Emmy The Great: Status Update

“I’ve committed Facebook suicide!” the new leader of the ‘anti-folk’ scene laughs. “It all became too much and all I was doing was wall writing, so I deleted myself.” As Emma Lee Moss admits to a growing social-networking addiction, her alter ego Emmy The Great is generating an online fan base of dizzying heights. On the eve of the release of her EP ‘My Bad’, the pre-orders have rolled in past the 300 mark. As fellow singer songwriters Kate Nash, Jack Penate, Lily Allen and Jamie T adorn magazine covers, life is good for solo British wordsmiths. Owning a guitar has never looked so cool, lyrics have never been so clever, whilst being in charge has never been so empowering. Since our love affair with Lily Allen began over a year ago, we’ve been scouring the internet for another girl-next-door style find that we can identify ourselves with. When Gigwise caught up with Emmy, she proved to be exactly what we’ve been looking for.

As we approach a rainy lunchtime in mid-July, Emmy has just got up. “I’m sooo lazy! It’s terrible isn’t it?” she yawns, blaming her 4am bedtime on the mad British weather. Like any other unsigned artist, Emmy has been using her MySpace profile page as a platform for her songs, which marry timeless literary worlds and Radio 4 with tomboyish mischief. It’s a hard one to categorise, with latest press hailing her as the leading light of new wave singer songwriters otherwise known as ‘nu-folk’ or ‘anti-folk’ despite her getting into anything remotely folky only a year ago. Growing up in Hong Kong as the only Western kid in a Chinese State school, Emmy was different to her classmates. They liked homework and computer games. She liked to seek out the only non-Chinese music that Tower Records stocked.

Unearthing gems like Weezer and The Smashing Pumpkins, she was raised on a diet of American rock. But it wasn’t until Emmy moved to England and experienced her first Glastonbury at 18 that she decided to make music of her own. “I was like, this is amazing! I have got to play this festival!” she exclaims. She finally got her wish this year, when she pitched up at the Acoustic Stage. Did it live up to the dream? “Urgh, it was disgusting! It was so muddy! I keep getting these nightmare flashbacks…” she jokes before adding, “It was still so amazing to play.”

Although Emmy is on a festival roll this summer - with Latitude under her belt and Bestival fast approaching – her most favourable adventures have been on dry land touring with prolific acts from Bright Eyes to Martha Wainwright. Although these have been notable shows, she gained quality friendships from performances with Tilly And The Wall and Semifinalists. Emmy may have started out completely solo, but she has more recently followed the example of Jamie T and got a band together that she feels kinda lost without now.