Q&A - Fourth Daughter
This week we caught up with Fourth Daughter following the release of her double-A side ‘Say What You Want/Calling Out Your Name’. Fourth Daughter isn’t messing about. Scottish artist/writer/producer Emily Atkinson is as much an exploration of energetic synth-led soundscapes as it is a statement about who she is; bold, strong, and female.
Pulsating, ricocheting percussion backs Emily Atkinson’s (AKA Fourth Daughter) soaring, ethereal vocals on “Say What You Want”, the lead single from forthcoming debut EP HYPERREAL. The extremely danceable track is delicately balanced by the deep, soul-searching lyrics, and the result is a mini-masterpiece that will be getting lots of play during the upcoming sunny season.
Growing up the youngest of four daughters, for Emily music was a way of escaping the boredom of her small-town-life in the Scottish countryside. Her obsession with music exploded while exploring her parents synth-heavy CD collection and soon enough she dove in head first, and emerged as a classically trained pianist inspired by the likes of Rufus Du Sol, Jamie XX, and Sylvan Esso to name a few.
A first foray into artistry at the beginning of the pandemic pricked up the ears of the local industry in Scotland, with Fourth Daughter being named by BBC Radio’s Vic Galloway as one of his Artists To Watch in 2020, alongside press features in The Scotsman, Skinny Mag, The Weekender Mag, and being picked to join BBC Radio Scotland’s Introducing Program cohort. Through it all, Emily is hopeful her music will connect people and help them forget about all the stupid stuff that doesn’t matter.
She explains: “Maybe they’ll appreciate the vulnerability and truth in my songs or just dig into the tracks/production and their energy. The human experience is confusing and weird at times but it’s relatable and being able to funnel that into creating songs is pretty cool.”
We recommend you listen to Fourth Daughter’s “Say What You Want” with double A-side “Calling Out Your Name” below while reading our Q&A with her 👇
Your AA side debut “SWYW/COYN” dropped on 29th March and has a refreshing electronic feel to it. Tell us about this project?
I’ve been working on new music leading up to this release for a number of years now - maybe 4. I wanted to get it right and it took me a little while to get the sound I wanted. I think ultimately in the past when I was writing I lacked a lot of skills that were allowing me to make the music I wanted to, and so it’s really satisfying to see it come to life now after all the graft to get to where i’m at now.
Can you share any tips on how you keep on top of your mental health as an artist?
Yeah I think just being aware when to push myself but then also knowing when to take a break and come back to things. Being aware of my limits is key to ensuring I don’t reach burnout. Also exercise is a big one for me, it’s a little bit of escapism.
We heard that you are a classically trained pianist, can you tell us a bit about your journey in music until now and how that has influenced your projects?
Yeah I learned to play from the age of 7 but I actually got booted out of my lessons when I was about 16 because my teacher at the didn’t know what to do with me because I wanted to be creative and not just learn long pieces of piano music anymore. I find that funny now because that was definitely the beginning of me starting to use the skills I’d learned into doing my own thing with it. Once I went to music college I started songwriting and producing there and that’s where I first got to play with synths and after that I was off. I had a good ear for it because I’d grown up listening to synth-heavy music at home and it obviously really helped that I could play pretty well already. I spent years learning to be a better writer, learning to produce and refining my sound that I’ve got to today and I guess every part of that has influenced my music that you hear now.
Pick three artists that you could not live without
Bon Iver, Bonobo & Jungle.
Can we expect more music on the horizon from Fourth Daughter?
Yes! I’ve got a few things coming up over the next while before releasing my EP “Hyperreal” in the summertime. I’m incredibly proud of the whole EP so I’m over the moon to be finally putting it out.