Emily and the Moon

About

After many years battling with a severe anxiety disorder, Emily decided enough was enough, and life was too short to spend being afraid of things - especially if you had an insatiable desire and passion to create those things. She began songwriting for her first band City of Bridges in 2013 after picking up a $20 ukulele, and soon enough had a handful of songs ready to be worked on. The duo parted ways, and Emily joined White Foxes as lead singer in 2014, alongside members of other local bands such as Sibyl and The New Wild. Juggling multiple bands proved slightly ambitious and though the group had many awesome times re-arranging and writing new songs, they decided to focus on other projects, and Emily made the decision to go solo in 2015. 

She put a call out on Facebook for any musically inclined friends who might be interested in being part of a project - initially some indie collection of songs recorded on iPhones just to have something to show for the songs themselves. She never imagined she'd land herself a superteam of awesomeness and be releasing a professionally produced EP a few months later! Thanks to an IndieGoGo campaign, the kindness of friends and strangers, and the true Winnipeg spirit of lending a hand, Emily is now collaborating with a bunch musicians from the local scene, including members of Jet Set Satellite, Pushing Daisies, Dust Rhinos,The Perms, Vikings, Keith and Renée, and more, and couldn't possibly be more thankful.

Her debut single, Polaris, was accepted into CBC Music's 2016 Searchlight competition, and Emily ended up coming top in Manitoba by popular vote, making it to the semi-final stage and receiving press about her story.

As Astra, a five-track EP, was released in June 2016. Copies are available now on iTunes, Amazon and Google Music. it can also be streamed on Spotify and Soundcloud. The EP includes songs ranging from kick-drum fuelled folk stompers to piano-driven power ballads, with a theme of the celestial tying it all together. All songs are stories inspired by people and life here in the prairies. (Emily is a British expat, and has lived in Winnipeg since 2000.) Dark and light themes are referenced, though ultimately, Emily aims to use music to unite, to relate, to celebrate, and to bring people together - to tell good stories, ask big questions, and let these tracks let people know that they're not alone.