emaé prepares for new releases in 2020

Naturally, Covid-19 has had its say in the scheduling but it won't prevent the tracks from landing.

The singer tells The Weekender that she hopes to have new material out by the end of the year and suggests a departure from the tone of Old Heart from 2018.

Drawing upon a range of influences, her work this time around will have a greater emphasis on soul and R&B. It will be another step forward in her evolution as the Scot continues to experiment.

"My sound is always changing," she says. "The stuff I have now is completely different from Old Heart – you'd think I was a different artist.

"My album was just a part of my journey; it's a reflection of me finding myself and trying to figure out how I wanted to sound and what I wanted to say.

"But I hope that when my audience hears the new songs that it will still feel very authentic because it's just me – and just evidence that I am evolving.

"Hopefully, by the end of the year, I'll have a few singles out. I had hoped to have them out by now, but obviously the world has been put on pause. I wanted to put songs out and do shows; I'd love to play a show in Aberdeen."

While it was the time she spent in London that made her realise that really stirred her musical passion, her upbringing in Aberdeen was formative nonetheless.

"Hopefully, this movement will make people stop and take a look at themselves. It's all about looking at ourselves, honestly, and asking do I contribute to this or do I benefit from the way things are, and how can I help?"

Perhaps one of Scotland's most underrated talents, emaé grew up on the banks of the River Don before moving with her family down south. The Granite City made quite the impression on the artist and bore track 13 on Old Heart – an ode to her hometown in the form of Northern Lights.

However, the move away was the result of her father being unable to get work as an IT teacher, despite his qualifications and ability. Indeed, he went on to become head of department when he took a position down south.

The episode was one of a few which has made the singer now reflect upon racism in Scotland and the manner in which it has affected her life and that of her family.

"I loved my childhood," she said. "I grew up right on the River Don and I remember playing in the North Sea. I was very aware that I was in the minority, but, for the most part, it was great.

"I had some bullying – one occasion where I was bullied so bad that I stopped eating and to the extent that I had to be taken out of that school. I remember my mom having difficult conversations with the school about why I was the only one being bullied and why the teacher wasn't sticking up for me.

"And when you look at it, that's what systemic racism really is – it's not just violence and it's not outright. That's why it's so difficult to talk about. And if I were to say now that I was bullied then [because I am black] then someone else could just dismiss it and say that they were bullied because of 'x, y, z'.

"That was really the only experience I had of being singled out. And at the time I didn't understand but, looking back, it may have been because of racism."

The Aberdeen-born singer is hoping to play a show in the city in the near future

She added: "I remember my parents going through certain things that affected our family, but at the time I didn't understand why that was either.

"The reason we left Scotland was because my dad couldn't get a job, despite his intelligence. He went for so many jobs – interview after interview – and never got the job. That's what so insidious about racism in the UK. Anyone could say: 'Well, maybe he wasn't a good candidate', but he clearly was.

"It's those things that have affected my life and have dictated how it has gone. If I wasn't bullied at school then I would have stayed there; if my dad was able to get a job on the merits of his intelligence then we wouldn't have left Scotland. Our entire lives would have changed – maybe I would have been an artist, but maybe not.

"So, there were very significant things that happened to us that would not have happened to us if we were a white family. You get on with your life, but every now and again there's something that reminds you that you're different.

"It's difficult to explain, but one thing that is quite comforting is the number of people who do want to sympathise or to go further and be a part of righting the wrongs."

The Black Lives Matters movement has been gathering support in the UK over the past month with demonstrations across the country, including in Aberdeen. With it comes tensions between races, and a general misunderstanding.

emaé adds: "People will hear a phrase like Black Lives Matters and immediately they will close their ears because they almost feel attacked by it. But that's not it – what we are saying is that, for all intents and purposes, black lives have not mattered for so long and that everyone should be equal. That's it.

"In the industry, everyone is just fed up – there are injustices everywhere, whether it is racism or it's sexual assaults. And maybe it is time to start having these difficult conversations

"Hopefully, this movement will make people stop and take a look at themselves. It's all about looking at ourselves, honestly, and asking do I contribute to this or do I benefit from the way things are, and how can I help?

"Maybe this can be the start of a real conversation and something positive might come from it."

LISTEN to emaé on Spotify.