EFFEMMERAL INATTENTIVE
Biography
Emily Whitelaw is a queer trans woman, who is a Canadian - American singer and composer living on Salt Spring Island.
She uses her music to give voice to those experiences and emotions that often go unshared and unheard by people like her. However, in dealing with themes of love, pain and self discovery, she also hopes that anyone who chooses to listen can find something in her music that speaks to them.
Emily has a background in musical theatre and contemporary art music, as well as classical and early music singing. She was born in Calgary, but growing up with a military musician as a parent, she has had the privilege of seeing a bit of the world, living in Germany, Virginia, and West Texas before coming to Salt Spring. She is an enthusiastic tea drinker and keeps a portly orange cat named Toby.
Vision
The aim of much of her work is to use the idiomatic poetry and structure of folk music to write songs that speak for herself, and hopefully resonate with others.
She is deeply influenced by the poetry and music of songwriters like Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell, who she admires for their unflinchingly honest and incisive lyricism. In that tradition, she's using her music to tell stories she believes are important in today's ever changing society.
