Emma Oliver: The Unflinching Radical Self-Acceptance That Fuels A Rising Musical Journey

I had the pleasure of interviewing Emma Oliver. Born and raised in the small town of Waxahachie, Texas, Emma’s energetic, goofy and expressive TikTok videos have garnered her platform verification with over 430k followers. After high demand from her dedicated fan base, she chose to release her latest single “Sad Sometimes” featuring production duo loyalties which garnered recent support from Spotify’s official Fresh Finds and Fresh Finds Pop playlists as well as press support from American Songwriter, Substream Magazine & many more!

You can hear audio from our conversation here:

Thank you so much for doing this with us Emma! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in a small town called Waxahatchie, Texas. My grandmother was a huge influence of my music as I picked through her 1960s records. Learning how to transition into a teenager was weird. I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere. I worked hard to embrace the weirdness that I identify with knowing that I couldn’t shake it. In high school is when I began to really get into music. I wrote songs at home in my room, recorded in my kitchen using Logic and started anonymously posting online. I wrote my first song “Somebody Else” when I was 16 and posted it on SoundCloud. It’s crazy to think that it has over 200k streams now.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

My junior year in high school, I was singing and recording videos in a parking garage. The acoustics were great. I started posting them on Twitter and that got a lot of people’s attention. Soon after that, I got invited to sing at an open mic in Dallas, and I sang Let it Go by James Bay. The manager stopped me on my way out and asked if I would come back and play a full show. So I did.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

When quarantine started, I started posting really goofy, silly videos. It was almost an experiment to see what kind of reaction I would get. Once I started gaining followers, I continued the goofy stuff but also started to use it to post singing videos. Since then, followers on TikTok were doubling overnight — I can’t believe it’s at 441k today. The video of the writing session with loyalties for Sad Sometimes blew up, and fans have shown huge support for the song since it’s been released. TikTok has been a crazy journey, and I’ve made some really great internet friends along the way.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I was 16, I was singing solo at church as part of the service that day, and I burped directly into the mic during the song. Lesson learned? Turn your head away from the mic. I can say that I have much better stage presence now.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Really excited for my next single “i’m sorry, i miss u” and looking forward to writing more and more.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

It’s so important to have communities where everyone is represented. There are a billion people in this world, and no one is the same. Yet we all want to relate to each other so we don’t feel so alone. People get connected to what they watch on film and TV. The world is a big place with a lot of amazing stories to tell. TV and film can capture all of it and help cultures and communities relate to each other.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Always consult a lawyer and try to take their advice. Trust them.
2. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Know your limits.
3. Don’t let other people dictate what you want to do in life. I love my mom and we have a great relationship. She cares for me greatly and wants me to be stable in life, but there are a lot of means of survival, and I knew that I couldn’t give up on something I love.
4. Study. I researched and practiced stage presence, lyrics, vocal runs, etc. even without money. Take the time to read and learn from others.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I’ve always written music on harder topics like anxiety, depression, sadness, and mental health. I feel those immensely every day. I want to inspire people to be comfortable in their own skin. To accept themselves and not run from their emotions. To accept that you are who you are, including the negative things about yourself, but knowing that with an open mind and time, you can change to better yourself. Having the patience to slow down, embrace, and deal with it is what I want to share with people.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My grandma always said, “Never forget where you came from and never forget why you’re doing it.” I think being able to look at where I am now and comparing it to where I came from makes me look forward to what else I can do.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.

Post Malone. I think lyrically we’re similar. He inspires me and my music a lot. I think we could have some great conversations about life and just being present. I think he’s so intellectual even though he’s goofy.

How can our readers follow you online?

@itsemmaoliver on all platforms!

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!