Emily Nelson

Emily is usually Em. To two very important little boys, she's Auntie Em.

She's a singer-songwriter from Vancouver, Canada, currently making music in Nashville, Tennessee.

Emily started writing songs as a teenager. Songwriting became a private way of working through what she couldn't quite articulate, and eventually, something she couldn’t stop doing. Sometimes she sits down to write; other times a lyric arrives completely uninvited and she's singing it into her phone in a restaurant bathroom. When she finds the words she's been looking for, it feels like scratching an itch.

When she started sharing her songs and realized other people connected with them too, she decided to take it seriously and see where it could go. The answer, so far, has been Nashville. Leaving home, and the people she loves there, was incredibly difficult, but she fell in love with the city where she could immerse herself in the world of songwriting, live music, and other artists. 

Family and faith have always been Emily's guide posts. The youngest of three sisters, she doesn’t let living in a different city stop her from talking to them all day long. Her two nephews have her completely wrapped around their fingers, and she looks forward to every FaceTime.

Love and heartbreak are the subjects she returns to most, though the songs are rarely only about the romance. Friendship, family, growing up, disappointment, humour, and the ache of all the strange little things that happen in between find their way in, too. 

Emily wants her music to give people the same feeling she gets when she finally finds the right words: That's it. That's what I've been trying to say. Mostly, she hopes people feel seen.

Her musical upbringing was rooted in great songwriting. Her dad's guitar, Tom Petty playing around the house, and a life-changing viewing of Walk the Line at nine years old, were early pieces of the puzzle. These days, her listening habits are harder to categorize, but the love of a great story has stayed constant.

She's just getting started.