Emmy The Great

I am a musician and culture writer (my writing is collected here). As Emmy the Great I have released three albums, with a full discography listed below. Omissions are due to memory loss caused by excessive Internet scrolling. 

I was born in Hong Kong and raised in East Grinstead, UK. In recent years, I began using music to access Cantonese, my mother tongue. This led me back to Hong Kong, where I now spend half my time.

I like to find new ways of telling stories with music.  Recently, this has included writing original music for Starlee Kine's Mystery Show Podcast, Mia Lidofsky's upcoming series Strangers, and music and libretto for Sara Pascoe's Pride & Prejudice, directed by Susannah Tresilian. I have used music to examine my upbringing at TEDxNYC, and to interview members of the Chinese diaspora in the North-East of England for BBC Radio 3. You can find other examples of commissioned work here.

Through music, I have also campaigned for Wateraid, mentored for Strummerville, and given workshops in HM Holloway Women's Prison as part of Billy Bragg's Jail Guitar Doors charity. I am currently involved with the Woodland Trust, helping to promote the Tree Charter, a commitment to maintaining Britain's forests and trees. 

If you want to know more about my cultural identity woes, and how I lie about Jackie Chan, read this interview conducted by the brilliant Jenny Zhang.

I also recommend the Second Love album liner notes by my hero Jon Ronson, which helped me understand my own album, technology, and the world in ways I couldn't have imagined.