When Paris Calls is the second single of 2021 from Leicester’s Emma Mae and was released on July 30th. It follows her success with Boys In Bands, a punky, poppy, and rebellious track that found itself in the Top 40 of the iTunes Pop Charts, as well as on BBC Introducing in the East Midlands and in various publications.
When Paris Calls is a summer pop-anthem in the making and explores the reaction of someone discovering they’ve been cheated on with a woman called Paris. “It’s irrational and over the top,” says Emma “but as is the usual response to finding out you’ve had your trust betrayed. Yes, it’s not always logical to blame the other woman, but we’re only human, and this song is supposed to capture the desperate mix of emotions any normal person would feel in that situation”. This track promises to be a hit with fans of Dua Lipa, Anne-Marie, and the likewise, with its Latin-inspired beats and smooth synth textures allowing it to fit seamlessly into any commercial playlist as Emma admits “this is the poppiest piece of pop I’ve ever released.”
Even before its release, When Paris Calls has made an impact on Emma Mae’s audience. Its murder mystery-style teaser campaign was met with a great response, as eager fans scrambled to decipher Emma’s clues and answer the question: who’s calling? Of the three suspects given, named Destiny, Summer, and Paris, the latter was the culprit, and fans who’d guessed correctly received a small but apt prize: a badge that reads ‘Emma Mae thinks I’m awesome.’
Despite growing in reputation and audience, Emma remains strongly independent, writing, recording, and self-releasing all whilst battling hearing loss. She works alongside producer and engineer Oliver Fecci-Chiffi and has done since her debut. The pair are currently working on Emma’s first album, from which Boys In Bands and When Paris Calls have been taken.
Emma recently graduated from the University of South Wales with a First Class degree in Music and will be moving to London in the following months to pursue a career in music, towards which When Paris Calls is sure to contribute, and it’s possible we’ll be hearing much more from the 21-year-old in the near future.
We decided to conduct a short interview with Emma to find out her past, present, and future all in one go…
What inspired you to get into music?
I never really made a conscious decision to ‘go into music, I always just knew that’s what I was going to do. I’ve studied it all my life – I even have a degree in it from the University of South Wales, and I’m doing a Master’s in it in September at BIMM London. I think the key moment was one random open mic night in the middle of Wales when I was fourteen, we showed up with the most ugly travel guitar you have ever seen (seriously, it had ships and palm trees painted on it, which sounds like it should be nice but really just wasn’t), and I was being judged by so many people – I was this little shy English girl with a toy guitar – but then I started singing (the classic Ed Sheeran cover, of course) and to this day I don’t think I’ve had a better response from an audience.
How would you describe your music?
I call it ‘bitter pop’ (or something a little more crude that you probably can’t publish) because I use my songs as an outlet for any negative emotions I may be harboring. And, after the year we’ve all had, which is really when I started getting serious about releasing music, you can’t blame me for being a little bitter.
What is your recording and songwriting style?
All my songs are written and recorded in my home studio – which also happens to be my bedroom. I will start with a guitar part usually, then build melody and lyrics into it – and then record everything and build it up before I send it off to my producer – Ollie Fecci-Chiffi – and he makes it beautiful by adding his magic and mixing/mastering it. I’ve been struggling with a spot of hearing loss for the last few years so Ollie has been a godsend.
Where do you see your music career in 5 years time?
I recently found one of my releases in the iTunes Charts (I’m hoping When Paris Calls will make it into it too) which is something I didn’t think would happen for years, so I’d say maybe it’d be nice to get myself a publishing deal in 5 years time, but I’m happy to be surprised.
When Paris Calls will be found on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Deezer, and many more. To stay up to date, check out Emma’s Instagram (@emmamaemusic_) where her music, marketing, and general antics are most prevalent.
Where can fans listen?
https://linktr.ee/emmamaemusic
