The start of February saw the release of Little Too Much, the debut single from ACM alumna, Emma Lauran.
Emma’s single has already racked up more than 3000 streams on Spotify in its first two weeks of release, in addition to reaching #25 in the iTunes (electronic/pop) chart in a matter of days, creating a buzz on the new music blog scene, and finding itself on the radar of Spotify music editors (the people behind the awesome Spotify playlists we all so ashamedly love).
We checked in with Emma whilst she was on the hunt for a freshly blitzed smoothie from the local juice vendor on the unforgiving streets of London, and shared what is perhaps one of life’s most devastating moments; closing time at the juice store. There were no more smoothies.
You’ll be relieved to hear that Emma pulled through and we found the time to chat about her music, her time at ACM and what 2017 has in store.
Sorry to hear about the smoothie, Emma! You studied at ACM, right?
I did, I was on the IQ Metropolis Accelerator and graduated in March 2016.
Nice, what were you up to before you went to ACM?
I went travelling, and after that I went to a performing arts school for a little bit (Italia Conti). I enjoyed it; it was just that I didn’t know what I was going to get out of it at the end, but I knew that musical theatre isn’t what I wanted to go into. It was a difficult decision to make, but it was a lot to commit to for not knowing.
So what was the appetite for ACM then?
I knew that I wanted to be a recording artist in my own right and ACM seemed like the right place for that, I could network, I could meet the right people…
… and where did you go travelling?
I went to California up to San Francisco and LA. All the West Coast Basically.
Love it! Did you gig out there at all?
Well, that was my plan but I had a budget; I had saved so much money but it was an extra £250 to fly my guitar out there. I was only there for four weeks – I had never really left the UK so kept it small for the first time. I loved the independence and I want to go again. I want to go to Sydney, or back to New York… maybe not with Trump though.
So, this single. It was started during your time at ACM and has been in the works for a year, right?
I’m working with my friend Pete, who at the time I knew from ACM and was in the ACM studio at Metropolis – a lot – jamming out, making music, coming up with loads of ideas and having a really creative time.
And then.. I planned to do my showcase in March (2016) and hoped that I would get management from that, and that didn’t work out so I have been focused on getting a job in London and just feeling secure. That took over for a bit, but then I have started to play a lot more gigs such as Henley Regatta and Brownstock Festival.
So, do you think that moving to London has helped you define yourself – figure out who you want to be, what you want to do, or opened any doors?
Yeah definitely! Because I’m from Devon, it’s lovely but it’s a little town and there aren’t many opportunities. Here, I guess I love the independence – going through patches that are a bit difficult, you figure things out.
This is the first release under your own name, shifting away from your singer/songwriter persona and you have just reached 3,000 streams on Spotify. Exciting times… talk us through the shift.
I like playing it (acoustic music). It comes naturally, how I write but especially moving to London, working with producers, I could hear the types of sounds of what I can do and how electronic music can compliment my voice and can be really exciting when you do it live. Putting down the guitar and getting really into it, as opposed to all acoustic music.
It’s quite cool, because I have a mixture of both and I can bring them together. I still write with the guitar and piano, but there’s been a real development in my music and it’s great to go with it.
But you have had vocal features on the side, right?
I have featured on a track Elio & Sylvester & D.Polo that has had over 115k hits on YouTube. I was auditioned with a few other singers and got to write some parts to it as well. They liked my voice and were like, yeah let’s do it.
You decided to release Little Too Much as the first single. I think it’s a real statement of where you want to go. What’s left in the cycle of this single?
Well, this single is out but I’m just finishing off the promo and will gig it properly around March April to sell it in and keep it alive for a couple of months, then there’s a couple I’m working on which will be the next single; it’s is a lot more lyrical whereas this single is a lot more atmospheric. That will come in the summer. Right now, I’m just working on getting some gigs booked and getting the live set going with some blogs behind it, working on the business side of things a lot, which is fun and quite rewarding. I have learnt a lot with this release about what to look out for and what to do differently. It’s been a good learning curve.
Give us one thing you have learnt to look out for then…
Definitely get a proper polished package; a press kit, photos, bio etc. I kinda do have that but it’s in drips-and-drabs and a bit all over the place, so just making sure it’s all polished and together.
In terms of timing, I emailed lots of blog but there are so many of them that I’d like to start a bit earlier and give myself plenty of time to build relationships with them before the release date so that I don’t feel like I’m rushing.
Connect with Emma Lauran on: Twitter // Facebook // Spotify
If you’d like to be a student at ACM and start to build your career in the music industry like Emma, please call our Admissions Team on 01483 500 841 or visit www.acm.ac.uk/open-days/ to book a place on an ACM Open Day today.
