We were lucky to catch up with Stef Emery recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stef , appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I have been a musician basically my whole life, but when it comes to being a singer I really learned from listening. Growing up listening to other artists that I was obsessed with really molded me into the singer I am today. I studied vocals with coaches along the way as well and learned proper technique, but learning “feel” and “style” really developed more from my musical influences. Knowing what I know now, I think learning how to have more confidence would have sped things up a bit…but confidence tends to come with experience so I wouldn’t necessarily say it slowed me down, but was more of a build in that area. Having a good vocal coach was essential to learning how to use my instrument properly. Developing the foundation of my voice from a technique standpoint was absolutely necessary, and I’d also say live performance experience was essential to developing my craft.

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

My name is Stef and I’m the lead singer of the band The Black Coast. We are based in Philadelphia and have been in the dirty blues rock scene since around 2012. Ryan Gaughan and I started the band under a different name (La Capitana) and have one album under that name. We did a rebrand in 2020 and released our second album under the new name. Our style has mostly stayed true to our roots but we experimented with a heavier rock sound on the album “Dark Days, Darker Nights”. We are currently wrapping up our next album which we are really excited about because we are releasing a more blues forward set of songs that blend our love of traditional blues with our love of more modern dirty blues rock styles. I think what might set us apart from other artists in this genre is the authenticity, emotion, and raw feeling we are putting into this work. We’re definitely having fun with this style and drawing a ton from our early influences with the hope that rock and blues fans will really connect with us on this one. I’m feeling proud of how we’ve evolved our sound to where we are today and I’m excited to lean more into this style because I think it really showcases the singer I’ve always wanted to be.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’d say unlearning perfection is something super important when you’re an artist. You have to obviously strive to be your absolute best, but sometimes “done” is better than “perfect”. A lot of the time in music it’s the imperfections that make a listener draw closer to a style. I truly think “perfect” can be boring. I definitely had to learn that along the way and give myself grace when it came to wanting my vocal to sound a certain way. For example, sometimes the loudest belt of the vocal isn’t what the song really needs, but instead, a more subtle, vulnerable, or quiet dynamic can really be more effective. At the end of the day I want to be authentic…I think authentic is better than perfect.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I’d say the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I always have an outlet. I sometimes wonder what I would do if I wasn’t a creative. I can’t imagine not having music or art to be my outlet when I’m going through certain things in life. Writing, singing, and performing are all different forms of outlets in their own right but I am lucky enough to get to do all three, and they each serve somewhat of a different purpose when it comes to expressing myself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @theblackcoastmusic
• Other: Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VVCQowNOiA4iuJPL2AkQv?si=Tlw3vF1YSSe5lHK1x9_q-w

  Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-black-coast/1488222890

Image Credits

Hunter Carrico