Music in the Kingdom Emma Langford
By Lisa Curran
Emma Langford has been on many irish musicians radar for a while now and her star is most certainly always on the rise. Emma has one of the most captivating voices in the country and it’s hard not to fall in love with it as well as her style, honesty, wit and undeniable talent. It is always a privilege to pick her brain!
You’ve performed in the kingdom numerous times but you have an amazing intimate gig coming up soon following your songwriting workshop in Valentia over the May bank holiday weekend, tell us where we can catch you?
Yes! On the 12th of May Ill be doing a show in Mike The Pies, which will be a full-band affair. We also have aspiring superstar Siún Daly opening for us on the night – she’s supported us before and just blew me away so I can’t wait to hear her again.
For those who may not know you yet, give a description of your unique sound and what to expect at your shows
My lyrics draw from the wellspring of theatre, musical theatre, and poetry – they’re deeply visual and have a strong story-telling element to them. My sound is compared to everything from Fairport Convention to Laura Marling and Janis Ian. I’ve been nominated at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards for best folk singer two years running, so I gueds that’s a good sign? From song to song I drift between folk and trad sounds to rockabilly to 1950s sunshine pop. It’s hard to tell folks what to expect, other than a night full of surprises, insightful lyricism, bad jokes, and stories that will whisk us all away to another time and place.
What set you on your music journey? Any particular influences?
Early on? Musical theatre and my parents’ eclectic CD collection including Abba Gold, the best of Garth Brooks, and Les Miserables. In my teens? A desire to have my stories heard, a sense that I had something to say, and a love for connecting with people on a deeper-than-surface level.
How was lockdown for you? Did you find it helped your creativity?
It stifled me horribly – I felt overwhelmed and anxious and trapped most of the time which is not a good environment for creativity. There were some moments though where I got to connect and collaborate with new people which was really special. I don’t think those things would have happened in normal times.
Where can people follow you and tune in for updates on all your shows and projects
Head to emmalangfordmusic.com/tour for a clear list of all my upcoming shows, and head to facebook.com/emmalangfordmusic to keep track of all my various projects and adventures!
Photos courtesy of Shane J Horan
