Today, British singer-songwriter Emily Burns releases her eagerly anticipated debut album ‘Die Happy’, via So Recordings, listen here. The announcement also comes alongside the single release of ‘Stay’.
‘Die Happy’, the album, is a collection of personal and candid songs that showcase Emily’s clear-cut and beautiful voice. From the soaring first single ‘Balcony Floor’, to the lo-fi electro-pop of ‘Cheating On Her’, it’s a project well worth the wait. The album, out today, sees Emily team up with Jacob Attwooll (Dua Lipa, Raye, Aitch, Hamzaa), Josh Record (Paloma Faith, Becky Hill, Anne Marie), Nicole Blair (Sigala, JP Cooper) and many more.
The album includes previously released tracks, such as, ‘Balcony Floor’, ‘Cheating On Her’, ‘8 Hours Behind’, ‘Give and Take’, ‘Are You Waiting?’ and title track ‘Die Happy’. The record also unveils a further five tracks including the harmonious ‘Second Guessing’, sonically spine-tingling ‘Gone’ and the uplifting closing track ‘One Day At A Time’. Emily reflects that “I always want it to be from a really genuine, honest, truthful storytelling place.”
Speaking on her debut album, Emily explains that “Die Happy is a collection of songs I wrote after really beginning to find myself as a person. After going through a major label and coming out the other side, I sat down and thought hard about the music I wanted to put out. I chose these 12 songs because they feel most authentically me, no airs and graces, just honest stories. It felt only natural to wrap them together in album form. A rollercoaster of love, heartache, hope and acceptance. I feel really grateful to get to share them with you”
The newly released single, ‘Stay’, is a beautifully delicate song about longing to always be close to the one you love. Emily’s wispy and elegant vocals float along the fragile piano melody telling a story of infatuation. In Emily’s own words, “is about a very specific moment in time, 4 years ago, that I remember as if it were yesterday. It was right after I met up with my partner during lockdown. We obeyed all the rules and didn’t hug goodbye when we were leaving. 2 minutes later, she called me and said “I don’t know how my legs are walking away from you.” It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard. So I wrote this song, about wanting the person you love to never leave and feeling that without them, you’d be completely lost.”
This month, Emily will be supporting UK Rock/Pop singer St.Lundi in venues across the UK. The tour will see Emily perform to crowds across Manchester, Portsmouth, London and Bristol. Tickets available here.
Emily has a knack for writing honest and raw indie-pop gems. In her music, earworm choruses are coupled with diaristic lyrics, her distinct storytelling – inspired by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Elton John and Julia Michaels – front and centre. Born in West Lothian, Scotland, and raised in Rugby, Emily started writing songs from a young age. She decided to pursue music properly in her teens, writing her own tunes and playing gigs, eventually moving to London when she was 18 to follow those dreams. In the capital her musical network opened up, particularly when she bagged a job on the front desk of iconic recording studio Abbey Road. Inspired by the huge names that passed through the studio, post-shift Emily would head up to the studio and record tracks, uploading them to Soundcloud as soon as they were finished and starting to build her reputation and eager fanbase.
‘Die Happy’ Tracklist
1. Die Happy
2. Are You Waiting?
3. Balcony Floor
4. Cheating On Her
5. Let It Be You
6 Second Guessing
7. Search Party
8. 8 Hours Behind
9. Give and Take
10. Gone
11. Stay
12. One Day At A Time
St. Lundi Support Tour
12 Nov – Manchester Gullivers, Manchester, UK
13 Nov – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, UK
15 Nov – Courtyard Theatre, London, UK
18 Nov – Louisiana, Bristol