The multi-faceted music artist Emma Rae is renowned for working with a variety of artists across several genres. She has been toplining and working with many different songwriters in pop to metal, like Tyler LeVander and Charlie Brennan, lately. Over the previous three years, Her steady music releases have brought her 1.7 million Spotify streams and 683.3k listeners on average.
She provides voices for animation, video games, and advertising in addition to music. Among the well-known advertisements she has voiced include those for Amazon, Walgreens, IHG hotels, and other companies. Her most well-known role is that of Willow, her character in the hit game Brawl Stars.
Her musical sense was greatly affected by her Long Island background, where she lived with a jazz trombonist father and a vocalist/guitarist mother. Emma Rae effortlessly blends pop and rock elements in her original songs and live arrangements. She is a talented pianist and songwriter whose music poignantly conveys the truths of love, sorrow, and victory. Her skill as a lyricist can be heard above the likes of EDM performers Glaceo and Thatal. She has recently released co-written songs with Charlie Brennan, Tyler LeVander, and Peech.
Emma Rae trained under well-known singer-songwriters Paula Cole and Scarlet Keys while attending Berklee. Throughout her career, she has received several awards, including the Berklee Excellence in Songwriting Scholarship. In addition, she has been on other radio shows, provided backing vocals for Carly Simon, and is still actively performing live throughout the Northeast at different music venues.
Her latest offering ‘Simple Mind’ serves as the first single from her forthcoming EP. The track was co-written with Tyler LeVander. When she first wrote it, she was expressing how it feels to be unable to have a conversation with someone you don’t particularly like. The song eventually became about loving someone’s outside but not their insides; about a person whose physical attributes are striking, but whose personality doesn’t mesh well.
The dance-pop offering started out with lyrics and melody before being shelved after she collaborated with Tyler LeVander on the song in the past. Then the day arrived when they opened the file again and gave it a whole makeover. It was originally a bluesy tune, but they modified it to sound like dance pop. The track’s arrangement is almost entirely natural.
Emma Rae shared the song with several of her musical friends after listening to it again and asking if they had any further feedback or something musical they could add. She was given five guitar parts, one stacked on top of the other, from five different guitarists. David While, one of the touring bassists for Hamilton the Musical, wrote and recorded the bass. Tyler LeVander, who is not only her drummer but also her co-writer and producer, recorded the drums live. The final product is a wonderful fit with the tone of the top line.
In ‘Simple Mind’ listeners are treated to a sonic masterpiece that exemplifies Emma Rae’s growth as both a songwriter and performer. The track offers a glimpse into her multifaceted artistry. Her versatility as a songwriter is more evident in this offering with the lush production and captivating vocals to draw the listener in. Driven by her creative exploration of new sounds and desire to forge a closer bond with her audience, she reveals the sincerity and sensitivity found in her songs with every release.
On the release, Emma Rae comments, “Simple Mind is a song about that one person who you love for their body but not for their mind. The one you know you shouldn’t be with but they’re like a guilty pleasure.”