What better way to start the weekend than by taking twenty minutes out of your day and listening to Emily Hackett’s new EP, By The Moon? The five-track release is the sequel to last year’s By The Sun, which is a light, airy and flawless blend of Americana-infused country. By The Moon follows much in the same footsteps, only this time laced with subtler darker undertones. By The Moon showcases Emily’s pretty vocals in a new and different way compared to her previous music, and although the EP is composed of just five songs, there’s a good chance you’ll find a song that’ll steal your heart with its honesty and captivating lyricism.
Emily was nice enough to sit down and answer some questions I had for her surrounding the new release.
Photo by Lindsey Grace Whiddon via Hello PR Group
Your EP has officially been released into the world, ready for the public to devour! How are you feeling?
I’m so ready for this second half to be out because it completes the full piece of art we worked so hard on and that so fully represents who I am, both by the sun and by the moon.
The response to “Easy” (the single off the EP) has been wonderful from what I can see. The music video for the song is out as well, and it’s a really aesthetically pleasing video, with its soft colors and day-dreamy vibe. What was your main inspiration for the video? What was shooting it like?
I love that people love this song as much as I do. It was always one of my favorite productions on the record. The video came out exactly as I had laid it out in my mind too. I came up with the concept when I was looking at the lyrics and all the back-to-back questions that were laid out. It seemed so fitting that someone like a detective would ask a whole slew of questions in a row. I had been watching True Detective too so it all clicked. Preston Leatherman, the director I hired really helped bring it to life.
The entire EP is one of the most beautiful bodies of work I’ve listened to in a very long time, and features a kind of raw honesty that’s hard to find in most genres of music right now. What is it that pushes you to write and create?
That is so kind! I go crazy when I’m not writing. As an independent artist, I juggle a lot and I think that’s what I’ve come to realize. I truly start to lose it when I don’t take time to work out what’s going on in my brain. It’s my therapy. I’m just glad I’m not the only one who thinks some of these things.
What is your favorite song off of the new EP?
“Easy” ended up being my favorite production, but I think that my favorite song is still “Once in a While”. I always play it solo acoustic and it still rips out my own heart.
What about your previous EP (By The Sun)?
“Josie” still takes the cake for one of my favorite messages I’ve ever had to pleasure to be a vessel for. That song fell out of the sky and into my lap. But “Nostalgia” is still probably my favorite to play. I don’t get a better work out on stage than that!
Photo by Lindsey Grace Whiddon via Hello PR Group
What was the name of the first song that you ever wrote?
“Dreams Come True.” I was in 6th grade. There was definitely a lyric in there I plagiarized. Stole it off one of those inspirational posters that you see in schools — “Triumph is try with a little ‘umph’ added to it.” Gets me every time. Unfortunately a recording of that exists somewhere…
Do you think it’s important to be in touch with your emotions? I think a lot of Affinity’s audience, being either in high school or college, struggle because they bottle things up.
I’m notorious for bottling things up, but luckily I have the outlet of songwriting. If you don’t have a form of expression and you just keep it inside forever, you start to believe emotions and stories in your head that aren’t real. You have to talk it out or work it out creatively to make sense of all human in us.
What do you do to unwind after a long day?
I love to read a good fiction book with a glass of red wine–in the bathtub if it’s been a really long day.
Do you have any songwriting advice for any aspiring songwriters who may be reading this right now?
Write about what’s real. Don’t chase what’s cool. If it feels good and it makes your heart do that little rollercoaster drop, then you are doing something right.
You can find Emily on her official website, Twitter, YouTube, Spotify, FaceBook and Instagram. Stream/download By The Moon now!
Featured image by Lindsey Grace Whiddon courtesy of Hello PR Group
