Emma Blackery - Villains (2018) [Hi-Res]

Emma Blackery can't remember a time before she wanted to make music. Since picking up her first guitar aged 12, she's self-released 5 pop-punk EPs, and performed at London's Wembley Arena and O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire. Now she is turning her attentions towards pure pop, with the release of her eagerly anticipated debut album, Villains. Inspired by artists including Paramore, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, Emma has worked with renowned producers including Toby Scott (Little Mix, Girls Aloud) and Hutch (Goldfrapp, All Saints) to create a sound that's fresh, bold, and catchy as hell. Lead single Dirt has had more than 1,000,000 streams and counting, reaching number 5 in the Spotify Viral Chart. "I've always written from personal experience", she says. "I can't imagine writing about feelings I've never had."Born in 1991 - the same year that the first internet browser was released to the public - it's fitting that Emma's career began online. Since starting to share her music on YouTube, she's amassed a social media reach of 2.2 million fans, alongside a unique perspective on the pitfalls of internet culture. "I'd had experiences before of people being nasty for a like or a retweet but last year someone I considered a friend really hurt me, publicly", she says. "I ended up taking all social media off my phone and spent a couple of weeks just trying to get back to reality and not be so caught up in it all."Villains was inspired by that period of reflection, and invites listeners on Emma's journey from "feeling so paranoid that I risked becoming a person I didn't like, to letting go of all of that hurt". Atmospheric album opener Villains Pt. 1 sees her declare, "I am a nightmare. designed to destroy" over a beat that drips with menace. The mood lifts on Agenda - a sunny slice of synth pop - and Fake Friends, which pairs buoyant production with lyrics about two-faced frenemies to create the perfect kiss-off song.