2022 CCMAO “Roots Artist of The Year” nominee & country recording artist, Emily Clair is back with her brand-new single, “Stealin’ Hearts”. With sultry vocals and emotionally-profound lyrics, she paints the picture of a merciless, pseudo-outlaw that steals the most valuable possession of all: Hearts.
Recently, I spoke with Emily about her latest heartbreaker single, songwriting and more.
Kyla Pearson: On April 14th, you released your country-heartbreaker single, “Stealin’ Hearts”. Can you tell us a bit about the songwriting/recording process that went into making the song?
Emily Clair: Stealin’ Hearts was written with Patrick James Clark and TJ Simpson during the pandemic when writing online became “the thing.” I originally brought this song title to TJ; it was our first time writing together. Later, we brought Patrick in on the write.
It was one of those writes where you overthink the idea & meaning behind the song so much, that you just need to step back and take a breather. This is why I brought in Patrick, someone I write with so frequently. I knew that he could help get what it was that we were trying to say out.
I find writing in threes is definitely how I like to work when creating music. The energy is better, and I tend to feed off of the different ideas floating around the room. The three of us wrote this one quickly, and the outcome was incredible! It’s one of my favourite tunes written to date, as it truly captures who I am vocally as an artist.
Recording this song was effortless, it always goes smoothly when you truly feel something special with a song, everything comes out naturally, and for me, those songs are the ones I hold so close to my heart, and the ones I love to perform live most.
Kyla Pearson: On a similar note, what, according to you, is the most challenging part about writing breakup/heartbreaking songs and capturing the emotions involved?
Emily Clair: The most challenging part about writing a heartbreaker is, what can you say or how can you say something in another way, that hasn’t been done before?
In my opinion, you need a fresh idea, a song title that isn’t generic and that grabs people’s attention, and then you need to be able to write the absolute shit out of it so that you can stand out!
I am always striving to find new, exciting ways to convey a message or emotion, there are too many songs that are just the same. When I write music and perform live, it’s always my goal to capture every ounce of emotion in a song. If I can take a newly written song like Stealin’ Hearts and captivate a room full of people in absolute silence, or see someone’s eye fill up with tears during my performance, then I know that I’ve got a damn good heart wrencher.
Kyla Pearson: Your singles “Drive Me Home” & “Limousine” both earned their way to the top 40 CBC COUNTRY/SIRIUS XM charts in Canada. What has achieving such an incredible feat meant for you? Are you hoping Stealin’ Hearts will have the same success? What do you hope to achieve with your latest single?
Emily Clair: Drive Me Home and Limousine were some of the few songs that landed me top 40 on CBC, and Sirius XM radio. That station has been a crutch for so many artists, allowing us to continue to create, share our stories with a large audience, and generate royalties that help support our careers. This is something a lot of artists don’t really talk about.
SXM will always be the station that basically funded my very first album “The Sobering Truth,” a stripped-down acoustic collection of my first works, the station that helped me purchase my very first home, and the station that still allows me to release new music today. This station changed my life, and I don’t know where I’d be today without their support. I am forever grateful.
I hope that people resonate with this single and that it will connect me with more fans– and of course, steal more hearts!
Kyla Pearson: According to you, what is the ideal setting for fans to listen to the song? What do you hope fans get out of the song?
Emily Clair: When people listen to this song, they can listen to it wherever their hearts desires. There is never no ideal setting, time, or place. I just hope that when they hear this song that they connect and “feel something,” emotionally, that is always the goal when releasing music!
Kyla Pearson: What is one goal you hope to achieve with your music by the end of the year?
Emily Clair: Every year I hope for new fans. People who listen to your music and come to your shows are what drive your career. Without them, who are we performing to?
Awards and recognition are nice, but like I always say, making an impression and connection with a new listener is the best reward of all.
Kyla Pearson: Lastly, do you have any upcoming shows where fans can hear you play “Stealin’ Hearts” live?
Emily Clair: I’ll be playing at The Rose Theatre in Brampton Thursday, May 18th, and you can head over to their website for details!
Listen to Stealin' Hearts Now:
Stay up to Date With Emily Clair:
IG: @emilyclairmusic
Twitter: @emilyclairmusic
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2OL6E0G
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3c4QQyD
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/2NBBbgP
Website: www.emilyclair.ca
Clair, Emily. Interview. Conducted by Kyla Pearson, Apr 11 2023.
Unknown. “Featured: Country recording artist, Emily Clair.” Photo courtesy of Emily Clair. Accessed Apr 12 2023.
Unknown. “Featured: Country recording artist, Emily Clair.” Photo courtesy of Emily Clair. Accessed Apr 12 2023.
Unknown. “Featured: Official cover art for Emily Clair’s latest single, Stealin’ Hearts.” Photo courtesy of Emily Clair. Accessed Apr 12 2023.
