About Emily Hackett
Why country music ?
~ Country music cares about the story of the song. Songwriting will always be important to country music fans.
If everything would be possible (waking the dead included), which two people should sing the ultimate country duet?
~ Patsy Cline and Chris Stapleton. It’s hard to say if their voices would blend well together or not but those are hands down two of the best voices in the genre.
What song (that you’ve recorded) means the most to you and why?
~ Thats really tough, but it’s probably one that I’ve recorded a couple different times, but isn’t slated for this upcoming record because of that. It’s called “The Part They Don’t Tell You.” I wrote it when I was a sophomore in college about that feeling of leaving my hometown, where I felt like a big fish in a small pond, to arriving in an ocean of talent in Nashville, and then just applying that to those everyday challenges in life. People tell you all the places you’ll go and the things you’ll do but Dr. Suess never told us about the in-betweens.
Who would you like to write a song for you?
~ Whoa. Where do I start?? I can think of ten people I know personally in Nashville off the top of my head, but if I could choose anyone in the world, I would probably choose Patty Griffin. I think she’d be able to see something in my story that I might’ve missed.
What is the one thing that readers/fans would be surprised to know about you?
~ I’m actually kind of shy. More introverted than extraverted. It doesn’t always come off that way, cause I open up a lot more in one on one situations, but I recharge when I’m by myself.
Give us one country song you never want to hear on radio anymore and tell us why.
~ Nah, we are a genre that’s supposed to remain supportive of one another. I think everyone who works hard deserves a chance for their fans to hear them or to be discovered on country radio. I’d be more interested in hearing how fans answer this question as opposed to how other artists do!
What is the question interviewers never seem to ask you and…you wish they would? (Please provide your answer as well.)
~ “What’s the biggest challenge in being an artist?” A: Remaining true to yourself. Representing yourself, your being and your voice as a brand is a very delicate thing. You don’t want to change who you are to be successful, but you still have to run a business. I always want to make sure that the people I love, my family and lifelong friends know that despite the amount of time it seems I have to spend on myself, I think about them and their consistent and very different lifestyles often. It’s a difficult business to relate to when you aren’t in it as well, but it’s so important to keep those people who made you who you are constant in your life.
Describe the ultimate recording studio (not the technique but the facilities)
~ Lots of good vibes. Oriental rugs, moody low-lighting, knick-knacks, instruments with stories in them, old photographs of people who’ve recorded there in the past, a velvet Elvis. I’d feel right at home.
Johnny or June ?
~ Johnny. Cause he was a hot mess and a rebel. Qualities I see in myself.
Are you still nervous before going on stage and if so, do you use any “rituals” to calm you nerves.
~ Yes. A shot of whiskey and a prayer to the big man upstairs.
What was the most memorable day in your musical career and tell us why.
~ I’ve had a lot of good ones over the years, but there was a moment where I lost my breath for a minute this past year. It was the night before my first music video release for “Nostalgia.” We had a backyard viewing party on a projector screen. After it ended and I looked at all my friends who had come over to watch, on their feet, giving me a standing ovation I just felt so loved and supported and proud of the work we had put in.
