As she breaks into the music world, Emma Andersen, an emerging folk-pop singer-songwriter, is driven and grateful for the communities that surround her as she gains her footing in the industry. “The whole community aspect that goes into music is why I love to do it,” said Andersen.
The 20-year-old folk-pop, Nashville-based artist is on the rise after the release of her song “FTSG”, her most recent release this year, following four singles and one six-track extended play project.
Andersen grew up in many different places across the country. In each city, she listened to local radio and began building her music taste to become what she would describe as a coffee-house music girl.
“I think moving constantly gave me a lot of alone time that pushed me to music,” she said. “I got real comfortable with my own thoughts, which gave me emotional introspection that translated to making music.”
By the time she got to college at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, Emma Andersen was used to writing music and put it into practice with a network of aspiring young musicians. She began to build a community that would grow to be essential in her career.
When asked about what it is like to have musician friends and live in a city that is so rooted in music, she said, “I’m a community person first and always, it’s such a genuine connection to be able to sit and talk to people about this wacky, wacky industry.”
Within her community, she is able to talk about and share music she and her friends are all working on. Some of Andersen’s favorite songs at the moment were unreleased. “I stay bumping my friends’ demos,” she said.
She treats time with her artist friends as an opportunity to learn and grow. When talking about collaborating with others, she said, “it becomes something even larger than what my own brain could’ve thought of.”
Now, Andersen is working on music full-time. She just wrapped up her first tour in which she was the opening act for Hunter Metts’s A Crater Wide Tour. “I was a fan of his music for years,” she said. “When I got that message, I freaked out.”
Andersen says she “can’t play it cool” when talking about working with people she once looked up to and called herself a fan of. “The most impactful conversations I’ve had are the ones where I can be like, ‘I am a huge fan of you. You have changed the way I look at music.’”
Andersen has grown her fan base immensely in the past year, building more communities to surround herself with. In January, she began gaining attention on social media with the rollout of her song “I Don’t Want to Go Out,” which resonated with listeners in the cold winter months. People like Andersen’s relatable lyrics. Since then, with each release, the Emma Andersen world has grown a bit larger.
“It’s just so cool to watch the little community fans are building on their own,” she said. “It makes me feel less alone in half of the things I’m saying. That’s kinda why I started writing in the first place. I feel this way, and it’s crazy to see so many people connect.”
Andersen likes to stay in touch with her fans. She livestreams on TikTok as frequently as she can. Logging on, playing some songs, and chatting with her listeners. She also responds to fans’ messages when she can. She likes to do what she can to connect with everyone, she said.
Emma Andersen’s fans are notoriously artistic and crafty. She learned about her fans’ talents when she started getting intricate, custom gifts from them. So, when the time came to make merch, she worked with Softside Merch, a company that allows fans to submit designs and contribute to the design process.
“I love the collaborative aspect of music and getting to bring fans and their creativity into this world feels really, really rewarding,” she said, proudly wearing her “FTSG” crew neck that came out of the Softside collaboration.
Emma Andersen cares so deeply for everyone around her, from her fans, her friends, her peers, and her family – her communities. Her communities are the ones who drive, inspire, and fuel her love for what she does.
“I wouldn’t exist without y’all, and that is simply facts.”
Featured Image by Isabella Alvarez