Name: Emily Frembgen

Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Emily Frembgen's new single “Drink Tonight” is out via Don Giovanni. Full-length album No Hard Feelings will follow September 13th 2024.
Recommendations: You Don’t Love me Yet by Jonathan Lethem (book); Funny Ha Ha by Andrew Bujalski (movie)

If you enjoyed this Emily Frembgen interview and would like to know more about her music, upcoming releases and live dates, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

The process is so mysterious for me that that’s almost impossible to answer - except for that when I hear a really good song or watch a really good movie it makes me want to also make something good.

Beyond that, something else takes over that I’m afraid might go away if I examine it too closely.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

It’s really always changing. What worked 5 years ago doesn’t work anymore.

Lately I sit down and look at random lines I have in my notes app and try to make something out of them and it usually takes multiple days of work. I used to be able to sit down and write a song from start to finish without any preplanning.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

Every song is really so different. One example I can give you is “Flower/Weed” from my last album. It started out as a completely different song that just was not working. I had this cool fingerpicking part that I didn’t know what to do with and for the heck of it I combined that with some of the lyrics and it turned out to be one of the best songs I’ve ever written.



Before that I had been so stubborn about my process, I need every song to be written from start to finish in one session but this opened up my mind to different possibilities.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

I used to be able to write ANYWHERE. I could write next to noisy roommates, in the box office of a movie theatre, anywhere.

Now I need a completely empty desk and like three uninterrupted hours in front of my laptop with two hours of mindless doom scrolling basically. I probably should exercise and read poetry though.

What do you start with? And, to quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

It’s a mixture both but with some songs like “Are You Listening” I have zero recollection of how it happened!

It’s like somebody else wrote it. I’m amazed it was me.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Good lyrics to me are usually simple and effective.

I also love Dylanesque stream of consciousness stuff but that’s just not the kind of thing I can pull off. I’m honest to a fault.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I always just follow it where it leads me. If I can finish the song then it’s a good song!

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

I guess there has to be an element of spirituality, It’s been like my companion all these years. I don’t even think about that much, it’s just always been what I do.

I know that I’m happiest when I’m writing a good song and when I finish it and want to play it over and over.

When you're in the studio to record a piece, how important is the actual performance and the moment of performing the song still in an age where so much can be “done and fixed in post?“

I always try to be a one take-er, partially out of laziness and partially because you can never match the energy of the first take. This latest album was actually recorded live with the band and a lot of the vocals are the first take.

You could tinker with a track forever. I just want to get the song out into the world and I’m very lucky that my producer Hugh Pool is the absolute best.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

I don’t trust my own brain after a period of time. It’ll tell me that everything sucks.

Again I’m very lucky to have Hugh because he will finesse a track till the end of time until it’s cool. He’ll work on it overnight. When it comes to songwriting, if the song’s not coming together relatively fast it goes in the trash.


Emily Frembgen Interview Image by Adrian Buckmaster

Even recording a solo song is usually a collaborative process. Tell me about the importance of trust between the participants, personal relationships between musicians and engineers and the freedom to perform and try things – rather than gear, technique or “chops” - for creating a great song.

I ran a bunch of songs by Hugh for this last album. I hadn’t written in so long and was so self-conscious about them I just needed to know if they sounded like real songs.

It’s extremely important to have a person like that who you can trust won’t just be critical for the sake of being critical, especially a dude!  

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? In terms of what they contribute to a song, what is the balance between the composition and the arrangement (performance)?  

I used to not care at all about any of that stuff. I thought good songs were enough and I’m glad I realized the importance of a good team. It’s essential.

Mastering is extremely important. We worked with Scott Hull at Masterdisk for the last two albums and I don’t understand it - but what he does is absolute magic.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

The only thing you can do is to start working on the next thing and to find joy in just being human and doing mundane things.

It’s also important to get used to the ups and downs, though I’m not entirely there yet.

Music is a language, but like any language, it can lead to misunderstandings. In which way has your own work – or perhaps the work of artists you like or admire - been misunderstood? How do you deal with this?

If there’s one thing I’ve gotten used to in my life it’s being misunderstood so I guess I’m pretty comfortable with it.

None of the great artists have been universally accepted though, knowing that has been my solace. I saw Lou Reed do a talk once when I was a teenager where he said something like you probably won’t like me the first two times you listen but on the third listen I think you will and I think my music is kind of like that too.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I love making music but if I didn’t make music I’d probably be a chef or a makeup artist or something and be just as passionate.

This is just the vessel I chose a long time ago and I’m glad I did, it’s a lot of fun! But I don’t want to feel like it defines me.