept.26 for a benefit concert for Camp Kessem, a camp for kids who have had parents with cancer. It’s a great support system and I was honored they asked me to play for such a great cause. I’m playing again in Nashville in November with a band called Friends of Lola upstairs at Soulshine. In terms of tour dates outside of Nashville, I am looking into playing a college tour very soon, so I would love to hear from anyone who wants me to make a stop at their school! I think it will be cool to play for people around my age because it means that hopefully, I can make both fans and friends at each show.

MORE ABOUT EMILY:

Download Emily Hackett’s most recent album The Raw EP for free on http://noisetrade.com/emilyhackett/the-raw-ep

Listen to music and find out more about Emily on www.emilyhackett.com

Follow Emily Hackett on Twitter: @ms_emilyhackett &  Instagram: @ms_emilyhackett

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

Sept. 9: Knoxville, TN–Tennessee Valley Fair (Pepsi Tent)

Sept. 11: NYC, NY–The Bitter End

Sept. 12: Dedham, MA–Paradise Cafe with Hayley Reardon and Sam Morrow

Sept. 13: Norwood, MA–Alternate Root TV Studio

Sept. 14: Cambridge, Boston–Gallery 263

Sept. 27: Nashville, TN–Vanderbilt University

CHECK OUT “TAKE MY HAND (THE WEDDING SONG)” FEATURING WILL ANDERSON: