Offstage, she loves fashion, boys, shopping, anime', best-friends, text-messaging on her ever-present cell-phone. But on stage or in the studio, Emma Jacob's primary passion takes over, and the California-born 18-year-old does what she was meant to do--sing, something she does with a talent far beyond her years.
Emma is a force of nature, a singer with a powerful yet subtle voice and an entertainer with a knack for connecting with audiences. It is apparent to her ever-widening circle of fans, and it is captured in Emma Mae's debut album, Breaking All The Rules, a CD as positive and uplifting as Emma herself.
The CD’s first single, "What If We Fly," displays all of Emma Mae's range, power and emotion as a singer. Though it tells a tale of love, "What If We Fly" also provides the perfect metaphor for her own journey toward success. "I really love the song," she says, "because it talks about taking a chance, and that's what I'm doing right now--going after my dreams."
They are dreams that had their roots in the days when she and her mother sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" while she was still in her high chair in Costa Mesa, California. She recalls being introduced to classic singers in all styles, from Aretha Franklin to Patsy Cline, as she listened to her mother's records. Then, somewhere amid the elementary school chorus, holiday programs and karaoke CDs at home, Emma Mae's parents figured out that she had a real gift. They signed her up for voice lessons from the legendary Seth Riggs--in fact, through him she was able to meet the great Ray Charles.
“I had just heard 'Georgia On My Mind' on the car radio the week before,” she says. “I had even commented to my parents that it is such an incredible song. Because I knew very little about Mr. Charles, they went on to tell me about him and the songs he had recorded during his career. So, it was truly an amazing moment when I walked into my vocal coach's office for my weekly lesson and heard him say to me, 'I would like to introduce you to Ray Charles. Ray, this is Emma Mae.' I was floored and humbled as I shook this icon's hand. It was a very sweet moment that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
She earned a spot as first soprano in the Pacific Symphony Choir and began performing at nearby county fairs. Then, at the age of 11, she attended an L.A. audition for “Showtime At The Apollo,” turning her affinity for gospel music into a win and a trip to New York for the nationally broadcast TV show. She won over a skeptical crowd with Aretha's “You're All I Need To Get By” and earned a standing ovation. “It was one of my most memorable moments,” she says. “Really cool. That was pretty much when I thought, 'I really want to do this. I really want to be a singer.'”
One by one, people in the music industry became believers in Emma Mae’s talent, until she found herself in Nashville. Her only recording experience in California had been karaoke tracks in tiny studios, and so her first Nashville recording sessions, she says, “was a little nerve-wracking, but once we started, it was awesome.”
She jumped eagerly into recording the songs that would become her first album, with “What If We Fly” serving as its emotional cornerstone. The rest of the album features songs from some of contemporary music's finest writers, as well as four songs co-written by Emma herself.
Though she is that rare 18-year-old with the poise and talent to attract some of the cream of the music community, she is also very much an ordinary teenager. Of course, shopping is a major passion. "I love buying shoes, and I love [designer] Betsey Johnson," she says. "She's got great clothes and jewelry, and I'll go to her store every chance I get."
Few things off stage, though, can capture her time and attention like anime, the Japanese animation technique. "A friend told me about a televised anime’ show,'" she says, "and I loved it. I've gotten hooked on some of the shows—really hooked-one of them had 400 episodes!--and I made my manager take me to an anime convention and even had her dress as one of the characters!" Emma's love for the genre has led to an anime series that centers on her own life, every anime-lover's dream.
She also stays busy as part owner of a theater in Colfax, California, where she and her family moved a few years ago to help her grandfather recover from surgery. He was about to sell the theater he owned unless she and her parents would take it over. They agreed, and Emma's 13th birthday present was half ownership of the Colfax Theater. Besides offering her the chance to learn about business, it was the site of a performance that impressed a major music producer and helped lead the way to her first album, spotlighting the fact that performing remains her defining passion.
"I love being on stage," she says. "I love to look back and see my band having a really good time, or to look out and see people enjoying themselves. It's pretty cool."
It is also infectious. The believers around her see evidence of her potential with every performance. "I honestly think Emma has what it takes to be the next megastar," says songwriter Karen Staley, a big believer in Emma Mae's talent, "in the mold of someone like Reba who sings, acts, does Broadway, has her own clothing lines, and is a mogul. The thing I see in Emma that will take her that far is that she has no fear of challenges. She welcomes the opportunity to bring her game up to the next level."
For Emma herself, it is nothing more than a teenager's love of life. "My job is to sing as well as I can and to make people happy," she says, "and who could ask for more than that? And, day to day, I don't sweat the small stuff, I pay attention to the big stuff and I always reflect and remain grateful for all the good stuff."
I kept expecting MJ to leap from his coffin and throw himself into a "Thriller" routine...whole thing seemed oversized, unreal, a strange end to a sad tale.
I'm actually hangin out in California for a while. I'm staying with my aunt and uncle. I'm going into seventh grade. Junior High...... OH YEAH! lol Are you doing anything exciting this summer?
Hi Emma, how are you? Hey, guess who's in Nashville? "ME" I'm here with Jamie so he can co-write, do a couple shows and hang out with friends. Would love to see you!
GOOD MORNING EMMA,
JUST STOPPING BY ON THIS GORGEOUS BUT WARM AND HUMID TUESDAY TO SAY
HELLO TO YOU MY SWEET FRIEND. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW I AM
THINKING OF YOU AND HOPING YOU'RE DOING GREAT !!! I HOPE YOU HAVE A
VERY BEAUTIFUL DAY TODAY AND ARE ABLE TO GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY THE
WONDERFUL SUMMER WEATHER WHILE IT'S HERE. IT ALWAYS GOES BY WAY TOO
FAST. I HOPE THIS HELPS TO PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND SUNSHINE, HAPPINESS,
WARMTH AND A SONG IN YOUR HEART AND JOY IN YOUR SPIRIT !!! TAKE CARE AND ENJOY YOUR
TUESDAY AND MAKE THE MOST OF IT. SENDING LOTS OF LOVE AND BEST WISHES
YOUR WAY ALWAYS.
LOVE & HUGGSSS & BLESSINGS ......... BONNIE
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