Succour for the Spirit – Issue 7
Sunday Reading with musician & singer-songwriter Emily Soon
Talking about Céline Sciamma, art & self-discovery, crafting song lyrics with spontaneity & depth that “approach meaning and expression from different angles each time”, & more.
#SuccourfortheSpirit #SilentDialogueEvents
Figure 2 Photograph of Emily Soon by Thomas Feng
“Now the glitter is gone, I can see it in your face.”
In Conversation
with
Emily Soon (ES) & correspondences’ Emma Thomson (ET)
Nature, food or art?
Art
Figure 3 Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019 Photograph: Curzon Artificial Eye
Why were you drawn to becoming a musician & songwriter?
ES—I’ve always felt that I’ve been ‘jack of all trades, master of none’, but music is a profession that I meandered into because it became my most natural form of expression. I prefer to think before I say and do as I’m not the most articulate person, and lyric writing gives me that time to sponge up information and arrange my thoughts. This creative side of mine has helped to traverse questions about my identity, understanding of the world and the people around me - in my writing I often cast light on my surroundings, but I’ve become increasingly more aware that these observations are hugely introspective and speak volumes about my own personality.
I’m also very drawn to the challenge of trying to tell a story with a limited amount of words and time, as opposed to writing in longer form. I didn’t see myself as a great English student in school and thought it was because of a lack of fancy vocabulary and flashy sentences - a big lightbulb moment for me that I’ve kept into adulthood was when a teacher said something along the lines of ‘Emily doesn’t say much, but when she does you can tell that she’s really been listening’. That really redefined my outlook on writing and made me feel like I had a place - that there was strength in even the fewest of words. Likewise, I wasn’t a confident vocalist growing up (I genuinely thought I was a terrible singer), so songwriting literally helped me to use my voice to perform to my family, friends and eventually an audience.
After music, what is your favourite art form & why?
ES—I love TV and film. I’m by no means well versed in cinema, but it’s the one art form that I still get really lost in. I like watching something and deep diving into everything to do with how it was made - seeing directors, cast and crew talk about the creative process. When I was younger, music had the same kind of allure for me. Now, I feel like that particular magic and pure enjoyment has disappeared for the most part as I’m more technically involved and versed in it. Critical listening and breaking down layers of music has been such a blessing, but also a huge curse because I can’t turn off that analytical part of my brain whenever I hear a piece of music. On the rare occasion, a song or record will pull me in absentmindedly, which I know to not take for granted.
One of my favourite films I saw last year was ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’. I remember after watching it, feeling like something had shifted inside of me. It was beautiful, mesmerising and everything I didn’t know I needed from a movie. I only wish I could watch it for the first time again. I’ve loved learning about Céline Sciamma’s very specific, planned out approach to directing her script and have been thinking about how this differs so much to the way I write and develop my musical ideas. She’s proved that there’s room for spontaneity even within the most precise of frameworks.
ET—Check out two reviews by culture reporter for the NY Times Elizabeth A Harris and film critic for The Guardian Mark Kermode. For a great read on the film’s Writer/Director Céline Sciamma by Gwilym Mumford refer here.
Do you think art is therapeutic?
ES—Absolutely. Art has always been a friend and a place of refuge - I feel it most when I’m playing music because it’s physical, mental. I sing to myself when I’m feeling down, I sing at work to bring joy to the most menial of tasks (haha). But recently I’ve also embraced the importance of music as a teacher - a vehicle to challenge me, encourage more discovery and acceptance of the unfamiliar. In addition to finding out what your favourite artists are inspired by and why, dive into something that is perhaps foreign to you. Beyond taking it in yourself, chat to someone about why they connect with it. Continue making these small discoveries and your own world will expand.
ET—Music as teacher, I love that …so true. I wondered…you trained and cut your teeth right here in the Australian music scene. However, in recent years, you have also spent a good deal of time in Nashville, Tennessee and Toronto.
In your travels, have you discovered a particular artist or style more recently that has led you towards new discoveries? I know people have compared your voice to that of singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman for instance. But, we have also been noticing a more soul / country vibe in recent songs?
ES—I get the Tracy Chapman comparison a lot, to the point where I was like 'ok, I'm putting it in my press material'. It's honestly really flattering, and I think more so because I only consciously started delving into her music after her name kept coming up at my first few gigs. I think the sound of the new music had been a long time coming because my songwriting has a classic feel, but I had to trial and test a few other things along the way. There was a hint of the country vibe on a song I released a few years ago called 'When The Sun Goes Down' - we recorded it so effortlessly and I remember my producer saying that was the way to go for future material, but I probably took it as a grain of salt at the time.
I'd say I really began to embrace folk and Americana the year I first travelled to North America in 2017. On that trip, I got a taste of music as a way of living and community at a really pivotal time in my life. Prior, I had felt as if there was still an invisible barrier of sorts to be upheld between artist and audience, but I saw how wonderful it could be when it was broken down and an open dialogue could exist in a room with no hierarchy. All the while, one of the most important things I was learning from travelling was to just be myself. When I was at home, it was so easy to fall into habits and the expectations that people had of me, to continue living that narrative. But I returned home more open, and my writing reflected a quiet intention to create music that was authentic to me, so I could share experiences that celebrated my own uniqueness rather than a personality I was curating.
Long story short - I'm starting to find the sonic sweet spot where I feel I'm my most honest storyteller. I'm not fully there yet and maybe there is no end point, but the layers are being peeled away. That comes back to art being therapeutic in your previous question - the things I'm learning through other art are fuelling me, thus my own creativity, which will always be curious and prompt me to go searching further. It's a wonderful cycle.
What are you reading?
ES—I recently read ‘Paper Shadows’ by Wayson Choy, which is a memoir about his childhood spent in Vancouver’s Chinatown post World War II. I’ve currently got a few books on rotation - ‘A Little Life’ (Hanya Yanagihara), ‘Finding the Heart of the Nation’ (Thomas Mayor), ‘Dark Emu’ (Bruce Pascoe) and ‘Growing Up Queer in Australia’ (Benjamin Law).
ET— You can also purchase Dark Emu via audible to listen to Pascoe reading. You can also find Mayor’s book ‘Finding Our Heart’ for children in bookstores, with illustrations by Blak Douglas.
Figure 4 Cover design Finding the Heart of the Nation, 2019 by Thomas Major. Published by Hardie Grant Travel
What are you listening to?
ES—Recently I’ve been taking in heavier information through podcasts and my reading, so I’ve tried to balance this with lighter, mellow music or familiar artists. So, a lot of Leif Vollebekk, ABBA, Carole King, Norah Jones, The Highwomen and Queen (my dad is obsessed).
When I’m deep into creating and recording, I try to just trust what I instinctively want to or don’t want to listen to. I’ll try to maintain some kind of proximity to the feeling or emotion I want to convey. That being said, there’ll be times when the content I sing about doesn’t occupy the same place in my mind or heart anymore and I’ll approach my performances from a more reflective mindset, distancing myself from the initial inspiration altogether.
Tell us about one of your creations
It’s a song that questions whether love is actually really worth all the pain that it can bring. There’s no happy payoff [and it] stays true to the theme to the end - which is a resolution of a kind, but not the lazy and easy one lesser songwriters would hand out.
— Jonathan Aird, AmericanaUK
‘Love Is the Loneliest Place’. Written from 2015-2016, released in 2020 as an original studio version and alternate version with Invictus Quartet. Figures 5-6 Album covers above. Listen to each recording via Bandcamp.com below.
Why did you choose this particular work?
ES—This was a song that felt like a turning point in my songwriting craft - it was honest, but measured and mature. Prior to this, my writing had been very instinctive and quick, usually completed in the one session. The bones of the song still came from a genuine place, but the strength of it was a result of taking lots of hard looks, being open to feedback and going back to the drawing board to elevate it to another level altogether.
What was the starting point?
ES—It’s centred around really specific, intimate moments I shared with a friend, when I was trying to understand and sympathise with their heartbreak. I hadn’t experienced anything comparable in my own life at that point in time, and this was my way of ‘putting myself in someone else’s shoes’ (as my mum would say!).
What were you striving to explore?
ES—When I first completed the main skeleton of the song, the lyrics were from my perspective, as an outsider looking in - so initially, they were ‘now you’re bitter and cold, ‘cause she left you this way and love is the loneliest place’. I was seeing things in a plain one-dimensional way and from a biased perspective. After playing the song to a few people, I thought I could get closer to the heart of the emotion by going deeper into the narrative, so I made the small alteration of ‘now you’re bitter and cold, ‘cause we left it this way and love is the loneliest place’. This slight change caused a pretty significant shift - suddenly multiple sides of the story were being exposed, and in turn the rest of the song’s lyrics had multiple meanings depending on how you interpreted them. By having alternate recorded versions of the song, as well as unlimited ways in which I play it live, I can approach meaning and expression from different angles each time.
ET—Listen in below via Bandcamp.
What are you working on now?
ES—I’ve been putting together long awaited demos, finishing off half complete songs and tentatively planning towards what I’ll do next. A lot of the plans I had this year revolved around being on the go in new places and teaming up with different people, so I’ve had to make changes. I’m still working towards the live show with Invictus Quartet, I’ve got a solo record in my sights, and have been collaborating with some friends. I’m hoping that the music we’ve written together will see the light of day eventually!
ET—The best way to support our local musicians like Emily is to purchase their music via Bandcamp.com. Album sales allow them to continue recording and releasing new music. Purchase, follow and share the news.
What else can supporters do?
Pre purchase our book for Silent Dialogue → here. Featuring twelve original pieces of writing by some of the country's finest writers alongside beautiful imagery from our participating visual artists, it is going to be special. Every sale helps us to keep moving forward with the broader project.
Follow Emily on social media to keep in touch with her news. She is at: @emilysoonmusic on facebook / instagram / twitter. You can also follow her on YouTube at Emily Soon Music.
You can also share our SD news via email & social media via i: silent_dialogue & f: silentdialogueevents. It introduces us to new supporters!
Biography
Performing artist Australian born, Malaysian-Chinese singer/songwriter Emily Soon never fails to surprise any first time listener. Her mellow, buttery voice almost reminiscent of Tracy Chapman, Norah Jones or Bonnie Raitt will leave you serenaded and mesmerised. Inspired by travel, changing relationships and newfound independence, her ensuing material evokes greater clarity, confidence and charisma. 'Good Help Is Hard To Find’ marks the next chapter in Emily’s story - an unlikely anthem co-written and produced by iconic Melbourne musician Henry Wagons. Despite the pressures of COVID-19, in 2020 Soon has reached new heights, with the release of her new single ‘Love is The Loneliest Place’ and a mix of upcoming shows, ranging from a stripped back acoustic set at Some Velvet Morning, to an ambitious collaboration at the Melbourne Recital Centre with Invictus Quartet.
