Q+A: Five Minutes with EMMI IIDA

 

EMMI IIDA is an internationally recognised Finnish visual artist, holistic interior architect & musician currently based in the countryside of Southern Finland. Releasing her new single, ‘Blooming’, on the 22nd of September 2023 via EFG Records Oy, the multi-faceted artist has hosted solo art exhibitions around the world, from Barcelona to Los Angeles. She now seeks to translate her artistic prowess into her music, with ‘Blooming’ set as her first major official release. Accelerating her artistic momentum, the track has already gained support from notable tastemaker METAL Magazine. We took some out to chat to Emmi on all things music, life and creativity. 

 

Set the tone for us. Why the arts?

 

Music has always been the best form of therapy for me. I’ve been told that I’m always singing and humming something even though I think I’m being quiet, haha. It’s the way to let the emotions out, no matter what is going on in your life. I lost my baby girl when I was 23 weeks pregnant, right when covid started in March 2021, and I feel like singing and writing songs was the best therapy for me with all that grief.

 

Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?

 

In the fall 2020 I said it out loud that it would be cool to be able to write a song, and the same week, on a stroller walk with my baby Milo this new melody started singing in my head. It felt so easy and natural that I’ve probably been doing it earlier as well, but that was the first time I actually recognized doing it and recorded it on my phone’s voice notes. The lyrics came right after on that same walk, and I wrote them down. And that’s how my first song, Moment was born. Since then, I’ve been getting new melodies and lyrics in random times, or whenever I get an overwhelming wave of emotions and I need to get them out. So I’d say there’s always a deeper message in the songs that come to me, but it’s always sound and the feeling first.

 

Does your material feature any collaborations?

 

Yes, I found the talented British producer Jessica Sharman in the full moon group of women in Nashville, and the mixer of the album is Femke Weidema, who’s a grammy winning producer and songwriter based in Nashville. I have two featuring artists on the album, British artist Peachkit rapping in HIGHER SELF and the Atlanta based artist Bryce Green, whose songs have been featured in HULU and Peacock, in OUR LOVE.

 

What’s on your current playlist?

 

Currently I’ve been listening a lot of Sofi Tukker, Lava La Rue, Iliona and adi., and every morning and evening I’m listening some healing frequencies that calm the mind and affect the balance of the chakras, and I can can really feel the effect in my energy levels and overall happiness.
Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.

 

What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?

 

I meditate daily, I’ve been doing TM (Transcendental Meditation) for a few years now, and that makes me go instantly into that creative flow and tune into my deepest feelings.

 

Take us through a day in the recording studio.

 

I always have the song core ready when I’ll take it to the studio, the ideas, melodies and lyrics come to me when I least expect them, which is never in the studio. I’ve been creating and self-producing the raw versions for these songs in the car, at my grandparents’ summer house, my parents’ storage room and by my friends’ dining table in Nashville.

 

Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?

 

Three years ago, in the grief process of losing the baby girl, music and especially writing songs was the most healing therapy method for me. The songs brought me such hope and the feeling of unconditional love and oneness, that I hope that I could bring the same loving feeling to others too with my music.

 

Any emerging artists on your radar?

 

Bryce Green, Peachkit, Jasper Sommer, Leslie Medina

 

What gets your creative juices flowing?

 

Anything could spark the fire for inspiration, it could come from art galleries or interesting people or a special colour crystal.. spiritual practices feed visual art that feeds music that feeds my interiors etc.

 

Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.

 

I prefer organic ways to create and to get to the feeling – I always paint with my fingers and not brushes.. and that same goes with music: with bold exploring and getting into the deeper parts of the emotions and their core reasons, and creating solutions that heal on a cellular level as well.

 

Any side projects you’re working on?

 

I always have a million side projects going on. Currently I have a few solo and group art exhibitions in Finland, and I’m relaunching my brand GRAIN (www.grain.land) that is about holistic living and how to create harmony in your spaces through elements, crystals, art and scents. GRAIN also creates unique couture pieces that I’m wearing on the music videos. I’m selling my art also through my brand (ig @ateliergranlund) and on 1stDibs.com worldwide. My spiritual site www.efg.center tells more about the wellbeing and the holistic way I live, in nature and doing retreats and sound baths. I’ve been studying spiritual life coaching (dharma coaching) and that’s reflecting in my music as well.

 

How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?

 

When I started creating these songs almost 4 years ago I was only doing it for fun and not thinking further than that, but since I kept going and studying Logic Pro and getting deeper into songwriting as the songs just kept coming, I decided I want to give myself a permission to do it more professionally and see where it could take me. I’m always expanding and challenging myself in where I can be better and what to learn next, even though it’s also important to feel happy and content in this moment, feeling like you’re enough exactly as you are, right now.

 

Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?

 

Unconditional love and celebration of oneness

 

Famous last words?

 

Why not?

 

 

Follow EMMI IIDA:

Website – Facebook – Soundcloud – TikTok – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify