At 17-years old Emily Reid was exposed to the songwriting community when she moved to Nashville. Shortly after, she moved to Toronto and immersed herself in the Canadian country music scene and her music career took off from there.
Emily recently released a new single “First Impressions,” which is a self-written and self-produced song. The song came from her experience in the music industry so far being a label and feeling pressured and misrepresented.
“It was my fault being a young women, very impressionable and feeling like I was showing up at events not being 100% myself,” she said.
During COVID, Emily sat down and the song poured out of her in 30 minutes. She made a demo and realized this song is really true to her and decided to produce the song herself as well.
“Part of the story is handing your power over to other people and I thought it would be really meaningful to produce it myself and not hand over the keys to someone else. If I am going to make a second first impression i want it to be 100% me, my story, and sound,” she said.
“First Impressions” is the first song Emily released that she wrote 100% by herself since 2015 and is her first self-produced song ever. Following “First Impressions” Emily self-produced her entire upcoming EP and has worked on production for other artists as well.
“It feels like an underrepresented space for women and is a space I want to confidently step into and there was no better way to do it for myself first,” she said.
Standout lyrics from “First Impressions” are:
“And my skirts got shorter and my lashes longer
And my waist got thinner and my defenses stronger
And the hardest part of the lesson
Is you can’t make a second first impression
And it wasn’t even me who was making”
Emily Reid’s upcoming EP coming out September 8th is composed of four songs all 100% written and produced by her. It is a dear diary story with different experiences that are intimate and vulnerable with a look into her heart during the last few years of her twenties. There are themes of love, being misrepresented, and misunderstood and getting her feet back on the ground and standing in her own truth.
Her next single from her upcoming EP “Kyle’s Wife” came out August 18. This song is about being introduced at a party as someone’s spouse instead of your own name. The songs shares the important message that when you are married you are not someones property and you keep your own identity.
Although Emily has written many incredible songs for herself, she also shares her songwriting talents with other artists including the song “Boys” recorded by Dean Brody and Mickey Guyton.
Emily originally recorded the song for herself but realized it would be such a powerful message to come from a man. Dean Brody loved it and got Mickey Guyton on it, which was her first number one.
Lyrics from “Boys”:
“Cause they don’t know the difference
Between real love and one night
A good girl and a good time
Between all the way and just taking it slow
Between one more shot on a Friday
And one knee down, baby one day
Between holding her and never letting go
That’s the difference between a man and boys”
“Dean singing it melts and breaks my heart because it’s a stronger message coming from a man because they’ve experienced these things and I was unbelievably grateful for the opportunity,” she said.
Emily is releasing music with such empowering and powerful messaging for everyone to relate or learn from. Make sure to listen to “First Impressions,” “Kyle’s Wife,” and her upcoming EP out September 8!
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