EMMA SMITH - A Star Is Here
Interview by Sammy Stein
Emma Smith is a singer with a voice that is a breath of fresh air to the jazz world. She also has an amazing character, which comes through in the music. Her personality, resilience, and standing up to challenges show perhaps why the star of Emma Smith is on the ascendant. In the firm belief that we will see and hear a lot more of Emma, I interviewed her on her journey so far. In the interview, there is exclusive news about Emma’s new big band project, a hilarious incident just before a live TV performance involving Michael Buble, learning from Goldie and Gary Barlow, harrowing discrimination and some delightful insights into what makes Emma Smith tick.
SS – Sammy Stein
ES – Emma Smith
SS – Tell me a little about your musical journey so far.
ES - Growing up on a healthy diet of Dexter Gordon, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nancy Wilson, I was destined to be obsessed with jazz music. My grandfather, Chris Smith Sr, was a trombone player with Sinatra, Streisand, and Oscar Peterson, and my mother is a wizard on the alto sax. I dedicated my life to that 2 and 4 buzz and put my head down, studying the greats, eventually gaining scholarships to attend institutions such as the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, The Purcell School of Music, and The Royal Academy of Music. After touring the world with incredible acts such as The Puppini Sisters (a close harmony group comprising Emma Smith, Marcella Puppina, and Kate Mullins), Seal, Goldie, Michael Buble, and Gary Barlow, I’ve finally built up the courage (and finances) to release my own album. ‘Meshuga Baby,’ my 10-years-in-the-making record. It encapsulates who I am, what I love, and the stories I’d like to share with you. Pride in our work is something we British musicians are taught to feel ashamed of, but I can’t contain my delight with how ‘Meshuga Baby’ has turned out. May it spark joy in you too.
SS – Why jazz? Who inspired you, and what about jazz music draws you in?
ES - Jazz music heals me, frees me, makes me laugh out loud, and moves me to tears. Because its core is improvisation, it is a window into the musician’s soul and the space that lets me share my true self with the world.
SS- You have worked with many notable musicians and performers. Was there anyone in particular who really helped you? How has that helped with feeling comfortable on stage?
ES- Yeah, for sure, performing with Michael Buble taught me that it’s possible to make an arena feel like a living room. Gary Barlow showed me how to go on stage night after night, with a heart full of wonder and excitement at what possibilities lie ahead for the show. He was so generous with his audiences. Goldie showed me the endless well of energy that dwells within me and that music activates it. That’s the best education I could ever have asked for! These legends have schooled me with their doing, not their telling.
SS - Can you share any memories of working with a star?
ES - It was my first time singing live on prime-time TV, on the Graham Norton show with The Puppini Sisters and Michael Buble. Having been in hair and make-up for hours, Michael (minutes before we went on stage) decided it was a perfect opportunity to pull on my hair to see if it was real. It wasn’t real; it was a wig (a very posh one at that), leaving me in the wings with a sort-of condom-like wig-cap on and a new red beard. Cheers, Micky.
SS - What, would you say, is your unique approach to jazz music?
ES - I don’t know if it’s unique, but I would say that my approach to jazz is imagination-led. I find myself in the same space as when I was a child, turning my bedroom into a theme park or the school playground into a stage. In music, especially swing, and especially that sweet spot of 100bpm, (nerd alert), I can be fully present in the room while also being freely creative. I witness the lyrics of thesong I’m singing come to life, and I see it all. I think adults abandoning their imagination is one of the saddest things; I refuse to let go of mine.
SS - How did you find things during the pandemic - did you collaborate virtually with anyone, or did you learn anything new? Did you manage?
ES - The government ran this campaign which was a picture of a prima ballerina and a singer etc. Then the text read,’ Joanne doesn’t know her next career is in cyber security’ or ‘Elijah doesn’t know his next job is in plastering.’ It was the lamest thing I’d ever seen, and it hurt our community of artists so much. The pandemic was one thing; being left behind financially was another, but this insult, this blow to the soul, was so painful. For a minute, it felt like what we’d dedicated our lives to was obsolete or, even worse, discouraged. I started studying to be a mortgage broker. There’s nothing wrong with being a mortgage broker, but it’s not my calling, it’s not how I can be of most service to the world, and it’s not what I’ve been doing professionally for the last 15 years. That’s when Jamie Safir and I created our rework of ’There’s No Business Like Show Business,’ straight from our broken hearts to the listener, a plea of honesty, I guess. ‘you’re broken-hearted, but you go on.’
SS - You certainly have a unique style when you sing - warmth in the voice, sassiness, and humour. Is this how you are as a person?
ES - I hope so! Humour is everything. Jazz is ridiculous at times; music can be hilarious, especially with the kinds of songs I’ve put on ‘Meshuga baby.’ For example, ‘I Don’t Care’ (written by a woman in 1910; outrageous!), ‘Think Pink’ (“Try pink shampoo, pink toothpaste too”), and originals of mine like, ‘Sit on My knee and Tell Me That You Love Me.’ I really don’t take myself too seriously. What the music does is serious. Ten years have passed since my last (and first) album came out, and I genuinely feel that ‘Meshuga Baby’ encapsulates my growth as a human and an artist over this last decade. It sounds corny, but it’s true. Every track comes straight from my core. It’s joyful, heart-breaking, ridiculous, camp, Jewish, bold, silly and truthful. I want to move you, and I want you to remember me for that.
SS -Emma Smith 10 years from now. Where do you see yourself, or what would you like to have achieved?
ES - I’d like to have released many albums, including my dream large ensemble record (to critical acclaim and multiple awards, obviously). I’d love to sing a Bond song, although they only come out twice a decade, so maybe we’ll put that on the 40-year list! I want to play at jazz festivals worldwide. I’d love to work with the Quincy Jones Orchestra again. I want to sing a duet with Gregory Porter! I’d love to have played at the Village Vanguard with my trio. I want to sign to Mac Avenue. I’d like to bring Ella back to life and study with her (too much or too far?)! I could continue; there’s no limit!
SS- As a female musician, have you found jazz to be gender discriminatory, or people in it to be so?
ES- Yes. I don’t know where to start. My whole career (and life) has been formed by the discrimination I have experienced as a woman, let alone as a Jewish woman. My mother is a brilliant lead alto player, and when she was coming up in the industry, she would leave the ‘e’ off her name ‘Simone,’ so it read ‘Simon,’ and then fly through tape auditions. When band leaders saw a woman turn up, they either sent her home (‘We’d rather have a cardboard cut-out on stage than a woman’) or asked her to wear something horribly skimpy to sit at the front and play saxophone in. I spent the first ten years of my career obsessively studying and learning jazz improvisational language to keep up with the lads in the band/ college/ social group (always only lads). I wanted to forget lyrics altogether as the stigma of being ‘a girl turn’ was so degrading, and I wanted so desperately to be one of them (a lad that played bebop).
I was sexually harassed by a staff member at my college, where I was the only girl out of about 40 students on the course; an older male student put photos of me around the college with a no entry sign above my head to intimidate me. An ex-manager told me (in a group email) that I was too fat to be on stage at the O2 (would they say that to a man?), and a WhatsApp group for a band where I was the only girl had pictures of me flying around with superimposed penises for microphones, wealthy bookers literally groped me and many more scenarios like this. I have grown up in this world. In my experience, it’s not getting better at the core (the tokenistic bookings are a good show, but the core is rotten). I recently had one of my heroes, an American bass player whose music I’d adored for years, DM me on Instagram just to ask if my boobs were real. What a joke.
Emma Smith is a singer with a voice that is a breath of fresh air to the jazz world. She also has an amazing character, which comes through in the music. Her personality, resilience, and standing up to challenges show perhaps why the star of Emma Smith is on the ascendant. In the firm belief that we will see and hear a lot more of Emma, I interviewed her on her journey so far. In the interview, there is exclusive news about Emma’s new big band project, a hilarious incident just before a live TV performance involving Michael Buble, learning from Goldie and Gary Barlow, harrowing discrimination and some delightful insights into what makes Emma Smith tick.
SS – Sammy Stein
ES – Emma Smith
SS – Tell me a little about your musical journey so far.
ES - Growing up on a healthy diet of Dexter Gordon, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nancy Wilson, I was destined to be obsessed with jazz music. My grandfather, Chris Smith Sr, was a trombone player with Sinatra, Streisand, and Oscar Peterson, and my mother is a wizard on the alto sax. I dedicated my life to that 2 and 4 buzz and put my head down, studying the greats, eventually gaining scholarships to attend institutions such as the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, The Purcell School of Music, and The Royal Academy of Music. After touring the world with incredible acts such as The Puppini Sisters (a close harmony group comprising Emma Smith, Marcella Puppina, and Kate Mullins), Seal, Goldie, Michael Buble, and Gary Barlow, I’ve finally built up the courage (and finances) to release my own album. ‘Meshuga Baby,’ my 10-years-in-the-making record. It encapsulates who I am, what I love, and the stories I’d like to share with you. Pride in our work is something we British musicians are taught to feel ashamed of, but I can’t contain my delight with how ‘Meshuga Baby’ has turned out. May it spark joy in you too.
SS – Why jazz? Who inspired you, and what about jazz music draws you in?
ES - Jazz music heals me, frees me, makes me laugh out loud, and moves me to tears. Because its core is improvisation, it is a window into the musician’s soul and the space that lets me share my true self with the world.
SS- You have worked with many notable musicians and performers. Was there anyone in particular who really helped you? How has that helped with feeling comfortable on stage?
ES- Yeah, for sure, performing with Michael Buble taught me that it’s possible to make an arena feel like a living room. Gary Barlow showed me how to go on stage night after night, with a heart full of wonder and excitement at what possibilities lie ahead for the show. He was so generous with his audiences. Goldie showed me the endless well of energy that dwells within me and that music activates it. That’s the best education I could ever have asked for! These legends have schooled me with their doing, not their telling.
SS - Can you share any memories of working with a star?
ES - It was my first time singing live on prime-time TV, on the Graham Norton show with The Puppini Sisters and Michael Buble. Having been in hair and make-up for hours, Michael (minutes before we went on stage) decided it was a perfect opportunity to pull on my hair to see if it was real. It wasn’t real; it was a wig (a very posh one at that), leaving me in the wings with a sort-of condom-like wig-cap on and a new red beard. Cheers, Micky.
SS - What, would you say, is your unique approach to jazz music?
ES - I don’t know if it’s unique, but I would say that my approach to jazz is imagination-led. I find myself in the same space as when I was a child, turning my bedroom into a theme park or the school playground into a stage. In music, especially swing, and especially that sweet spot of 100bpm, (nerd alert), I can be fully present in the room while also being freely creative. I witness the lyrics of thesong I’m singing come to life, and I see it all. I think adults abandoning their imagination is one of the saddest things; I refuse to let go of mine.
SS - How did you find things during the pandemic - did you collaborate virtually with anyone, or did you learn anything new? Did you manage?
ES - The government ran this campaign which was a picture of a prima ballerina and a singer etc. Then the text read,’ Joanne doesn’t know her next career is in cyber security’ or ‘Elijah doesn’t know his next job is in plastering.’ It was the lamest thing I’d ever seen, and it hurt our community of artists so much. The pandemic was one thing; being left behind financially was another, but this insult, this blow to the soul, was so painful. For a minute, it felt like what we’d dedicated our lives to was obsolete or, even worse, discouraged. I started studying to be a mortgage broker. There’s nothing wrong with being a mortgage broker, but it’s not my calling, it’s not how I can be of most service to the world, and it’s not what I’ve been doing professionally for the last 15 years. That’s when Jamie Safir and I created our rework of ’There’s No Business Like Show Business,’ straight from our broken hearts to the listener, a plea of honesty, I guess. ‘you’re broken-hearted, but you go on.’
SS - You certainly have a unique style when you sing - warmth in the voice, sassiness, and humour. Is this how you are as a person?
ES - I hope so! Humour is everything. Jazz is ridiculous at times; music can be hilarious, especially with the kinds of songs I’ve put on ‘Meshuga baby.’ For example, ‘I Don’t Care’ (written by a woman in 1910; outrageous!), ‘Think Pink’ (“Try pink shampoo, pink toothpaste too”), and originals of mine like, ‘Sit on My knee and Tell Me That You Love Me.’ I really don’t take myself too seriously. What the music does is serious. Ten years have passed since my last (and first) album came out, and I genuinely feel that ‘Meshuga Baby’ encapsulates my growth as a human and an artist over this last decade. It sounds corny, but it’s true. Every track comes straight from my core. It’s joyful, heart-breaking, ridiculous, camp, Jewish, bold, silly and truthful. I want to move you, and I want you to remember me for that.
SS -Emma Smith 10 years from now. Where do you see yourself, or what would you like to have achieved?
ES - I’d like to have released many albums, including my dream large ensemble record (to critical acclaim and multiple awards, obviously). I’d love to sing a Bond song, although they only come out twice a decade, so maybe we’ll put that on the 40-year list! I want to play at jazz festivals worldwide. I’d love to work with the Quincy Jones Orchestra again. I want to sing a duet with Gregory Porter! I’d love to have played at the Village Vanguard with my trio. I want to sign to Mac Avenue. I’d like to bring Ella back to life and study with her (too much or too far?)! I could continue; there’s no limit!
SS- As a female musician, have you found jazz to be gender discriminatory, or people in it to be so?
ES- Yes. I don’t know where to start. My whole career (and life) has been formed by the discrimination I have experienced as a woman, let alone as a Jewish woman. My mother is a brilliant lead alto player, and when she was coming up in the industry, she would leave the ‘e’ off her name ‘Simone,’ so it read ‘Simon,’ and then fly through tape auditions. When band leaders saw a woman turn up, they either sent her home (‘We’d rather have a cardboard cut-out on stage than a woman’) or asked her to wear something horribly skimpy to sit at the front and play saxophone in. I spent the first ten years of my career obsessively studying and learning jazz improvisational language to keep up with the lads in the band/ college/ social group (always only lads). I wanted to forget lyrics altogether as the stigma of being ‘a girl turn’ was so degrading, and I wanted so desperately to be one of them (a lad that played bebop).
I was sexually harassed by a staff member at my college, where I was the only girl out of about 40 students on the course; an older male student put photos of me around the college with a no entry sign above my head to intimidate me. An ex-manager told me (in a group email) that I was too fat to be on stage at the O2 (would they say that to a man?), and a WhatsApp group for a band where I was the only girl had pictures of me flying around with superimposed penises for microphones, wealthy bookers literally groped me and many more scenarios like this. I have grown up in this world. In my experience, it’s not getting better at the core (the tokenistic bookings are a good show, but the core is rotten). I recently had one of my heroes, an American bass player whose music I’d adored for years, DM me on Instagram just to ask if my boobs were real. What a joke.
Click on the album cover to read Sammy Stein's review
SS- How do you feel about the future of jazz music?
ES - The faces of the global jazz scene are changing, and I’m here for it! The culturally varied artists now occupying discovery playlists and festival stages excite me. I’m delighted to witness these shifts happening and glad to be a part of it. Representing Jews in the work I do is one of my top goals. There are hardly any Jews out there on the jazz stage, or at least that celebrate/shout about it. I’m the opposite and keen to represent my incredibly resilient Jewish tribe!
SS -What next for Emma Smith?
ES - Next for me is to ride the waves of my newborn album ‘Meshuga Baby’ and enjoy every second of it! Live radio sessions and shows are lined up (Ronnie Scott’s in the fall). It’s so exciting to be a front person for the first time in my career, especially as this album is something I am truly proud of. I’ve just been nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Award, so that’s exciting! And finally, I can announce that my brand-new Big Band project, ‘The Big Swing’ (the world’s first double-fronted female big band alongside Georgina Jackson), will be launching with a London Jazz Festival concert on Nov 18th at Cadogan Hall!
ES - The faces of the global jazz scene are changing, and I’m here for it! The culturally varied artists now occupying discovery playlists and festival stages excite me. I’m delighted to witness these shifts happening and glad to be a part of it. Representing Jews in the work I do is one of my top goals. There are hardly any Jews out there on the jazz stage, or at least that celebrate/shout about it. I’m the opposite and keen to represent my incredibly resilient Jewish tribe!
SS -What next for Emma Smith?
ES - Next for me is to ride the waves of my newborn album ‘Meshuga Baby’ and enjoy every second of it! Live radio sessions and shows are lined up (Ronnie Scott’s in the fall). It’s so exciting to be a front person for the first time in my career, especially as this album is something I am truly proud of. I’ve just been nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Award, so that’s exciting! And finally, I can announce that my brand-new Big Band project, ‘The Big Swing’ (the world’s first double-fronted female big band alongside Georgina Jackson), will be launching with a London Jazz Festival concert on Nov 18th at Cadogan Hall!
You can follow Emma, join her mailing list, or follow her socials @emmasmith_music.
If I were you, I would get in touch with Emma while you can - she is going places.
More information at emmasmithmusic.co.uk
If I were you, I would get in touch with Emma while you can - she is going places.
More information at emmasmithmusic.co.uk
