Hello my beauts, I hope you guys are all doing well and having a great day so far!  There are always things in life you wish or dreamt you could do. I know for a fact I always wished I could sing or dance. I envy people who have this talent, it’s so beautiful, peaceful and relaxing listening to someone sing. One fact you beauts didn’t know about me was I used to be able to sing! I was actually in theatre for a couple years when I was younger and were in two plays called, “Joseph and the amazing technicolour Dreamcoat’,  and also, “Not just another variety show”. In Not just another variety show, I had to sing a duet with a young girl and it was amazing. You really felt all eyes on you, and we took over the stage. But then something happened…. you guessed it…. puberty. Gotta love it that’s for sure. I stopped singing after that because I could not sing as high as I used to anymore. But hey that’s okay because there are other people in this world who I can listen to and admire. But there is one girl in particular that stood out to me and has for a while. I never have done a collaboration with a singer before, but I thought, “hey... why the hell not?”. This girl resembles a Disney Princess, as her friends like to call her, is a qualified teacher, and is trained in Advanced Wildness First Aid. Sounds legit right? This girl is everything, let alone one of the most beautiful singers inside and out that I have ever heard of. I had the absolute privilege and opportunity to collaborate on a blog post with the gorgeous Emily Hatton.

Emily from Melbourne Australia, calls herself a daydreamer, she smells like “Pink Sugar” (the perfume she has been wearing since she was 16 years old),  likes baking healthified treats, and loves coffee. She sounds like my kind of friend I need in my life!  Emily enjoys going to the gym 5 times a week and would rather spend a day hiking than watching a movie inside, even though she adores movies! In fact, her most recent favourite movie is “The Edge of Seventeen“. Hey, Emily, this is also one of my favourite movies as well. I absolutely am addicted to it!  Lately, though, Emily has been collecting succulent plants. One thing you need to know about her is that she is a deep thinker, she appreciates sarcasm and is someone who believes in kindness. Emily states, “ the most common thing observation I hear when someone meets me is, “you’re tall for a girl,” and so now my typical response is, “Thank you. Now that you mention it… my face is further from the ground than other people.”That’s me in a nutshell. (I’m the nut.) “. HA! I absolutely love this, this sounds like we are going to get along already!

Moving onto Emily’s singing I began to ask her basic questions leading into it. I asked Emily at what age did she start singing. She replied, “literally when I was born. My mum tells me she knew I was going to be a singer because my cry was so clear.I also have a VHS of me when I was four, sitting on a couch, singing a whole bunch of songs to the camera for about an hour and a half. Because that’s all I wanted to do. Mum also told me that as a kid, I perpetually sang in the bath, so she always knew I hadn’t drowned. She would only run in if I stopped singing”. That’s a perfect idea! You knew from a very young age then Emily! I was also curious if Emily knew any instruments or not. This has always been a dream of mine as well, to play instruments especially the piano. I would’ve loved to have done this. Emily states, “I learnt cello in school. I don’t play anymore though. My mum taught me the piano. I stopped lessons in about seventh grade, but I’m still pretty fluent, though I’ve always been better doing stuff by ear, rather than sight reading.    My main instrument now is guitar. I’m self-taught. I picked one up for the first time when I was nineteen and became obsessed with it. It’s the first thing I go to when I’m writing songs.  Oh, and I know four chords on the ukulele. Next on my list is the banjo”. That’s amazing Em! I am so proud of you for being so engaged in musical instruments, that’s great! That is a true talent that’s for sure.  Self-taught is crazy good! That’s unbelievable, I don’t know if I could ever do that but koodoos to you!! Keep on going girl!

I also wanted to know if Emily wrote any of her own songs at all, and if so who inspires her to write her songs. Emily explains, “I sure do. My songs are like my therapy. My inspiration is my emotions. I’m a very positive, happy person, and when something affects me in a negative way, the first thing I turn to is music. For example, when I’m feeling really sad about something that’s happened in my life, and I’m trying to sort through thoughts in my head, writing is the best way to figure things out. It makes me concisely express what I’m conflicted by in that moment, and stops the spiral of confusion. It clears my mind. If I feel like screaming for whatever reason, I’ll incorporate that into a belt (a loud, long, high note) in my song. If I’m super angry, and I don’t know how else to get the frustration out, I write lyrics that I would want the other person to hear, but I try to make them smart. Not just making fun, or whatever. It’s like being able to yell everything you’re feeling, but people actually listen until you’re finished. It’s great. And I try to not be mean or vengeful, but sometimes, a song can literally be the initial, emotional reaction that in reality, that only lasts for a few hours. But writing helps dissipate that, and I can actually get over things very quickly nowadays. On the other hand, if something really strikes me with joy, I’m likely to write a song about that too. For example, meeting my American relatives for the first time. They welcomed me in so warmly and made me feel so part of the family, I had to write a thank you letter, in the form of a song. I played it for them and ended up making some of them cry. I think if you can make someone cry with music, you’ve done something right haha”.  That is for sure Emily, that is so amazing, you should be so proud of yourself!  Touching people in that way is absolutely beautiful and so nice to see and watch.

I know that Emily enjoys country music so I had to ask her who inspired her to get into country music. Emily replied, “Oh my goodness. A great mix actually! One of my dad’s favourite artists is James Taylor, and we did a lot of long drives together when I was younger, so I have many memories of Dad singing along to the CD’s in the car. My favourite of his is “Copperline.” I love, love, love Shania Twain. My dad can vouch that there are a few songs I played ad nauseam when I was younger, much to his annoyance, and, “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and, “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” were two of them. A few years back, I discovered and fell in love with The Band Perry and absolutely adored their style. Kimberly Perry reminded me of the Dixie Chicks and their beautiful tones and I always aim to emulate that super smooth, perfectly pitched way of singing. From then on, I started actively looking for other bands in the genre. I also had a singing teacher in high school tell me my voice was suited to country, and back then I actually laughed. Now, I want to hug her. My other biggest country influencers are Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts and Faith Hill”.  I also wanted to know what types of genres Emily sings when she is in the zone. Emily stated that she sings mostly country and pop music, in fact, that is how she loves to write her songs. Emily also explains, “I love the melodic elements, the poetic and metaphoric style, and how it can have contrasting sultry ballads as well as boppy, fun tunes. But I am also known to sing along to musical theatre and Disney, of course”.  You know who Emily reminds me of when she sings? She reminds me of Taylor Swift, I can hear it in her voice, what do you beauts think? Emily was so kind as to send me the newest song she wrote just for me to listen to. I was absolutely honoured and could not express how generous that was of her to do! What a sweetheart. She reminded me of T-Swift the whole entire time, I had goosebumps! What a true talent she has. It’s unbelievable.

I know we are all dying to know if Emily has performed on a stage before and what not! I know I am dying to know! With a talent like that, it needs to be shown off for sure! Emily states, “Small stages, yeah. Not counting high school, I’ve done a couple of gigs around Melbourne. It’s my goal to play on a stage somewhere like the Grand Ole Opry, someday. Or the CMA’s. And around the world on my own headlining tours, of course”.  That’s a great goal to have Emily, I know you can do it if you put your mind and heart to it, you got this!

Besides singing, what are your other hobbies? “I love trying new things, so generally I’ll have a new obsession every week. Recently, random things include sewing, gardening, and colouring. But the recurring things are cooking, camping and hiking, yoga and kettlebell classes, reading, and patting my pet rabbit. I also watch hours of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and lately, Gilmore Girls, because who doesn’t want to loiter in an idealistic world every now and then? Before I started giving everything to music, it was acting. So that’s another hobby now. I would easily commit to either, and ideally both, for the rest of my life”. 

“It’s a business, and you’re a product”- Emily Hatton

I also wanted to know if there were any of Emily’s family members who were involved in music and enjoyed music. Emily expresses, “My mum is a music teacher, and mostly listens to classical music. My dad has always, always had music playing constantly. Namely Phil Collins & Genesis, Sting & the Police, James Taylor, Pink Floyd, Leo Sayer, Eric Clapton, Elton John and ABBA”.  Wow, so music runs in the family Emily! That’s amazing! That really does help a lot that is for sure!

Did you know you always wanted to be in the music industry? “Oh, yeah. It wasn’t always crystal clear to me in which capacity I wanted to pursue it, but I always knew I had to sing. I tried musical theatre for a while. I love it, but I love performing my own songs more” . That’s great! You are really going far Emily, keep up the great work!

I was also curious as to how long Emily practices singing for within her daily schedule. With a voice like that, I was very curious! Emily states,”literally all the time. I practice shamelessly in the car, in the shower, while I’m cooking, and even quietly on the train, while people are staring at me. Sometimes I’m singing, and I think it’s in my head, until someone comments on the song, and I realise it’s out loud”.  That’s hilarious! Good for you! It takes a lot of confidence to be on that level and it seems like you have a ton which is amazing. I only strive to have that much like you Emily!

Who are your favourite musicians? “Oh my gosh, so many. There’s a massive variety of humans who inspire me, whose albums I’ve listened to so many times I’ve lost count, and also have influenced my style. Off the top of my head: The Band Perry, The Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, James Taylor, Lady Antebellum, Billy Joel, Maroon 5, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and Hunter Hayes. I also, in general, love 80’s pop & rock. It’s my favourite era for music because of its expression of vocal harmonies, drum beats, chord progressions, and general energies of the music, including the creative risks artists took”.

While summing up this interview and questionnaire, I wanted to ask Emily some more intense and personal questions! I began to ask Emily if there was a piece of advice she would give to someone just starting out in this career path. Emily explains, “Stay positive. It’s so easy to lose motivation, feel like you’re getting nowhere, or take rejection personally. One of my favourite quotes that I live by is, “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” It’s a life thing. It’s when you grow, and become better. To get where you want to be, you have to work hard, accept failure, try and try again, and if things still aren’t going the way you planned, try different methods and be open to broader ideas of making your dreams a reality. Like, other ways you can still be involved in the business you love, just taking the long way ‘round to reaching your destination. If you really want something, if you can’t stop picturing it, if it fills you with joy and vibrancy, give it everything you’ve got. Learn from people who are where you want to be. And then help others up to where you’ve progressed. Network, share, love what other people are doing, and be grateful for where you are. And be there in person. It’s a process. There are milestones, but there’s not really a point when anyone’s “made it.” In reality, you’re just doing the same thing you’ve always done. Just the stakes get higher. The stage and the audience get bigger. But everything is an ongoing effort and commitment”.  I think I am going to go to Emily for advice from now on! She pretty much summed it up and that was beautiful to read. I am sure someone will benefit greatly from these words of advice, so thank you for sharing Emily!

Lastly, I asked Emily where she sees herself 5 years from now. “I see myself very clearly on tour, having released an album, wearing some sort of sparkly dress, smiling. Because I get to call what I love my job”.  That’s amazing Emily! How talented is she though? If you have not checked Emily out and her amazing voice be sure to head on over to her Instagram page at “Emhat”, and check her out! Her videos are amazing, and her voice is stunning. I have been hooked on Emily for a while now and knew I had to reach out to her to share her talent and story with you beauts that’s for sure. So please go show her some love!

I want to personally thank Emily from the bottom of my heart for agreeing to collaborate with me on this blog post and opening up about her singing and music journey. Emily you are so so talented and deserve the best in life. Emily was such a sweet girl to work with, so pleasurable and nice! I know you are going to go far one day and when you are on stage, think of me 🙂 So be sure to go follow her Instagram page and check her out, she would love that! Also be sure to follow my other social media sites located on my homepage for upcoming blogs in the near future, thanks again!

As Emily Hatton says it! “Much love ” xo.