Even in the way the pair introduced themselves their synergy is felt. They seamlessly alternate in their introduction, with Esme starting: “We’re Esme Emerson, siblings from–” “–Suffolk. We’re in a band together. We make broadly indie pop music but we draw inspiration from folk and–” “–hyperpop; all the good stuff. We love country… yeehaw.”
Before they became the artist duo Esme Emerson, they were two kids making music during term-break music camps. Esme describes these camps: “for the week you write these songs together and then on Thursday they’d let you take the song in their studio to record it, put it on SoundCloud, and then on the Friday perform it to the parents.” And while she acknowledges that her songs were often about “ice cream and zombies,” this experience was not only their first foray into music making, but it also showed them that “‘oh, you don’t have to be an adult to do this like I can just write songs.’” Emerson, being four years older than Esme, had a very different experience, but an equally meaningful one: “I didn’t want to be in a band with my sister but we were like writing adjacent to each other. I think we just have been lovers of music since then and then we started writing together in 2020.” While Emerson’s band of older children would headline for the parent performances, Esme was likely his first and biggest fan; she is now what she calls a “successful youngest sibling,” finally able to join her brother’s band.
As a sibling myself, what really struck me was their compatibility with each other. Not only are they able to be close friends, but the way they, as Emerson puts it, seem to “share a brain” contributes to their ability to make music together the way they do. Esme compares the two of them to the fictional siblings Charlie and Lola; when they were younger and the age gap felt more significant, they got along but weren’t the closest. Now, however, she describes themselves as best friends, with the “same tastes” and “same thoughts.” But as far as music goes, their teamwork is nearly supernatural. In an almost telepathic fashion, they can read each other’s minds when it comes to their creative direction. Esme started to realize how in-tune she was with her brother when working with other people: “you explaining something a little bit, or like just knowing what you want, and them being like ‘I don’t understand what you’re saying.’ I was like ‘oh wow, we really share a brain.’” Emerson also attributes their ability to fill in the other’s gaps and to lean on each other’s strengths as a large part of their co-working success. He credits Esme with leading the lyrical writing, which he claims is the “weakest part of [his] musical brain”, while Esme points out that Emerson has “a way with just sounds and textures and music” that she doesn’t.
When discussing their musical inspirations, they immediately jump to shoutout Hovvdy. Along with Hovvdy, Emerson named artists Dreamer Boy, Frost Children, and Roji Sakamoto (Emerson was a Film Composition major in university), while Esme included Dijon and Adrien Lenker. Esme, who is in charge of the more visual aspects of their artistry and paints all of their album art, says that things she watches or reads also inspire her. In general, they appreciate artists whose authenticity shines through in their music, and they try to do the same. Esme Emerson feels the best about their music when they channel their sincerity into their music. Esme says that when she looks back at their music she wants to: “see something really honest of what I was at the time… I don’t want to see something that, like, I made to impress people … I want to see this, like, real art.” And while she derives much of her inspiration from her own life, the duo are able to express their authenticity together because of the joint experiences from their shared childhood. The siblings’ ability to relate to each other’s life experiences plays a large role in the larger motifs of belonging and nostalgia in their music. Adjacent to sincerity, Emerson reveals that “nostalgia is really important, and I think it comes from being siblings, you know, like looking back on our lives together.”
Being a diaspora Chinese person myself, I really admire Esme Emerson’s integration of Chinese aesthetics into their artistry. As seen in the photocards they pass out at shows and across their Spotify page, the siblings are photographed standing in their aunt’s house with floral patterned wallpaper and traditional Chinese decor hanging from the walls, evoking retro Chinese aesthetics. Tying back into the theme of sincerity and nostalgia, they felt that their Asian heritage is essential in understanding them as people and artists. As Emerson puts it: “cultural and biracial identity is so core to who we are and our experiences that it wasn’t even really, like, a considered thing like ‘oh, we have to market ourselves like this’… it just was like ‘this makes the most sense for us.’” Overall, their relationship with their cultural identity is complex. Esme shares that while growing up in the very white Suffolk, school “was not a fun time.” This particularly feeds into why it feels “pretty badass to really own it visually and, like, push it to the forefront… it feels good, just like satisfying, to just be Chinese.”
I conducted this interview a couple weeks before their second EP Big Leap, No Faith, Small Chancer came out. In talking about it, both of them said that this EP meant a lot to them. Emerson says that “each song has its own narrative and what it’s about, but as a whole, this EP, I feel really proud of it… I think it was us really learning to trust ourselves and, like, trust our gut and work together in the best way…it feels like a real [] sign post for us.” Esme echoes these sentiments: “there’s a certain confidence and, like, vulnerability that it takes to be sincere and confident… putting what you enjoy out and not thinking like, ‘oh are they gonna like this’ there’s a certain level of confidence that we had for this to be like ‘this is what we like and we’re just going to make it.’” According to Emerson, the EP “feels like the most sincere thing we have made today and I’m really proud of that.”
And now, almost two months after the EP release, it has proven to be something to be very proud of; it not only highlights their songwriting and lyrical composition skills, but also the authenticity they speak so passionately about is evident in their product. The four track EP—featuring songs “Afraid of Losing,” “Show You (Truck Song),” “Please,” and “Fade Out”—tackle the subjects of uncertainty about the future, fear of failure, anxiety and exhaustion, love, and other concerns that any young adult will have. It is relatable without being trite, and although each song does have a different narrative, when brought together, they form a cohesive story of young adulthood. The lyrical sincerity coupled with the folk and country influences that bring a warm and nostalgic sound ultimately achieves their musical vision for the EP. With that being said, while also looking back at their 2022 EP S for Sugar, D for Dog, it is clear that their music style is evolving. Despite being just four tracks, Big Leap, No Faith, Small Chancer features a variety of genre influences that make for an exciting listen.
Esme Emerson’s upward trajectory in artist growth makes them an artist to keep an eye on in the indie British music scene. They transport traditionally American folk and country sounds, while also creating something uniquely their own, and I’m excited to see what direction their music will take next.
*(This article contains excerpts from a radio show recording from June, 2024 and has been abridged, edited, and paraphrased. The full interview can be found here: https://www.mixcloud.com/ilovekclradio/joyces-jams-44-esme-emerson-special-jun-19-2024/ )
