Canadian vocalist, musician, songwriter and dancer, Emily Jean Flack, has spent her life being surrounded by music and musicians but has always been keen to express her influences in a way which is entirely her own. Although from a traditional instrumental folk background it was while studying a Masters in Traditional Irish Music at the University of Limerick that she honed her craft into what has become a very personal musical journey. You can witness this in action on her latest video for Throwing Shapes (the title track of her new EP) in which she filters those influences into a modern and more contemporary sound. The video was filmed on location at Riddels, Belfast, Northern Ireland and she delivers a totally captivating performance.
She tells us that ‘Throwing Shapes is about dancing! It’s a song about letting go, making your mark, and being real. It’s about knowing where you come from and going places you’ve never been. When it comes down to it, we’re all just dancing in colour.’
‘Although I come from a traditional instrumental folk background, I’ve always listened to so many other styles of music. And my own music has always been more personal, more modern and more contemporary. Being in Ireland is wonderful in the sense that it’s so culturally rich, but there is a ferocity and sense of independence within the music. It’s not cute or quaint. It’s quite raw and organic. Ireland has offered me an environment to openly make the music that moves me.’
Hew new EP Throwing Shapes (available now), features five tracks which see her demonstrating her place as one of the artists to watch in 2019.
Produced in Belfast by Pete Wallace and mixed by three-time Grammy Award winning producer/mixer David Bottrill (Tool; Peter Gabriel), Throwing Shapes also featured guest performances by true stars in the firmament of Irish folk music – whistle and flute player Brian Finnegan from the band Flook and guitarist Marty Barry.
Find out more here: https://emilyjeanflack.com/