Looking at Later

Emiko is an award-winner singer/songwriter, Songwriter Hall of Fame recipient, and producer whose has written 3,000 songs including #1 pop songs, full theater, R&B/soul songs, film scores, and J-pop and more.  She has lent her talent to many projects including TV host and producer as well as a clinician for songwriting workshops.

In my interview with Emiko, she talks about her new I Believe You project, her new album, tour news, how hearing Billy Joel changed her life, and much more.

Please tell us about your ‘I Believe You’ project and its mission. 

The I BELIEVE YOU Project was born somewhat unexpectedly out of the making of the music video for my song, “I Believe You.”  When I realized just how commonplace “my situation” was, it was clear as day that I couldn’t just sit back once the music video was released.  So in that sense, the project is really an extension and expansion of the video.  In the most simple terms, the I BELIEVE YOU Project exists in two ways which work in concert with each other: first, as a safe space for survivors of sexual misconduct/assault to have their voices heard, to be supported and BELIEVED, and second, as a bridge to the law enforcement and judicial communities to create positive change in a system, where, let’s just say it like it is, the victims are re-victimized and have to prove themselves, often having to relive the trauma of their respective assaults all over again.  Our aim is to create a culture of trust, urgency, and transparency so that survivors and their families can get the help they need and not be afraid to take the escalated actions to bring perpetrators of this behavior to justice.

The ‘I Believe You’ music video officially launched your project. Tell us about the concept and the making of it.

This is a deeply personal piece for me – I wrote the song with my producer, Tommy Faragher this past summer.  Often times, I’ll go to his studio and he’ll ask what I want to write about – he gives me an open door to catharsis which leads to all sorts of creative adventures.  That day in June, I remember I was feeling quite heavy from my own experience from being assaulted and how rapidly I was finding out I had to function in a very broken and archaic system.  When I really thought about it, my skin crawled – that I was not only disbelieved, but dragged through the mud in the process.  It’s a sickening feeling – like being assaulted all over again, but by those who swear to uphold the pillars of justice this time.  Through my research (and hours of sleepless nights on the internet) I found out this happens on a daily basis – survivors are usually disbelieved unless they show up to the Emergency Room with an axe stuck in their forehead.  It was shocking to me that the accepted definition of abuse in the justice system was that of the lowest common denominator.  Further to that, I found out that survivors of sexual abuse are actually being sued by their attackers for defamation of character, or the courts would put gag orders on them to prevent them from speaking out. So not only were they being disbelieved, they were being further silenced.

From my own experience with dealing with law enforcement and the justice system about this, I knew that questions such as “what were you wearing?”  And “Had you been drinking/had they been drinking?”  As well as “was it late at night?/Had you given them any signs that you were into them?” were somehow accepted as routine.  My question back to the police was “Is any of that actually relevant? Doesn’t no mean no and stop mean stop?” And their response was to tell me that I was being difficult.

Anyway, long story short (or medium!) – I needed to somehow get my experience across and realized that I had really been constricted in my communication and all the sleepless nights I lay awake reading about others in the same boat, I just wanted them to know that I believed them, that they weren’t alone and that the truth would come out somehow. So I took it to music.

Why do you think survivors of sexual abuse, assault, harassment, and misconduct aren’t believed? And how do you think that attitude can be changed?

Those are really good questions.  Why do I think survivors aren’t believed?  I’ve done a lot of soul searching, research, and listening to other survivors and it seems to me most survivors aren’t believed for two reasons:  1. Because it is too inconvenient for those who are listening to either change their viewpoint of the alleged attacker (if they know them) or it’s too inconvenient for the listener to dig a little deeper and accept that this happened.  And 2. Because a lot of the time, sexual violence happens in the most outlandish ways. It’s a power trip and a hate crime so the attacker often has to find very surreptitious ways to get to their victim.  A lot of the time the experiences other survivors have shared with me are SO out of left field, SO unbelievable – and that is EXACTLY what makes them believable.  Our society itself deeply rooted in the belief that sexual violence happens when a perfect stranger jumps out of the bushes in a bad area of town in the dead of night as you are walking down the street, when statistics and years of research have proven that, in fact, most sexual violence often occurs between two people who know each other – often family members, spouses, bosses, trusted members of the community. 

As for how I think this attitude can be changed … that’s one I am somewhat stumped on, to be honest.  Speaking out is definitely one way we can help create positive change but we have to go further than this.  We need to work with law enforcement and the justice system – the social workers, counselors, teachers, parents, etc to educate them.  It’s always the folks who say “oh that kind of stuff doesn’t happen here!’”  And then the next thing you know – guess what?  It happened there. 

I recently attended a panel discussion in which women in Hollywood addressed this very issue and Quinn Cummings told a story how, of when she was a little girl, she and her mother would go over to a well-known film executive’s house to swim and he always had young boys there … she went on to explain how these young boys were always around but never really had roles in any films and how there were shirtless pictures of these kids in this person’s house … and how she and her mother would always feel like something weird was going on when they would drive home. In summation, Quinn made the point that although she and her mother were friendly with this person, ultimately, they had to accept that perhaps something questionable was going on and that their friend was, in fact, behaving inappropriately (to put it lightly).  I am paraphrasing her story, but the crux of it really spoke loudly to me.  We live in a society where people would rather turn to a victim and say “ but (attacker) is a good friend of mine!  They wouldn’t do that.  It’s not in their nature.”  And that’s what has to change.

What has the response been like to the video?

The response to the video has been overwhelming.  I am really stunned at how many people have reached out to me to share their stories.  I have to say, I was really scared to make the video.  A million questions swam through my head and all ended with “people will shun us and will hate us.” And in fact, it’s been just the opposite.  People have come forward, one braver than the other, being encouraged and supported by one another.  It’s a really beautiful “step one” that’s come out of very personal trauma that a lot of people have unfortunately experienced.  I can remember when I used to feel totally alone in my situation.  The video is proof that we are all in this together and we are all supportive of one another. 

What future plans do you have for the project?

I’d love to see the I BELIEVE YOU Project grow as it is.  We have partnered with a number of regional domestic/sexual violence organizations as resources – we are in the process of filming a documentary and will be announcing dates in cities across the country for screenings and roundtable discussions.  We want to not only start a dialogue but also put a plan into action which changes the way sexual violence is handled.  We are offering a program in which we help survivors cope with their trauma and express themselves through music, poetry and creative writing – but also listening.  The voice is an extremely powerful thing.  And coupled with powerful words and powerful intention, the voice can be more effective than people realize.  That’s one of the reasons attackers work so hard to silence their victims.  And that is exactly why the I BELIEVE YOU Project is working so hard to give survivors a platform to be heard.

How can someone get involved with / support your project?

We have a lot of initiatives in the works and we welcome all support and involvement!  The best way is to go to the temporary web page at emikomusic.com/i-believe-you and send us an email.  We make sure to reply to every email we get!

Congratulations on your new EP, ‘Looking At Later’.  Can you explain the concept/story behind it?   

Thank you so much!  “Looking at Later” has been a long time in the making and actually started back in late 2014/early 2015 when I was still living in New York City, traveling to LA to work.  My publisher set me up with a co-writer named Kevin Fisher (he’s written for EVERYONE including Rascal Flatts, Sara Evans, etc) and I was having real trouble getting out of a bad relationship.  Kevin and I co-wrote “California Screamin’” and “Brave All Along” the opening and closing tracks to the EP – each song chronicling what I was going through.   Unfortunately, I had experienced my own sexual trauma which led to production being put on hold for a while but I went back into the studio with my longtime producer and friend Tommy Faragher (who is a multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated producer) and we created “Hold on to Hope” and “I Believe You.”  So far, we had four singles and no plan.  The whole thing came together when I was contacted by a producer on Twitter who had the beginnings of “Invincible.”  Abdulaleem Ameer Ahmad (the producer) sent me his ideas for the song which was originally about a woman wronged, having found out her partner was cheating on her.  As I sat with his ideas to write the song, I had this growing feeling in my gut that the song was coming from the perspective of the partner – the wrongdoer.  That this partner (in this case a male) realized the wrong he had done and had to come to terms with it.  He thought he was invincible, but what he didn’t know … I ran this development by Ameer and he loved it so we ran with it.

My EP was staring me in the face and I didn’t even realize it.  I had five singles, all about a journey of escaping domestic and sexual violence. 

Titling an album or an EP is always the hardest thing for me because I don’t tend to write title tracks, or rather, I don’t like to title my collections after single songs, so I sat with these five songs for a while and realized that although my fight is not over yet, these songs represent for me a documentation of my past and how, by memorializing my experiences, I am moving forward.  So I came up with the idea of “Looking at Later” as a way of saying there is a way forward to a better place.  That’s what “Looking at Later” is. It’s the fear of jumping but doing it anyway because you know there is something so much better on the other side.

What are your tour plans for 2018? 

Tour plans!  Oh my gosh!  We have, what I thought was a small, mid/East Coast tour kicking off in March but dates are being added through the southwest all the way to New Orleans and then up the Mid-Atlantic to New England.  Then we are heading to Asia to Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia for the World Youth Jazz Festival!  And that’s just what we have right now.  Things are always changing and being added so the best way to keep up with us is to join our mailing list at emikomusic.com – where you can also send in concert requests, so if you want us to come to your neck of the woods, all you have to do is email us with a request.  Seriously!  It’s that’s simple!

Explain your production process in the studio. Do you go by instinct, do you experiment? Improvise?

Hmmmm…. My production process in the studio really depends on the project since I do a lot of work for TV and film as well as producing other artists.  For my own works, I tend to like to work with a producer so there is more objectivity. I like to be pushed out of my comfort zone but every producer I’ve worked with will tell you the same thing:  I love to be in the studio watching them work. 

 Knowledge and understanding is everything in music – no different than any other field of work.

I tend to work organically and focus on what serves the song.  I firmly believe that you should always serve the song.  So to me, that’s equal parts instinct, experimentation, improvisation, and partnership. 

When you perform in concert, what do you want to deliver to the audience? What do you want them to feel or experience?

I’ve had a lot of people ask me this question and over time I answer it and then read or watch the interviews once they are published I always feel I answered it wrong.  So this time I’ll say that what I want to give most of all to the audience is freedom.  And what I mean by that is this: everyone comes to my concerts for different reasons. And they relate to my music for different reasons.  Whatever those reasons are, I want them to feel fully free to have the experience they want with my music.  It’s not my place to tell the audience how to feel. I can be a tour guide and a host, but I aim for my shows to be an honest and reciprocal experience. 

You own a commercial studio and produce other artists on your time off. What do you see as the advantages of being both a producer and a musician? Are there any disadvantages or drawbacks? 

More good questions!  Yes, I do have my own studio and I do produce artists – although I don’t know that I would call it “time off” haha!  I don’t think there are any true disadvantages to being both a producer and a musician in the artistic sense.  It breeds a great deal of empathy and understanding which leads to more heartfelt and effective productions. I don’t know that this is a drawback per se, but I often joke about having too much work and needing to take time off to find the 25th hour of the day!   But this is actually very much a blessing.  I know there are not a lot of people in the industry who get to make their living with music – much less an indie woman who does it this way, or so I’ve been told.  So I enter into every project with that awareness and a sense of great responsibility, whether it’s as an artist, a producer, or both.

You upgraded your commercial studio last year. How is the “beast” computer working out? Were there any upgrades this year?

You really did some serious research on me! Yes, the “beast!”  The beast is the best. We call her (the computer) Mama Tink (short for Tinkerbell – loooong story stemming from my debut album “Here Lies Tinkerbell.”).  There has been a myriad of new gear over the past two years – I am very grateful that I have some wonderful partnerships with brands such as Hammond Organ, Alesis, Gibson, On-Stage Stands, Blue Microphones, Lampifier Microphones and more, so my studio is filled with amazing instruments and gear.  I’m very happy to say in this interview (and this is the first official announcement of it) that I now have a second studio space in North Hollywood where I’ll be doing bigger productions!  We are opening in January 2018 but are taking project commitments now.  2018 is going to be a banner year and it’s my hope that artists will find a great home in this new studio space.

You’re known for your amazing ability to write complete songs on the spot. Can you explain how you do this? 

Unfortunately, I can’t!  I sat with this question for a while – and journalists have asked me this before.  I’m not sure how or why I can do it but it started when I was about seven or eight years old.  My father used to sit with me in the living room and we would play a game called “Titles” after dinner. He would make up random titles and I would write songs to them.  I suppose I trained myself to do this from a young age although I couldn’t really tell you how my brain works during the process.  I just sit down and I do it. I know that’s a bit of a balloon popper answer but it’s the truth.  What I will say is that we have a concert series coming up in which every single song of every single show will be written on the spot. The band has no advance notice of anything – all the song titles/subjects will be called out by the audience, so every single show will be completely different – never heard before and never recreated again.  Of course, we will be recording these shows so we’ll have an archive — and maybe some new album material!

Your career started at the incredible age of two and a half, and then you retired as a concert pianist at the age of 12.  I read that hearing Billy Joel on the radio changed your life.  Can you explain?

Ah yes, the Billy Joel story!  I was trained as a classical pianist as a child and to be completely honest, I hated it.  I think at the time, I couldn’t relate to the music.  I had a wonderful teacher but just didn’t understand what it was all about, but apparently, I excelled so I kept going.  One morning, my father was driving me to school and I distinctly remember I was nine years old, sitting in the back seat of his car with my friend Elizabeth and a brand new song called “We Didn’t Start the Fire” came on the radio.  Now, I know, I know – of all the Billy Joel songs, hahaha, but I heard that song and everything changed for me in that instance.

Years later, I heard an interview that Billy gave about how he was watching TV as a kid and watching The Beatles make their debut on Ed Sullivan and how it was in that single moment he knew what he was going to be – I always say, just as The Beatles changed Billy’s life, Billy changed mine!

How can women musicians in indie music be supported so they get more recognition?

Hmmmm ….. you know it’s kind of funny because I equal parts love this question and dislike it at the same time. 

but I know, especially in the wake of recent events, we are not there yet.  So that being said, I’d say the following things (although this would apply to all indie musicians – and yes, I know it can come across as harsh sometimes):

1. Educate yourself. Learn as much as you can. Don’t suck.
2. Be a F*$%king BEAST on your instrument.  And yes, that includes vocalists.
3. Learn the industry and master it.  Be part of the industry.  Don’t be against it.  By contributing to it and partnering with the industry, you can change the landscape and make your mark. 
4. Be realistic about where you are in your career and make a roadmap from there.
5. Do not, under any circumstance, romanticize the struggle.  While the struggle is real, so is success.  And “indie” and “struggle” do not have to go hand in hand. 
6. Take ownership of your talent.  It’s only hard if you make it that way.  Especially if you follow 1-5. 🙂
7. Yes, it really is that simple.

      8.  Oh yeah, and enjoy yourself!  It’s hard work but it’s extremely rewarding.

You have an astounding catalog of 3,000 songs that you’ve written spanning pop, R&B/soul song, full theater, films, and J-pop. Where do you get your inspiration to write for such diverse interests?

Oh my!  Yes, it’s true I have a catalog of over 3,000 songs – people are often in disbelief until I drag out my books and they realize there’s volume after volume of song after song.  It’s actually far less impressive than people think – it’s about 15 marble composition notebooks, which really doesn’t make for a big stack hahaha!  But that’s what I write in. Just like a third grader.

Where do I get my inspiration?  Good question, but easy answer.  EVERYWHERE.  Seriously – all I have to do is open my eyes and ears and experience life and everything can be a song.  Some of the “less traditional” Emiko songs may be works I’ve composed for film or TV, but really, it comes down to keeping an open mind.

That means being open to all genres of music – yes, that means even genres you don’t like.  Sometimes, I purposely write in genres I can’t stand listening to just to learn about them.  It’s critical to a writer’s development to remain objective and open at all times.  But just to be difficult and juxtapose that, I’ll also say that it’s just as important for a writer to know his or her strengths.  Inspiration is everywhere if you are open to that.  I know that sounds kind of “hippie” but it’s absolutely true.

Please tell us how you became a clinician with Hammond Organ giving lectures and workshops on songwriting at Sam Ash Music Stores. What do you enjoy most about it?

The story of the Hammond organ songwriting clinics is a great one!  It goes like this. I was introduced to Gregg Gronowski, the late Director of Marketing for Hammond Organ USA by my good friend Stephen Fortner, who was the then Editor in Chief of Keyboard Magazine.  Stephen and I were quite a pair at the NAMM show that year and he brought me to Gregg, who in his extraordinarily forward and “get it done’ way looked me straight in the face after shaking my hand and asked, “so why aren’t you one of ours?”  So me, with my attitude, look him back straight in the face and said “because you haven’t asked me yet.  Duh!”  And he replied, “well I’m asking you now,” proceeded to produce paperwork, (and nearly giving my manager a heart attack at the time!) and that was that.  Gregg took me under his wing, explaining that Hammond was not just organs, but in fact keyboards – that they were looking for new artists who were disruptive thinkers.  Gregg was one of my biggest champions in recent years and in many ways, single-handedly changed my life because he said “yes” where others would usually say “no.” 

Gregg believed in my songwriting and my ability as a composer and understood the importance of the artist face of a product. So, knowing my existing relationship with Sam Ash, he and I set out to put together some clinics and it just grew from there. 

Sadly, Gregg passed away two Augusts ago but there literally isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him.  His championship of artists in the Hammond Family was nothing short of incredible and I know that even in Heaven now, he is still working his magic in lasting ways.

I think what I enjoy most about the clinics I do is hearing from other songwriters and composers. It’s so funny because even though I am the clinician and they are there to see or learn from me, I end up doing a whole lot of listening and that is something Gregg taught me to do. “The answers come in listening,” he used to say.  “You can find out a whole lot of information if you listen to hear instead of listening to respond.”  Connecting with budding songwriters, hearing their struggles and celebrating their successes is definitely my favorite part.

Tell us about the Hammond Organ TV Network that you co-founded and your role as producer. 

Again – another Gregg story!  I was in LA at the time (still bi-coastal) and relatively new on the Hammond roster, but I felt, inherently, like I had come home when I joined them.  I had seen Hammond’s (somewhat) rebirth into the keyboard market and really loved what we were doing but I felt like it wasn’t reaching enough people.  Now, with all my brands, I always feel partnerships and endorsements are reciprocal. So many artists just ask for free or discounted gear in exchange for some social media promotion, but I felt, especially after so many conversations with Gregg, that I wanted to be more involved with Hammond. 

We (Hammond Organ) have so many diverse, truly extraordinary artists on our roster and the world needed to know about them (more than the world already does).  So in a phone call with Gregg, one June afternoon, we came up with HTV – Hammond TV.  He put a tremendous amount of trust and confidence in me – it was risky – I was a new artist, I wasn’t known in the Hammond world, there were tons of artists better established than I was, but yet, he gave me the green light to do this.  And under his supportive eye, we produced the first season, and then the second season of HTV (and now five seasons later).  The aim was to showcase Hammond roster artists of all genres who played all different Hammond rigs and give the world a chance to see exactly what the Hammond family is about!

This has since grown into my appointment as Social Media Liaison for Hammond Organ USA thanks to Peter Nguyen, our EVP.  Hammond Organ is an extremely artist focused brand. We are a family through thick and thin and we champion the hell out of each other.  It’s like nothing I’ve ever known before and in that respect, Gregg and the entire team lit the flame that grew into a raging wildfire.

You have an impressive list of past and present projects. Do you love staying busy and how do you balance life/work?

Well, thank you!  I don’t know if I love staying busy or if I am really uncomfortable being idle.  The bottom line is that I’m clear in my purpose and I live every day with that in mind.  I learned some really valuable perspective from the guys in Smashmouth years ago that

even if it’s an effort as simple as (at that time) Xeroxing flyers for a show. 

 I thought I had been doing that anyway but when I heard them say it, it really drove the point home and I think ever since then, I strove to remain active, not just to be busy but to maintain a sense of urgency in my career.  I am my own boss which means I am ultimately accountable to myself.

In terms of balancing life and work, I’m very lucky because I can make my own schedule where most people, conventionally, could not, but I’m not sure there is such a thing as work/life balance with me.  Not because I’m a workaholic or a lazy-pants, more so because who I am and what I do are one in the same.

What advice do you have for young girls and women who want to be musicians or are currently pursuing a music career?

Also, follow my steps I talked about earlier on (which I’ll reiterate now):

1. Educate yourself. Learn as much as you can. Don’t suck.
2. Be a F*$%king BEAST on your instrument.  And yes, that includes vocalists.
3. Learn the industry and master it.  Be part of the industry.  Don’t be against it.  By contributing to it and partnering with the industry, you can change the landscape and make your mark. 
4. Be realistic about where you are in your career and make a roadmap from there.
5. Do not, under any circumstance, romanticize the struggle.  While the struggle is real, so is success.  And “indie” and “struggle” do not have to go hand in hand. 
6. Take ownership of your talent.  It’s only hard if you make it that way.  Especially if you follow 1-5. 🙂
7. Yes, it really is that simple.

8.  Oh yeah, and enjoy yourself!  It’s hard work but it’s extremely rewarding.

To this I would add the following:  I’m reminded of a conversation I had with a very good friend who is the musical director for a very VERY well known artist and my friend (who is male) was saying to me how this artist was looking to hire a couple of “girl singers.”  I happened to know that this artist was also looking for a guitarist, potentially, so I said to him, “Well, when you line up auditions, you may want to audition man-guitarists.”  My friend was quite confused by this and asked me, “Why are you saying ‘man-guitarists?’”  To which I replied, “why are you saying ‘girl singers?’”  Unless you are filling the part of a role that is gender specific, your sex has nothing, I repeat, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with your level of talent or what value you bring to a project.  I’ve been very lucky, perhaps (although I wouldn’t use that word per se), because I haven’t experienced so much sexism in the industry, but that is also because very early on, I made a decision as a young girl that I would not allow gender to be an issue, and now, I have a reputation for that, of which I am extremely proud.  People know me as a composer, a keyboardist, a singer, an artist, a producer, etc but there is never the word “female” attached to that.  And right now, especially with all that is coming out about sexual misconduct and abuse, it is even more critical that young girls are supported in the mentality that your gender does not equate to your value.  You shall not be sexualized first and then valued for your talent second.  You will be valued for your talent and your contributions.  Period.

To the PARENTS, I would say this – and please parents, listen carefully.  Music IS a viable career.  Just because your child wants to be a professional musician does not mean they will end up on drugs and running away with some derelict band.  In fact, the word “professional” tells you exactly how they WILL end up:  working, successful, positive.  It’s a widespread misconception that all musicians are akin to a tribe of the Lost Boys, when in fact, we are just the opposite.  All the professional musicians I know, (myself included) are up at an early hour, practicing, heading to the studio or to a show, lining up new work, on a promotional shoot, etc.  There is no time for drink or drugs when music is a career.  Parents, keep listening – music lessons are paramount.  And not just 30 minutes once a week with the music teacher.  You need to reinforce good practice habits at home.  If your child is serious about music, allow them to be serious – support them!  Music is being taken out of schools left and right, to be made into an elective.  In fact, you should know that music education has a direct correlation with improved math skills as well as comprehension, analysis, memory, and motor skills.  The best thing you can do for your child if you’re faced with a kid who wants to pursue music is to LET THEM.  Get on board – do all the research you can.  Find them a great music school and find them a mentor.  I mentor young artists all the time and I can tell you, it’s well worth it to see kids grow up to live their dreams and participate fully and positively in society in a creative way.

Thank you for the opportunity to interview you!

Thank YOU for taking the time!  I’m so glad we connected!

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