Kat Harlton
Emi Jeen is a Montreal-based alt-pop artist noted for her emotionally raw and powerful vocals. Her songs tell a tale: at once hopeful and nostalgic; wistful and urgent; raw and graceful.
The small town girl recently released her second single “Holy Water” from her upcoming EP “The Other Side” coming in late October. We had the opportunity to chat with Emi Jeen about her latest single, musical aspirations and what’s next.
Kat: For those who are just being introduced to your music, how would you describe it? Is there anything you’d want them to know before listening to it?
Emi Jeen: Music is like a therapy to me. I release and express my emotions through my songs. I’ve been through a lot these past years and I couldn’t tell anyone about the situations I was in, because they would tell me to stop complaining or that I was weak. So, this upcoming EP “The Other Side” is definitely very deep and emotional for me. The alt-pop dark sound with tons of electric guitars and cool beats merry very well with what I am trying to express in the lyrics. I hope people that are looking for a way out can relate through these lyrics and be able to release the pain they are keeping inside.
Kat: You’ve recently released a new single “Holy Water,” from your upcoming EP “The Other Side”. Can you talk about the inspiration behind it, and if there was a particular sound or style you were hoping to achieve?
Emi Jeen: This song actually surprised me. I drove to Toronto to write with 2 people I had never met before. The connection between us happened so fast and I fell in love with what we came up. I ended up creating the entire EP with Derek Hoffman and really created different styles. I really like alternative music as much as the pop, so for me it was important to mix both in the EP. “Holy Water” was created more on the Pop side compared to the other tracks. I keep a lot of my emotions to myself and in my past relationships I would keep them inside until it would be too late and explode, which we tried to recreate in the music video. While on tour in Malaysia with my previous band, I left my boyfriend on the phone without much explanation. I really felt like a monster for leaving him like that, I actually had accumulated so much throughout the years that I couldn’t live like this anymore. If you’re like me and have trouble expressing your emotions, it doesn’t get better if you keep them inside. It’s better to say what you want to say and live with the consequences. I hope this song could reach and help others to let it out, it feels so liberating.
Kat: Do you have any advice for emerging artists? Or have you ever been given any advice that really stuck with you or made an impact?
Emi Jeen: My manager gave me a pretty good one that’s so right when you start any project. You cannot pull the leaves of a flower for it to grow faster, you need to give it some sun, water and love. It will flourish, but you’ll need to be patient and give it the time that it takes. I think it’s pretty much the best advice I ever got. I waited and worked 5 years on my solo project, lot’s of sun and water lol. We got to be patient and work hard, till it’s ready to blossom.
Kat: How has Covid-19 and the world in general impacted your music and songwriting? and has it inspired you to find other ways of reaching out and creating?
Emi Jeen: What a crazy time right now. I feel it’s shaping our world to another era that we pressed fast forward on all the technology and ways of using the online world even more. Which in a sense it’s totally crazy and in another we need to adapt fast. I finished my EP right before Covid-19 so I was mostly working on the mixes, videos, etc. I wasn’t really able to write much but now it’s starting to come back to a normal pace. I thought I would be able to go on tour and meet people after this EP release, but I guess i’ll get to be creative online.
Kat: What’s next?
Emi Jeen: Lots of STUFF! Expect more and more music, a new Vlog following all the steps of my journey, a new merch collection and releasing my own clothing line. ; ) My EP called “The Other Side” is coming out on October 30 th , which I am so excited about. It talks about the fact that it’s time to wake up and stop letting people control us.
For more on Emi Jeen visit: https://www.emijeen.com