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What began as a reckoning with artistic identity—intense enough that Emma briefly considered changing her name—transformed into the creation of Winona, a fictional alter ego who gives voice to her darker emotions. Through this character, Emma explores the parts of herself often hidden or “swept under the rug,” using music as both refuge and revelation.
Self-produced and independently released, the EP not only showcases Emma’s evolution as a musician but also marks her reclamation of creative control. I sat down with Emma to talk about the making of Winona’s World, building sound from silence, and why stepping fully into her own name — and voice — might be the most radical act of all.
Winona’s World emerged from a deeply introspective period where you considered creating an entirely new persona. Can you share more about what sparked this urge and how you eventually reconciled with staying true to Emma Bradley?
I made this EP honestly nearly by accident. I was in a very strange place where I felt really creatively uninspired, and nothing I made was feeling good to me. I was also pretty burnt out. I started messing around on my laptop and writing in a really different way from how I’ve previously approached making music, and that somehow triggered such a different sonic. When I had finished the final demos of the project, I felt a bit like… this was a big departure from the music I had out, but also this feels like music I’ve always wanted to make. It felt too different to my other music at first and also felt a bit too vulnerable, so I decided to release it anonymously under another name, ‘Winona’. She’s like my shadow, and I gave her all the darker feelings that I had carried around and had followed me in my life. I sat with it for months and months and got really close to releasing it as a side project. But after playing the music to some people and seeing the reaction, I was like wait, I am really proud of what I made and I want to own that. People were like ‘Emma don’t be stupid, you have to release this yourself’, I’m glad I listened to them.
The EP explores themes described as “shadows of a feeling”—emotions often neglected or suppressed. How did immersing yourself in these emotions impact you personally and creatively?
I think giving myself the space to be entirely honest with myself was very freeing and healing. I think I was too scared to go there in my music previously. But music has always been how I process things, and making music alone like this really allowed me to do it fearlessly without thinking ‘ah, is my co-writer gonna think this or that about me’. I tackled some topics on this project that I definitely wouldn’t have felt comfortable really delving into in a writing session, to be honest. The whole process has made me feel a lot more confident in myself and how I want to express things / how my own ideas for production and writing are just as good as anyone else’s ideas. ‘That Door’ is improvised, actually, I’m pretty sure the final vocal on there is literally the first thing that came out of my mouth when I hit record. So yeah, the whole thing was definitely intimate haha.
In creating the alternate world inhabited by Winona, did you find yourself drawing from fictional inspirations or real-life experiences more heavily?
I have been hugely inspired by Tim Burton films for my entire life. Alongside that, I’ve always been drawn to magical, eerie films like Coraline, E.T. and Donnie Darko etc. Those films are kind of my creative blueprint. I learnt piano by listening to film scores until I could play them. So I definitely was drawing from those worlds when I was making this project. It’s all super abstract but the actual meaning behind the songs is very rooted in and inspired by my real-life experiences. So I guess it’s a mixture of both.
You mention artists like James Blake, Imogen Heap, Bon Iver, and Danny Elfman as influences. How did these influences guide the evolution of your sonic style on this EP?
I am such a massive fan of all of those artists and I think I had just listened to their work on repeat especially during the time I made this EP so it felt like accessing that influence came quite subconsciously. Danny Elfman is a big one, especially on Bad Apple. I wanted that song to feel like a film score. His work makes me feel everything. Also, the plug-in I used on my vocals throughout the project was very Imogen Heap / James Blake / Bon Iver inspired. I never really want autotune on my vocals when I make more singer songwritery music but for this, it felt like it was just part of it and it kind of sets the scene sonically. I think all of those artists are just really unafraid to do something different and it made me not overthink my choices when I was writing. Like not once did I think ‘Is this too weird?’, I just sort of rolled with it and it was a lot of fun.
Departing from your label and management to produce independently sounds both liberating and daunting. What were the biggest creative challenges you faced, and how did overcoming them shape your music?
Honestly, creatively I didn’t really feel any challenges. I sort of just did my own thing and didn’t overthink it in the way I have done previously. I was lucky to have really supportive people around me who helped me bring everything to life and uplift what I was doing. There were some wobbly uncertain moments but more than anything it just felt like a new era!
The project addresses themes of queerness and identity—topics increasingly visible in music today. How do you approach representing this within your music?
I feel like I haven’t blatantly talked about it in my other music that much, but this project in particular is definitely very much about queerness, self-discovery and the feelings of isolation that come with that. I always want to approach it from the most honest place possible, even if that means writing in a way that isn’t that obviously about queerness. I also think a lot about how the stories I tell in my music are just inherently queer in many ways because I am queer and my experience of the world is from that perspective if that makes sense? I don’t know… still figuring it out! I just want to approach it with honesty and vulnerability is the goal.
There’s a particularly intriguing reference to childhood innocence in the EP. Could you elaborate on why the loss of innocence became a pivotal theme for you?
As I’ve gotten older, as many of us might have experienced, I really feel like I’ve lost a bit of magic. I am more afraid, I am more tired and I know about all the things that can go wrong or hurt me so sometimes I am hesitant to really dive into things in order to protect myself. I also have felt like I’ve lost a bit of myself through being in music the last few years, so the first track queen in your pocket is super important to me. I made that song when I was 15/16 and the vocals are the same from when I made it at that age. I sound so young and I know that that version of myself didn’t doubt herself as much, especially creatively. So that felt really full circle to include.
I was intrigued to learn that you have dedicated a particular piano ballad to our canine friends. Could you share more about your relationship with dogs and what inspired you to include this heartfelt tribute?
Last year I released a piano piece called ‘emma’s theme’, so ‘wonderdog’s theme’ (which is written for my dogs) felt like a really sweet thing to include. My dogs have been with me and there for me through such hard times and they bring me so much joy and comfort, so when I wrote the piano piece I just kept imagining them running through a field or something towards me and that’s the whole feeling of the song. So I dedicated it to them. They just bring so much relief and comfort. I love them. They are my little angel babies!!!
You described this EP as “quintessentially me.” Reflecting on your artistic journey, what makes Winona’s World your most authentic work to date?
In a literal sense, I guess it’s because I wrote and produced it myself, so I made every choice myself etc. But alongside that, it does feel like a really concentrated version of the sound that I’ve always wanted to achieve. I didn’t overthink anything and it came from such an honest and genuine place, so I guess that too.
Looking ahead, how do you see this period of independence influencing your future projects and your relationship with the music industry?
I feel really good about it. It’s been super fun so far and I have a lot of things I’m planning/thinking about. I feel more confident and I feel really proud of what I’ve achieved so far. Lots more music to come!
If you could leave listeners with one lasting impression or emotional takeaway after experiencing Winona’s World, what would you hope it to be?
I just really hope that it helps someone out there feel a little bit seen or less alone. I would love for it to reach someone and for it to move them because they relate or feel understood in some way.
