At just 19 years old, Emily Jackson is full of soul. Her upbringing in Montclair, NJ, a community known for its diversity, reflects Emily's musical tastes. ""As a kid growing up I listened to Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Aaliyah and of course Britney. And I love Rap. My favorites are 50 Cent, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. But it's the beats that draw me in.""
It was this approach, combining street beats and hip-hop influenced tracks with mainstream melodies that best reflect Emily's sound. Emily brings her own eclectic blend of urban-pop to the game and is about to take the court. She often draws comparisons vocally to Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera. ""I love both Mariah and Christina. They have been the blueprint to create my own sound and direction. I also would re-create Aaliyah's vocal stylings only to find my own sound was a lot like hers. I was growing up while Britney Spears was making a name for herself. She was my biggest inspiration to follow through with my dream as a true performer.""
Emily grew up around music, a stark contrast to the rest of her family where academics are the priority. Emily would always sing around the house with the stereo blasting in her bedroom. ""I was constantly yelled at to turn the music down, but then I would be singing just as loud as the music. My family eventually gave up on telling me to turn it down."" Her mom has no idea where Emily's love of music and vocal ability came from. Wherever it's from, it's raw, emotional and innate.
Onstage is where Emily comes alive and people take notice. Emily's performance in her senior high school play ""Ragtime,"" in which she played the role of sultry/tawdry Evelyn Nesbit, was jaw dropping. She makes her first appearance from a swing elevated 30 feet above the stage wearing fishnet stockings, a red dress with a long slit to her thigh and black camisole. From that moment on, all eyes are on her. She opens her mouth, recites her lines, and then breaks into song in full diva character. She commands the stage. It's that ""IT"" factor Emily brings to her music and permeates who she is.
""I Don't Wanna Fall In Love,"" the second single and first music video shot for her album, Emily decided to portray a 1940's torch singer tormented over love gone awry. The treatment places Emily in a nightclub engaged in a classic performance of the song. She combines her theatrical prowess with modern day sensibility. Urban Melodic decided to leak the single first on iTunes because the label wanted to establish Emily as a true singer and that be the first impression people get about Emily. The song itself is a real life situation, a recent dilemma about a guy she's desperately in love with, yet his head is stuck in the sky and isn't paying any attention to the signs she's in love with him. Emily finally comes to her senses and realizes that she has to let it go. But in conclusion questions how love makes you act and think irrationally. ""Love leaves you with all these feelings and emotions that you just don't know what to do with them. But I'll never give up"".
Wearing her heart on her sleeve more than she should is Emily's M.O. Her songs reflect her experiences with dating and trying to maintain her sense of self in the process. In her writing she brings a realness and vulnerability rarely seen. The listener can take a journey and visualize what Emily's experiencing. This is why Emily decided to name her album ""A Year in the Life of Heartbreak."" The collection of songs reads like a personal journal and Emily has invited you in to read it. The topics range from the rush of meeting a potential love on ""Heartbeat"" to ""Yeah (anticip8ing 2nite) "" an up-tempo party anthem driven with a strong rock-guitar motif.
""Yeah"" is the first single and music video to be released for the album. The song is about finding the ultimate house party with Emily in the thick of it with her girls running the show. The song also features a rap by ATL's South Boy who's currently blazing on the mix tape circuit. Veteran music video producer Jack Marmer who's been producing music videos for Music Video Director Chris Robinson's Robot Films, makes his directorial debut. The music video was filmed in Atlanta August 2006. The treatment has Emily and a bunch of high school students taking over the high school and turning each classroom into a club. The music video will debut in December 2006.
Other songs on the 11 song album include ""It's Over,"" a haunting Spanish guitar sample driven by a Flamenco hip-hop beat and ""Reckless,"" a gritty guitar line fused with hip-hop in which Emily establishes her independence.
After graduating from Montclair High in 2004, Emily had the tough decision of grinding in New York to pursue her recording career or going to a college. She chose the later and was accepted at prestigious Cal Arts outside of L.A. The experience has paid off. Now a second year theatrical major, Emily has developed into a true triple threat performer. She has had several auditions and landed a role in pilot ""Beautiful"" being developed for T.V. Upon the producers hearing her voice she was asked to perform the theme song. During her first year at Cal Arts Emily traveled back and forth to New York to do a showcase for Columbia Records former President Steve Greenberg and shoot the music video for ""I Don't Wanna Fall in Love"" and ""Yeah"". In March 2006 Urban Melodic Productions President Charlie Jones (audio mixer for The Chris Rock Show, BET's 106 & Park, Showtime at the Apollo and Daytime Series ""Guiding Light"", decided to stop taking A&R meetings and release the first singles. As he was doing the rounds at the major labels everyone kept telling him that Emily was as competitive if not better than most artists signed at a major label. That lead him to form Urban Melodic Records. The singles are now available on iTunes. The goal of the label is to create industry and consumer awareness about Emily and position the company to enter into a joint venture situation with a major media company.
Currents plans are to begin the PR, marketing and promotion campaign for the music video December 2006. The video will be serviced to MTV, VH1, BET and Fuse and to broadband Internet outlets. The targeted street date for the album is January 30, 2007. Keep your ears open and your eyes peeled for the next platinum star in the music game, Emily Jackson.
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