Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Burdette. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I was six years old, I remember watching the movie Curly Sue. In the film, the little girl belts out a song. “So find yourself somebody to love!” I mimicked her and sung out the line. Somehow, I knew that I had a good singing voice.

Music has been in my veins since I was very small. My mom and dad always had music on in the house. I credit them for my knowing so many artists from the 60’s and 70’s.

Singing has always been the only path that felt correct for me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in West Virginia. When I was 12 years old, I started piano lessons. I eventually quit piano. I wasn’t very good at getting myself to sit down and practice. I started writing lyrics at 14. I would get melodies in my head as I wrote, but I didn’t play an instrument. I needed a tool to help get the songs fully out of me. I picked up guitar and once I was able to play basic chords, I started writing the music for my songs.

Fast-forward a few years and I was in Nashville attending Belmont University. I studied Audio/Video Production and planned to get into creating music videos as a back-up plan. It wasn’t until 2011 that I finally recorded and released my very first EP titled “Time To Speak.” I wasn’t ready when I lived in Nashville. It was too intimidating and I didn’t feel like I was good enough.

Since 2011, I have released a full length album as well as several singles out on streaming platforms including Spotify and iTunes.

My goal is to play festivals and expand out of my now hometown, Wilmington, North Carolina. I have been in the port city for 12 years. I’ve been gigging in breweries, restaurants, bars, and private events for the past 5 years consistently. I also cofounded a singer-songwriter series called Voice & the Pen where local artists can play their originals in select venues. I hope to start becoming an opening act for bigger names and eventually landing a higher spot on the roster at festivals.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

What I can say about my pursuit of a professional singing career is that I won’t ever give up on it. I have allowed doubt and uncertainty to creep into my mind and tell me that I am just not good enough; that I don’t have what it takes. I have had setbacks that slowed me down. I used to have performance anxiety to a point where every show that I had, some piece of equipment would just break out of nowhere. It made me want to stop playing. It didn’t feel like it was worth the anxiety.

I have grown through all of that and I credit that to my yoga practice and finding friends who have helped me along the way.

Starting Voice & the Pen was a good way to really get my name out there in Wilmington. I had been gigging for a few years, but the series is what got me to know other musicians here and really networking to make gains in my own career. I believe it brought the music community of Wilmington closer.

Now I’m traveling out of state for shows, working with a voice coach in NYC and striving to get my originals out into so many more places.

Like I said, I won’t ever give up.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I have a big goal that has been circling my mind for a couple of years now. It used to be to land an original song in TV and Film. I got a couple of songs into a series recently called Divine Renovation. Now that I have reached that goal, I’m even more confident I can do whatever I put my mind to.

I want to open up for Brandi Carlile in her weekend fest called Mothership in Miramar Beach, Florida. She’s a big influence of mine and I would love to share a stage with her.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emilyburdette.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burdettemusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilyburdettemusic?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits

Amanda-Marie Gillen
Kort Steeber