Some artists find a challenge in recording one emotional album. But Emma Dean has managed to simultaneously produce three albums each with their own emotional story.
“I wrote them all in different periods, so I had to relive that angst or love or heart ache. We recorded all the piano stuff at Airlock [Studios]. Each album has a different piano; ‘Black’ has an out-of-tune upright, ‘Red’ has a lush grand and ‘White’ has synths. We ended up not using the original tracks for ‘White’. Instead we re-recorded the entire EP with CandyRat Records in Chicago.”
Since returning to Brisbane, Emma has also gathered a group of likeminded musicians to create a band known as Emma And The Hungry Truth. “When I came back from New York, I guess I was quite lonely over there and I wanted a sense of comradeship, and the music I was writing was for heavier band arrangements.”
Emma And The Hungry Truth will be hitting the studio very soon. “We'll be recording with Tom McKercher in May, he's amazing and has won five ARIAs, however, there is no release date yet.”
While The Hungry Truth only have two Brisbane shows scheduled so far, Emma Dean still has a full plate of commitments. “I'll be going on tour in April, which will be a called ‘Songs Of Love And War’. I am taking one member of the band, Francesca de Valence, we'll be playing on each other’s songs, because she is also a singer, songwriter from Brisbane. And although our styles are quite different, it is complimentary — we are both violin and piano players. It'll be a lovely experience to share the stage with her.”
This doesn’t mean Emma can’t be tempted into playing her solo shows that the fans love so much. “I will always do solo shows. For me, it's a really important practice to keep up, otherwise you become reliant on the musicians backing you. It's so liberating being on stage by yourself with just a piano and your voice, I'm always changing.”
Written by Darcy Love
Emma And The Hungry Truth play the Judith Wright Centre Thursday March 20 and Saturday March 22.
