EMMI Shares New Single 'Drum'

Emmi’s early singles earned her early fans in the likes of Taylor Swift, Elton John, and BBC Radio 1’s Greg James.

By: Apr. 28, 2021
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

EMMI Shares New Single 'Drum'

"All the world's a stage," mused William Shakespeare in times past. "And all the men and women merely players." It's a particularly pertinent quote for UK-born, Australia-raised, New York-based singer-songwriter Emmi who, releases her new single "Drum" today. The single is the first offering from Emmi's forthcoming concept project Players - a collection of epic pop songs inspired by the characters of Shakespeare's plays, but repurposed for our times.

"Drum," a cacophonous, percussion-heavy banger opens the show and is based on the three witches of Macbeth. Taking the pop nous of Taylor Swift, channeling Kate Bush and then bolting it onto sinister, Arca-esque beats, the song perfectly reads the room of these times, reminding us all "no one's getting out of here alive, so bang a drum!" But existentialism, Shakespeare and witches aside, there was a more personal meaning behind it. "This song is really a message to myself - 'Step into the spotlight, don't be so shy. I know you love the feeling.' I've wasted years feeling too anxious to be myself in my work for fear of opinions of people I don't even know. This single is me shaking that s off and saying...'f it. We may not have tomorrow. So this is me! With orchestras!" Listen/download "Drum" here. Emmi took to the stress of NYC And shot a video for the track . The result is a reimagining of what the witches of Macbeth would be like now in 2021 - three girls on a night out in covid New York.

Emmi's early singles earned her early fans in the likes of Taylor Swift, Elton John, and BBC Radio 1's Greg James. Two platinum selling features later she landed a movie role as a singing goblin in JK Rowling's Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Despite the warm welcome, however, Emmi made the unusual decision to vanish, no sooner than she had appeared. "Deep down, I knew I was only scratching the surface of my creativity with those first few songs. I spent so much time at the beginning asking myself "Who do I need to be to fit in to the pop world? What do they want to hear?" that there was barely any of me left in my own work. Eventually I took hold of myself and asked, "What do you need pop to be to fit you? What do you want to say?". That's when I started to think like an artist."

3 years later Emmi returns with a wealth of songs and stories to set free, with 'Drum' proving a key song in the project and a fitting first taste of Emmi's newfound freedom and sound. "It took three weeks and about seventeen rewrites, but that's when I truly heard myself for the first time." In four minutes, Emmi had managed to bottle everything about her character - the performer, the dramatist, the lover, the show-off - into music she could really believe in.


Play Broadway Games

The Broadway Match-UpTest and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia? The Broadway ScramblePlay the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
Tony Awards TriviaHow well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends. Broadway World GameCan you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!

 



Videos