Emily Holloway

“What does it take to make it in the music business? Some people say a good voice, some people say great songs, and some people say you just need connections. Honestly, I can’t be sure how these things work. But I know that I love music more than anything. I know that if people tell me I’m not good enough, it only makes me want to prove them wrong. I know that I love to watch and listen to people and I try to learn something new everyday. I’m like a sponge. I know that I love adventures. I know that I believe in my songs and I believe in crazy dreams. I’m just a girl who loves to create something out of nothing. I’m not asking people to love me, I’m not even asking them to like me. I’m just asking for the chance to create magic, with words, and some guitar, and maybe a few people that are interested in what I have to say. My life is like a giant collection of songs waiting to be sung, and I can’t wait.” –Emily Holloway

At only seventeen years old, Emily Holloway is as dedicated to country music as a girl can get. From the day her parents bought her that first radio when she was ten, she’s been blaring the local country station in her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, and driving her friends and family crazy. While most of her friends rock out to pop and rap, she stays true to her heart with her favourite songs, including everything from Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn to Aaron Lines and Taylor Swift. High school kids generally frown upon anyone being a “country girl”, but she just sees the empty spaces in her social calendar as more opportunities to write songs and play music. Many people have compared her to Taylor Swift, because anyone that messes with her heart will without doubt end up in a one of her honest and catchy songs.

She looks at life in the big picture, and can’t wait for more experiences to live and write about, and hopefully share with the world. Emily was a quiet girl growing up, and when her dream of singing on the big stage seems out of reach, she turns to country music to inspire her yet again. One of her idols and fellow-Calgarians Paul Brandt once said “I’ll never discover new land, by keeping my feet on the sand. No I’d rather set sail and get carried away by the storm. I’d rather risk”. This sentiment has been expressed in the songs she loves and in the songs she writes, and they are words that she lives by. Her shy personality has put her in the background, where she learns from family friends in the music business, all while perfecting her craft, so when she gets her chance, she’ll be ready to break out and take center stage. She may not seem like she has much to say at first, but give her a guitar and you won’t be able to shut her up. She puts her heart and soul into every performance, and is hoping to share her music with whoever will listen.

She started out singing to her parents in her living room. Her dad, who has music in his blood, gave her her first guitar and taught her to play. The first time she sang in front of a larger crowd was at a talent show in grade eight. Her and her friend grabbed their guitars and performed a crowd-pleasing cover of “Leave the Pieces” by the Wreckers. She still plays for her large extended family many times a year, and grabs all the open-mic opportunities she can get. She has been writing her own songs since she was twelve years old. “I can’t even remember what made me start” she says of her songwriting passion, “something inside of me just said, this is something I want to do,” and from that day forward she’s penned many more songs than anyone ever imagined she would, with new ones coming up all the time.

What sets her apart from other girls is her unbreakable dedication and passion to country music. She’s a smart girl, but she’s not going to let the chance of failure keep her from living in the moment, and living for what she loves. The thought of touching even one person with one of the songs that started on a wrinkled napkin in the back of a classroom is enough to keep her going. That ability to turn simple words into poetry is not something she’ll ever take for granted, and she works hard at it everyday. She takes singing lessons and is always trying to outdo her last song with the next. There may be girls who can sing higher or play faster, but that just pushes her to try harder every single day to really stand up, stand out, and make her dreams a reality. Her songs are each one of a kind, and creations straight from the heart.

Thank you for reading, enjoy the music!