Supersonic Youth
Singer Emma Louise started early, but she’s in it for the long haul.
Harper's BAZAAR Australia, June/July 2013
Twenty-one-year-old Brisbane-based singer/songwriter Emma Louise (A.K.A Emma Louise Lobb) has an angelic, ethereal quality that draws you in and stays with you long after you’ve heard her sing. Feminine, vulnerable-seeming and utterly beautiful, Lobb fuses acoustic and electronic elements with her serene vocals, resulting in a unique and intricately layered sound that sits somewhere between Bat for Lashes, Florence + the Machine and Missy Higgins.
At just 15 she won the People’s Choice Award at the Q Song Awards and in 2011 her breakout single, Jungle, off the EP Full Hearts & Empty Rooms, took out Song of the Year at the Queensland Music Awards. This year, her debut album, Vs Head vs Heart, was released to critical acclaim both here and overseas, where she has been picked up by some of the music world’s most influential labels.
Having always written purely for herself, Lobb admits that having early success put pressure on her creatively. “I always try to write honestly,” she says. “But there was a constant battle, especially after Jungle where I would think, ‘OK, if I make the hook in this chorus like this, it’ll probably get radio play.’ But thinking like that was being dishonest with myself. Why make art or music that’s already been made?” Lobb is genuine and self-assured, with an enviably calm confidence and a measured approach to her career — a rarity in the age of fast-tracked and artist-leaked songs, and its clearly paying off. “I am taking certain steps to have longevity,” she says. “Not just getting everything out there so I peak and drop. I want to take my time, do what I feel is honest to who I am and make sure I’m around for a while.”
Emma Louise is touring nationally until June 15. Her debut album, Vs Head vs Heart, is out now.