Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Austin
Hi Emily, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When I was little my dad took me to my first musical. He tells me that I sat, fixated throughout the show, barely blinking. Afterwards I turned to him and said without hesitation, “I can do that.” Pretty much ever since I’ve been performing.
My mom also signed me up for piano lessons. I hated practicing but she held firm that I would appreciate having the skills one day. She was right, of course.
I was also an aspiring ballerina, dancing everyday after school, taking rigorous classes and performing in the Nutcracker and many showcases. The winter I was fifteen, during the run of our ballet school’s yearly Nutcracker production, my ankle started to swell. I refused to accept that I was injured and only went to the doctor after the last show was over, where I discovered I had been dancing on a stress fracture for weeks. That was the end of my dance career. I was heartbroken.
But I still had piano, and I had always wanted to take singing lessons. I joined my high school acapella group, started a band and simultaneously started training in classical voice. I got to be in my high school musicals which made that little girl in me so happy. I even auditioned for conservatory and went to college for vocal performance, studying opera and graduating with a Bachelor of Music from Lawrence University.
Everything changed for me the last year of school when Covid hit. Our stages closed and I decided to start writing and recording my own music. Now I live in Brooklyn with my partner, perform with my band all over the city and have met some incredible collaborators and friends who I am making music with. I’m in the studio a lot right now, released a new song on August 9th (!) and will be releasing more soon!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not! I’m also nowhere near where I would like to be. The obstacles will keep coming but I’m trusting the process and the work I’m putting in.
I think one of the bigger obstacles I’ve faced is coming out of school with all this training and then not knowing where to start in my career. School does a great job of giving us the tools we need to make the music, but I had to learn (and am still learning) the industry and business side of things on my own.
There is so much to navigate like contracts, relationships and collaborations with other musicians, how to make money, marketing and promo, the list goes on and on. As an independent artist, I am a one stop shop. I make the music, create the world it exists in, and run a small business, all while working survival jobs and hiring myself out for other musical work that keeps me going creatively. It can be draining but I pinch myself every single day that I get to do this.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m Emily Sara, a singer songwriter, crossover vocalist, artist, actor, and voice teacher.
I pull from artists like Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Fiona Apple, Bon Iver, and Julia Cooper to bring my own spin to the indie pop/R&B realm. Trained in opera, jazz, musical theater and pop vocal techniques, I draw from many genres and styles in my songwriting. My last EP “Mismatch” explored identity and belonging as a Middle Eastern American woman living in the Midwest.
Now located in Brooklyn, I continue to write on female identity in its multitudes through my personal experiences and through the eyes of female characters I’ve met in film, literature and mythology. My new song, Aura, is based on the myth of Ariadne and is inspired by the sound world the stars might make. It’s out everywhere you stream music!
I’ve played my original music all over NYC and have performed choral works and operas in Italy and the US. I’m half Iranian, half German Jewish, love Jane Austen novels and have a passion for strawberry ice cream.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Honestly I think it was when I saw Wicked on broadway. I realized that music and theater can change how people feel. I left that theater feeling so inspired and empowered. I think it’s a big reason why I incorporate theatrical elements into my own work. Costumes, colors and the setting are all really important to me. I like creating a whole experience around my songs/projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emilysaraaustin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilysaramusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilysaramusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@emilysaraaustin
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/emilysara
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2cjIQ0NleHwnYD5T72EI1r?si=3gthclbKQYav3aJ3gPMFVg
Image Credits
Henrique Penha, Tyler Clark, Kyle Logan Manning