It takes a village

By Greg Ceci

Today, Miss Emily parks her boots in Kingston but maintains roots in Prince Edward County and Belleville. She gratefully remarks, “I feel like I’m a product of a supportive collective community, and it’s a great feeling.”

As an attractive but naive seventeen-year-old gigging in bars, Miss Emily experienced many obstacles, barriers and hardships and describes her experiences as funny, sad, cringe-worthy and sometimes scary but she's relied on her hard work, abilities and sense of humour to endure and flourish. Regarding business and production, Emily minds the shop but also has the humility to surround herself with a strong support circle. Miss Emily says, “My followers and supporters are part of my village, and my career only works with them in my corner.”

Success bears responsibility, and Emily knows that young songwriters now look up to her – most of them young women. She offers these words of wisdom, “Put in a lot of hours honing your craft and educating yourself, assume you have to work harder than

Prince Edward County

everyone else, create a village and treat them like gold, be ready to be treated unfairly and, even in 2022, you'll still have to work harder than men.”

Her songwriting reflects her experiences, feelings and the stories that move her. Those songs have led to opening for The Tragically Hip, Sam Roberts and The Trews at Big Music Fest in front of twenty-eight thousand people and performing at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton.

Her fourth album DefinedByLove was released in September 2022. With eighteen years under her belt, Miss Emily feels her career is just starting to roll with plans to tour across Canada, the USA, and overseas. When asked about her greatest achievements, Miss Emily says, “I am very proud of the albums I’ve made. I’ve collaborated with exceptionally talented and decorated artists. It is an honour to make music with people who I have so much to learn from.” themissemily.com

Change comes slowly, but Miss Emily and her village are leading the charge.

Miss Emily has received four Maple Blues Awards; Female Vocalist of the Year (2020 and 2022), New Artist of the Year (2020), and a Sapphire Blues Video Award in 2020 for Hold Back the River . In 2022, Miss Emily’s album LIVE at the Isabel received a Juno nomination for Blues Album of the Year.