In Conversation with Emma Harner
Singer-songwriter Emma Harner reflects on cross-country moves, quiet self-discovery, and the messy in-between of emotions into intricate guitar-driven songs.
JZ: Taking My Side feels like such a personal and emotionally charged debut. Was there a particular moment or feeling that sparked this project?
EH: My move across the country was definitely the beginning of the emotional journey leading to this EP. It was a big change, and it gave me space from everything I had known up to that point. I started to examine all my relationships and realized that I wasn’t really standing up for myself when I should be.
JZ: What track from the EP changed the most from its initial idea to the final version, and why?
EH: “Yes Man” is a very special track to me. The addition of drums and bass on that song to really fully realize the vision I had for the loud section of the chorus changed the song quite a bit from where all my songs start, which of course, is with just me and my guitar.
JZ: Your lyrics strike a balance between vulnerability and quiet strength. How do you approach that emotional clarity when writing?
EH: For me, it’s about trying to find emotional clarity myself in the chaos of what I’m feeling. It’s kind of like feeling around in the dark until I can grab onto something that makes sense, and then trying to distill that something into a journey I can make other people feel, too. Often, when I’m writing, I don’t know the end of the story I’m writing about. I tend to write about my life without the benefit of hindsight, as I feel things most deeply when I am in them. Because of this, my lyrics can come out kind of mangled and seem half-baked sometimes, at least to me, but they show where I was in the moment! It’s cool to have time capsules like that.
JZ: What does “taking your side” mean to you now, compared to when you first started working on the EP?
EH: When I started work on this EP, I didn’t have a clear idea of a theme or through line for the project. Looking back at these songs together, it’s obvious that I was going through a time of turmoil and change, especially with regard to how I let myself be treated by others. “Taking my side” is a journey I’ve been on for a while now, but it was only when I went back to name the EP that I realized I had gotten better at standing up for myself.
JZ: Your guitar work has such intricacy and intention—how does your instrumental process intertwine with your songwriting?
EH: My instrumental and lyric processes start quite separately. I usually come up with a cool guitar line when I sit down to write, and then check my notes for any lyric ideas I think might match the tone of the guitar line. Once I’m inspired by both of those things together, they start to take shape in tandem and inform each other as I refine the song.
JZ: Are there any unexpected sonic or lyrical influences that shaped this EP, even subtly?
EH: I wouldn’t call it unexpected, because she’s a genius, but I first heard Joni Mitchell’s song, “Amelia,” right before I wrote “False Alarm.” As anyone who is familiar with Joni’s song knows, she uses the phrase “false alarm” in the defining line of the song, and I was inspired.
JZ: Did studying at Berklee shift how you view or create your music?
EH: At Berklee, I had the pleasure of studying with Abby Zocher, who is the best guitar teacher of all time. She overhauled my right hand technique and really changed the way that I thought about guitar playing and what it could be. Also, taking harmony at Berklee fundamentally changed the way I think when I write songs. It’s still easy to tap into that raw creativity for me, but now I know more about what’s going on. That makes it a lot easier to form and break harmonic patterns in cool ways as I write.
JZ: You have toured with artists like Orla Gartland and mxmtoon—what is something you have taken from those experiences, either personally or professionally?
EH: Orla and her band (Scarlet and Sara) have become some of my favorite people of all time. I honestly have been forever changed by their friendship and that experience. They took such good care of me on tour!
JZ: What has been your most meaningful moment with a listener or fan so far?
EH: My most meaningful fan interaction so far was with a group of people at the Orla show in LA. They knew the words to my unreleased songs! I had to keep myself from looking over during the set because it was honestly so overwhelming! After I got offstage, I seriously didn’t know what to do, but I wanted to do something. So, I snuck into the crowd with my set list (on the back of a notecard) and handed it to them. I’m 5’2 and these people were probably 6’, so I kind of had to tap them on the back to get their attention. It was very silly. They were so sweet and appreciative, and I was mostly just like, “It’s insane that you know the words!!!”
JZ: A lot of your songs explore the ambiguity of emotion, like the title “False Alarm.” How do you express in-between feelings in a way that still feels grounded?
EH: I think I am always expressing in-between feelings when I write, because I am mostly using writing as a tool to process whatever is happening to me at the time. Because of this, I have a lot of practice making half-baked, in-between emotions come across in song form! Generally, I try to boil what I’m feeling down to its bare bones and contrast between specific imagery and basic statements that get to the root of the feeling.
JZ: How has your relationship to self-reclamation evolved during or after the making of this EP?
EH: I am still on that journey! As a chronic people-pleaser, taking my side is not a battle, but a war. I’d say the thing that has changed for me since the making of this EP, though, is awareness. It was honestly really helpful to dig through my subconscious like that.
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Emma Harner’s debut EP, Taking My Side, is out now on all streaming platforms. Follow her journey and hear more at @emmaharner on Instagram.