Emily Brooke – Biography
Beauty, talent and passion… Since coming on the NYC scene at the age of 17, Emily Brooke has shown her passion and shared her talent with her beautiful music. Originally from suburban New Jersey, Emily picked up the guitar at age 14. Before too long, she was playing at her local Internet Café doing covers of Alanis, or Fiona, or Sheryl.
"I was a scared little kid." Emily says of her early years, "I grew up in the suburbs, and I was afraid of New York, intimidated by the city." Overcoming her fear, Emily Brooke made her first appearance at Manhattan’s The Bitter End when she was only 17. Emily got over her fear, found inspiration as well as her true calling. "My dream is to play every day, play the songs that I write, and have the audience understand my words and my music."
Pursuing her dream, Emily Brooke began working with local vocal coaches, including the renowned Don Lawrence. But it wasn’t until she turned to platinum award winning Singer, Songwriter and Teacher Dana Calitri, who showed Emily what the industry is all about. "Dana had been through it all." Emily says, "Dana not only helped me with my singing, but she taught me that everything must come from the heart."Emily has also found a great music partner in award winning Manhatten based producer Andy Marvel who has worked with the likes of Celine Dion, Jessica Simpson, Chaka Kahn and Diana King...just to name a few. Together they have written some of Emily's greatest songs including "Head First" and "All We Are"... "Andy really helped me open my eyes to the art of songwriting as far as letting the audience into every moment of the song and every word sung. He helped me control and point my lyrics in a way that everyone can relate to," says Emily.
Having found her calling, and putting her intense passion into her career, Emily Brooke is poised for great things in the music industry. Being compared to other Female Singer Songwriters as Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple or Sheryl Crow, only makes Emily strive for greater things with her career. "I was working on songs with Sheryl Crow’s drummer, Brian MacCloud," Emily says. "He gave me one of Sheryl’s guitar picks, you know, one she actually used. It is one of my treasured possessions, and one day I plan on using it on stage in front of a big audience."
But what truly makes Emily Brooke stand out is the quality of her songwriting. There is a depth to Emily that goes beyond the stereotypical pop singer persona. Especially in this day and age where people are more interested in what Pop Singers do off stage than on, Emily provides us with inspiration and deeper meaning in her music. In addition to the skillful performance of her catchy hooks, Emily seeks to find understanding with her audience by connecting on common themes we all share.
"A lot of my songs are about relationships, some are about life. Obviously not all relationships work out… there’s pain in saying goodbye. There is also something about getting to know somebody in a deep way, and having them disappoint you. So, some of my songs are more vengeful, some are a warning, like Crash. ‘You gotta stop, gotta slow down, you live in the past, you keep messing around and you’re moving too fast, you’re gonna Crash.’"
"It was a high school relationship," Emily says, speaking to the inspiration for Crash. "Seeing him in the hallways everyday and wanting to say everything to him, but I kept walking by. I was having all these pent-up feelings inside but not being able to let them out. Deeper into the relationship, lets just say drugs and partying was the source of the crash."
"I find my writing to be like therapy to me. Everyone keeps things bottled up inside. So when I’m feeling a certain way about things, I look at the paper and write exactly what I am feeling. Then to sing it, play guitar and write a song around it… it is a beautiful thing."
Emily Brooke’s music is a beautiful thing. Her sweet voice resonates through catchy riffs and hooks that will have you singing along. But it’s her passion that shines through Emily’s songs and makes you want to hear more of her message. As Emily puts it so eloquently… "You have to be aware and awake as you live through your day. This is the life that we’re given, don’t waste it, grab a hold of it and steer it where you truly want to go."
Read My Article in the May 2008
issue of Indie Sounds NY Magazine!
