Emma Dean
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Emma Dean

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | INDIE

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | INDIE
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"Live: Emma Dean (.... Meets Dr Dream) - Raval, May 1"

The performance of Emma Dean (...Meets Dr Dream) s tarted off with an eerie opening as Dr Dream set the s cene for the audience and prepared them for what was in store - a dissection of his patient's sanity.

The mixture of a well-written storyline and amazing vocal and musical talent ensured the audience was captivated throughout the entire performance. Emma Dean's unique cabaret style is especially unique and a pleasure to watch.

The show was a more contemporary style of cabaret. At times Dr Dream's character showed inflections of Liza Minnelli in the Broadway movie Cab aret. Dean is well trained vocally and musically, which shone through her onstage pres ence and performance. She also showed exceptional skill in piano: s he was phenomenal to watch, and faultless , as she accompanied herself while she s ang throughout the performance.

The narrative throughout kept the story exciting and ensured the audience's attention was held right until the very end. The packed-out performance last weekend is testament to her cult fans, some who dres sed too in cabaret theme. The audience was left wanting more, and Dean's performance brought hope that this style of performance might become a regular fixture in Sydney's entertainment scene. - Nine MSN - Your Gigs


"The Tempest @ Old Museum Bld, Brisbane 27 June 2009"

"... the music is stunning. Emma Dean and Colin Webber composed the score and it conveys mood, tension, beauty and whimsy perfectly.

.What a stroke of genius for director Lynne Bradley to cast Emma Dean as Ariel. Emma plays the grand piano and the violin during the show, using her violin to add menace when needed. And her voice is pure magic. She sang some of Ariel's lines, spoke others, and was captivating throughout. Emma Dean is a compelling performer, whether as a singer, musician or actor."

Spirits, beasts and beauty
Zen Zen Zo has created another world, right inside Brisbane. It's a strange world, peopled with bizarre and fantastic creatures and is available to mere mortals until 11 July.

The first thing you'll notice, when you book for this show, is that it's not at any of the usual venues. Instead you'll be heading out to the Old Museum, near the RNA showgrounds.
It's a pleasure to see the Old Museum being used for performance. You'll find the building lit, trees silhouetted and strange creatures wandering the grounds. Wearing trailing gowns or fanciful corsets and fishnet stockings, these creatures appear otherworldly and androgynous. They move slowly and gracefully and sport feathers for eyebrows.

You'll be ushered into the cavernous innards of the Old Museum, but it won't resemble anything you've seen before. Scrolls hang from the walls, bearing flowing writing. Cloth and paper spiral down from the ceiling. The room is cloudy with smoke and there appear to be mannequins posed in groups around the room. They're lit in reds, oranges and blues and, as you step closer to them, you discover that they're breathing.

Welcome to the world of The Tempest. This is promenade theatre, which means that there aren't seats for the audience and the action happens all around you. The audience follows the performers, sitting on the floor in front of the action and then moving to the next spot. (If you're not comfortable sitting on the ground, don't rule The Tempest out. Maybe bring a folding stool that you can carry and set up easily.)

This production of The Tempest isn't for purists. The text was, for me, the least successful part of the show. In fact, there were times where I wished they weren't using it and had opted for a full musical version. Because the music is stunning. Emma Dean and Colin Webber composed the score and it conveys mood, tension, beauty and whimsy perfectly.

Lynne Bradley's choreography and direction is incredible.What a stroke of genius for director Lynne Bradley to cast Emma Dean as Ariel. Emma plays the grand piano and the violin during the show, using her violin to add menace when needed. And her voice is pure magic. She sang some of Ariel's lines, spoke others, and was captivating throughout. Emma Dean is a compelling performer, whether as a singer, musician or actor.

Zen Zen Zo is a physical theatre ensemble, so the music wasn't the only stunning aspect of the show. Lynne Bradley's choreography and direction is incredible.

Caliban, the outcast, is played by a group of six actors, with Dale Thorburn as his main manifestation. These six are near naked, with mostly shaven heads - apart from one tuft of hair sticking out on each. Their faces were painted in ghastly patterns and they used Butoh to great effect in their contorted movements. More animal than human they were terrifying, provoking pity as well as fear.

Ariel's chorus is all light and sensuality. These spirits leap and dance and flirt, part air and part water. The mortals who stumble on Prospero's island are clumsy buffoons in comparison and the actors play them well.

Bryan Nason's Prospero was all too human. He was a frail master of the spirits and the beasts, seeming to rule by will rather than power. His daughter, Miranda (Jill Geurts) looked and sang like an angel, albeit a tattoed and drugged angel! Her duets with Alex Mikic were lovely.

Much of the magic was created by the costumes and the lighting. Angela White's costumes were sensational. Sexy, alluring and outrageous in equal parts, they dazzled under Jason Glenwright's moody lighting.

Zen Zen Zo's version of The Tempest is highly recommended. While the story isn't clear and Shakespeare's lines aren't all audible, this show is a magical rock concert and a beautifully choreographed dance and you'll love it, even if you don't understand all the intricacies of the plot.

Reviewed by Katherine Lyall-Watson - Our Brisbane . Com....... Katherine Lyall-Watson


"The Tempest @ Old Museum Bld, Brisbane 27 June 2009"

"....In general, the ensemble delivers with radiant force, but singer-songwriter Emma Dean as Ariel, who wrote the pop-infused score, is superb."

Wandering in to the space, there's a silvery realm of mists and breezes, wraiths and roaring seas, and you are free to mingle among the cast. This is physical theatre, promenade-style.

There are no safe havens, rows, chairs, in fact no boundaries at all. The stage is only another terrain on which segments are played. It's fun to be jostled by a grimacing elemental or 17th century sailor and, to the company's credit, there's no awkwardness involved. One of the achievements is the ambience of shimmering wonder.

Lynne Bradley's charming production is the latest offering from a company that specialises in richly imagined, adaptations of classics. Using a sprinkling of Shakespearean text to advance the story (purists be warned) and with minimal props, the costumes involved atmospheric fragments, a fisherman's netting or seaweed trails.

The directors emphasis is on channelling the feelings of entrapment that the banished Prospero, played with gravitas by the legendary thespian Brian Nason, ethereal sprits Ariel and Caliban, the young lovers Ferdinand and Miranda, the shipwrecked crew and wrongdoer Alonso all endure. In general, the ensemble delivers with radiant force, but singer-songwriter Emma Dean as Ariel, who wrote the pop-infused score, is superb.

Diction was not always clear across the board on opening night in otherwise uplifting theatre.....

Review by Gillian Bramley-Moore - The Courier Mail


"Live: The Judith Wright Centre 28 Jun 2008"

"...hopefully this performance will be a stepping stone towards a high-flying career."

Emma Dean, Ben Stewart

It’s always great when a local Brisbane artist can produce a really great album, and it’s even better when they can produce a sold out album launch like tonight. The Judith Wright Centre is packed beyond recognition and with café style seating on the floor and stadium seating at the back it kind of feels as though everything is waiting for a fine piece of theatre, which is maybe what everyone will get.

First up tonight is Ben Stewart, whose decision to go with neither a full band nor in solo mode proves to be a positive one, as his performance has an air of intimacy about it while still maintaining the fuller sound that inherently comes with having another musician on stage. With truthful songwriting years beyond his age and the ability to flirt easily with falsetto tones, he runs through a spectrum of songs from the folk plucks of ‘Don’t Adjust Your Eyes’ to the Jeff Buckley-esque sound of ‘Tessa Hates Her Body’. With a solid live set it’s obvious to see why he is perfect support for tonight and will have without doubt garnered a few new fans from his accomplished set.

After a quick intermission the sounds of a computer operating system coming to life can be heard, as each band member is introduced as a piece of a real life computer. This opening gambit has the room buzzing, as Emma Dean triumphantly appears on stage and opens straight into the title track from her debut album and the theme for the night – ‘Real Life Computer Game’. Performing with a gusto not commonly seen from singer-songwriters these days, Emma instantly has the crowd plastered with smiles as the chirpy piano melody and catchy choral riff has the entire band bouncing on stage. One of Emma’s amazing talents is the fact that she can transition so effortlessly between the piano and violin but still maintain a perfect vocal tone and range, as she proves with tracks such as ‘Henry’ and current single ‘Cocaine’. ‘Waiting Room’ plays with a Kate Bush feel while still brushing with pop elements to create a lovely track, made even lovelier with the addition of an all-male choir to fill out the chorus lines. The theatre element is obviously present tonight with the recurring theme of the Real Life Computer Game adding drama to an already active performance, but the ever humble Emma makes sure that she takes the time out to thank all that helped make the album possible, before playing the final track of the main set, ‘Get What You Paid For’. With such a standout performance, though, an encore is inevitable, and she returns to the stage for a heart-wrenching rendition of ‘Falling Solo’ and a fantastic version of Silverchair’s ‘Straight Lines’ that Daniel Johns should be taking note of before his next live butchering of said track. With a lengthy line immediately winding to the merchandise table for copies of Dean’s new album, hopefully this performance will be a stepping stone towards a high-flying career

Review by Mark Beresford - Time Off


"Live: The Troubadour 15 March 2008"

Review: Live @ The Troubadour 15 March 2008
Time Off, Brisbane, 19-25 March 2008


"...better than anything you'll hear on the radio...."

Angie Hart, Emma Dean, Edward Guglielmino

Extract from longer review:

...Rapidly rising Brisbane chanteuse Emma Dean... gives us an exceptional set of solid pop-folk numbers, tonight playing in stripped-back mode with her and her keys accompanied by a guitarist whose presence seems unnecessary here tonight such is the mesmerising quality of the singer herself. Songs like ‘3 Meals’ and ‘Cocaine’ provide the bounciest moments while ‘Orange Dress’ (sic- 'Orange Red') and ‘No More Chai Tea’ are better than anything you’ll hear on the radio....

Review by Sharon Eggleston - Time Off


"Live Performance @ The Globe 12 April 2007"

" ...effervescent, charismatic, confident, and engaging."

Extract from longer review:

Emma Dean / Tara Simmons / Scott Spark
The Globe, Thursday 12 April

Extra! Extra! Read all about it - tonight The Globe shouts Brisbane to a bout of the finest multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriters, and don’t you doubt it....

Emma Dean has clearly got performing down to a fine art - she’s effervescent, charismatic, confident, and engaging. Sliding into a bouncy, melodic tune, Dean slaps her keyboard with apparent glee. In a similar vein as Regina Spektor and Tori Amos, Dean’s unorthodox delivery dramatically skips merrily around her music, surprising at every turn. It’s little idiosyncrasies such as this that give an artist their individuality and allure, which in turn irremovably implants them in the subconscious of the listener. To that end, Dean is extraordinary.

Dean publicly unveils new tune ‘Most Of The Time’ for the first time, and it deservedly garners a warm response. Supplanting herself from her keyboard, Dean works a violin while simultaneously tackling vocals on a cover of Tori Amos’ ‘Cornflake Girl’ - wowsers! She finishes with ‘Good Song’, which is dedicated to Simmons and Spark.

Those unfortunate louts who missed tonight’s performances will be left to shout and pout like they’ve got gout.

Review by Miyamoto Musashi - Time Off


"Album: Real life computer game (2009)"

allgigs.co.uk, United Kingdom, 12 September 2009
Reviewer: Patrick McKiernan

"... it is certainly an attention grabbing album. Curious, funny, astute and above all, weird. She could well stake a good claim to be the new Millennium's Kate Bush with her theatrical approach to music...."

Emma Dean is a Brisbane based multi instrumentalist that has followed up the quick release of two very promising E.P's with her debut long player and it is certainly an attention grabbing album. Curious, funny, astute and above all, weird. She could well stake a good claim to be the new Millennium's Kate Bush with her theatrical approach to music.

Opening track 'Waiting Room' is all performance theatre with her emphatic vocals on display and intricate piano and guitar licks. It's a very fun song to lead into the title track, which is a perfectly constructed pop song that would make a fantastic single. Her voice is enough on it's own, her yips and yelps adding great dimensions to the sound. 'Most Of The Time' is a good piano led ballad with great string arrangements and 'Sorry' is a song that builds in intensity with every passing sentence and grows to a great finale. 'Get What You Paid For' is a fantastic track pulsating with wicked energy and then 'Orange Red' is again a great string soaked song with a beautiful vocal. Short track 'Addicted To' uneasily leads into 'Cocaine' is pure energy and theatrics as she kicks through a fantastic response to false rumours she was on the white powder. 'Henry' starts with a wonderfully dark cello and violin, which sets the tone for a very sombre piece of music. 'End Of The Table' is slightly stuttering in its approach but nothing cannot be taken from the vocals, yet again pristine. 'Dry Land' is again a rather stretched song, which is a shame. The final track (you can read the title in the listing) picks the album up from what could have been a disappointing finale. It is the embodiment of the attitude with which this album was produced, sounding almost like a song from a Musical. The vocal is the best from a great choice of strong performances.

Emma Dean is deserving of greatness with her dedication to making music as wide screen as possible and this album continues her standard of high quality releases. A minor lull towards the end does not overshadow the fantastic show put on throughout. - allgigs.co.uk


"Album: Real life computer game (2009)"

"An exceptional effort from this rising local performer... It’s an undeniably accomplished, imaginative effort with plenty of colour and movement but, more importantly, with lots of heart and soul."

Emma Dean has been around the Brisbane scene now for a few years in various guises, including the trio Bittersuite, the theatre troupe Zen Zen Zo and as part of Kate Miller-Heidke’s band. But it’s as a solo performer that’s she’s really begun to shine.

After 2007’s impressive EP Face Painter, this first longplayer, co-produced with Ben Stewart and featuring a number of up-and-coming locals, arrives as a fully-fledged showcase of this singer-songwriter’s talents.

You can see how comparisons to everybody from Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple to Clare Bowditch and Kate Miller-Heidke have some sort of currency but Dean doesn’t really stand in their shadow at all.

Drawing on her extensive training and background, particularly with piano and violin, she melds elements of classical and cabaret for a style that sounds both theatrical and thoughtful. And just when you think it’s heading into prog-rock territory, as in Cocaine’s chop-and-change mood or, as in Henry’s swooping strings, maybe getting too orchestral, it’s all focussed by a rock attitude nailing the melodies and by Dean’s own vivid voice. It’s an undeniably accomplished, imaginative effort with plenty of colour and movement but, more importantly, with lots of heart and soul. - Rave Magazine


"Album: Real life computer game (2009)"

"....Real Life Computer is an awesome debut from an awesome artist."

Quirky and super talented; Emma Dean wows us with her amazing blend of elastic pop theatre.

Off the back of her debut EP 'Face Painter', the sensual and sultry Emma Dean returns with band of Dane Pollock (guitar), John Turnbull (bass), Rachel Meredith (cello) and Anthony Dean (drums) in toe to release her first full length album. Produced by Ben Stewart (Hot Sex Liquid, The Boat People); 'Real Life Computer Game' draws on her extensive training and background, as a theatre performer, music teacher, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist to create a dangerously catchy and dramatic piece of work; that many will agree is her best to date

Every song on the album is a wonderfully crafted; whether it be the highly theatrical yet slightly off kilt opening track 'Waiting Room' starting of peacefully before exploding into a theatrical rocker or the tear jerking and doleful 'Henry' or the harrowing lead song and release 'Cocaine' with it’s frantic piano thrashing; she combines elements of classical and cabaret to create an all together fresh and organic sound. Her vocals are undoubtedly captivating, but this album does more than to just showcase Dean as an accomplished singer but better yet prove her to be an equally adept song writer too.

Falling somewhere on the radar between Florence Welshe and Regina Spektor, The Brisbane native creates her own sound that is self described as a blend of “Elastic Pop Theatre”, result, not only because of its infectious nature but through the manner in which it dips, soars and evolves like a stage musical. Whatever you want to call it, with 12 enchanting and larger than life tracks of such varied yet high calibre, Real Life Computer is an awesome debut from an awesome artist.

4/5 - www.subba-cultcha.com


"Album: Real life computer game (2009)"

"This is a dangerously catchy and dramatic album that demands your attention...it's one of those rare albums that repays repeated listening."

Intelligent female pop music in Australia is not exactly a crowded field, but for that matter Emma Dean is a very crowded and multi-coloured renaissance woman. Being a theatre performer, music teacher, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist she is every much in a class of her own despite the many hats she proudly wears.

Starting out fresh from the Brisbane Conservatorium as a jazz student having excelled in piano and violin, she formed her own act Bittersuite which she worked in from 2002 - 2005 and collaborated with Kate Miller-Heidke and the physical theatre troupe Zen Zen Zo before she finally decided to proclaim herself as a performer in her own right.

The last few years have been summed up in the intriguingly titled debut album "Real Life Computer Game". Her vocals are sensual and sultry, but at the same time with an authoritative 'don't fuck with me cos I've been there and done it before' rock attitude.

Every song on the album is a wonderfully crafted gem with the soft and lilting opener 'Waiting Room' that starts peacefully then explodes into a theatrical rocker towards the end, the pizzacato-ish waltz and triangle filled 'Sorry', the Lisa Loeb-ish 'Orange Red' (which came No.2 in the Courier Mail's People's Choice songs this year), the tearjerking and despondent 'Henry', the frantic piano led thrash of the harrowing 'Cocaine' about muck-raking internet journalists who spread rumours about her alleged drug use, and the boppy pomp rock stomp of the title track with quirky harmonies and biting guitar licks (which I personally think should have been saved for the last track). Speaking of which, the final track is the unsuccint "Could This Mean If Everyone Is Alone We're Together? in The Way That We're All Together Alone" in which she demonstrates her vocal acrobatics in a homage to her best friend Angie Miles.

If you like the quirky dark sophistication of acts like 10cc, Sparks and Dresden Dolls together with the cool and collected rock princesses like Kate Bush, Bjork, Danielle Dax, Fiona Apple, and Kate Nash then Emma Dean is definitely worth checking out not only as a recording artist but as one of Brisbane's most exciting and captivating performers of this decade.

This is a dangerously catchy and dramatic album that demands your attention with so much more than meets the ear every time you hear it, it's one of those rare albums that repays repeated listening.

5/5 - Brisbane Music


"Album: Real life computer game (2009)"

"...a masterpiece; no doubt about it....as fresh and inventive as I had hoped it would be and easily fits into my top 10 albums of the year so far."


Brisbane artist Emma Dean follows up her highly imaginative and quirky Face Painter EP with her first full length album, Real Life Computer Game. Teaming up once again with co producer Ben Stewart, they have given us a masterpiece; no doubt about it.

Dean has a way with words and melody that can match Clare Bowditch and Kate Miller Heidke, and should find her-self as important as those two glorious Aussie songwriters. Dean has best described her musical style by coining her music Elastic Pop Theatre. It’s dynamic, epic and never sits still for a second. Just when you think you have a grasp of things, off she bounces in another direction. Don’t misunderstand me and think that means this album doesn’t have focus, or is so disjointed as to be irritating. It flows magnificently, with a torrent of emotions and sounds that will leave you gasping for breath. Take for instance the title track, a blistering song about seizing the day, before it’s all too late. Cocaine, a song written after reading a false report that said she was a cocaine addict, is frenetic, jagged and deliriously sexy. Even the gentler songs never quite allow you to settle, and keep dipping and diving into complex themes both musically and lyrically.

Death and the afterlife are common themes. For instance the final track, the wordy Could this mean if everyone is alone we’re together? / In the way that we’re all together alone?, are the lines His arms are reaching to her but he’s blinded / By skin over eyes and she’s always reminded / That when we die we’re always alone. In Dry Land, a song about the after life (the one after the death of a relationship) Dean sings Now all I need is time just on my own / To get used to this body and its new home.

There are many elements to this album which will take repeat listens to fully appreciate. Real Life Computer Game is as fresh and inventive as I had hoped it would be, and easily fits into my top 10 albums of the year so far - Inpress Magazine


"EP: Face Painter (2006)"

"This new face of Emma Dean's shines surely and brightly."

Local singer-songwriter continues to impress
The title reflects the fact that Emma Dean has been around in various guises over the years (like, more recently, a member of Kate Miller-Heidke’s band and a participant in last year’s Women In Voice). But this second solo effort shows how the risks she’s taken in her career moves continue to pay off.

More a mini-LP than the EP it’s billed as, it has seven wonderfully diverse songs over 25 minutes. She has her band very much in evidence here, especially on more pumping tracks like Good Song, but the sound is clearly shaped by Dean’s piano, violin and Hammond organ playing. Listen, for example, to how she leans into the keys on Sunday, then pulls back for a more vulnerable feel. She plays with a confidence that allows the songs to take some quirky turns along the way without losing their melodic core. A case in point? 3 Meals. It has a curious bounce to it, while Dean puts a few extra twists into her vocal– yet it ends up being thoroughly engaging. Meanwhile, try not being moved by the intimacy of Chai Tea or the lilt-to-full-tilt emotion of Too Fat For Ballet.

This new face of Emma Dean’s shines surely and brightly. - Rave Magazine


"EP: Face Painter (2006)"

" Dean's EP is a great listen."

Emma Dean comes across as a cousin of Nellie McKay at times on
this EP. She has a unique take on the sound though.

She makes the spunky "3 meals" sting.

A more sensitive number like "Chai tea" is equally well handled.
Dean's vocals and piano resonate as she sings an intriguing song.

The wonderfully titled"Too Fat for Ballet" resembles Frente's
Angie Hart vocally, the words of accepting yourself for who you
are become striking.

Good song is easy to sing along to. - collectedsounds.com


"EP: Face Painter (2006)"

"This second EP...further showcases the extraordinary talent this 23-year-old possesses."

This second EP from Brisbane piano chanteuse Emma Dean explodes with life, and further showcases the extraordinary talent this 23-year-old possesses.

From the highly infectious opener ‘3 Meals’ and its killer chorus (seriously, you can’t hit the repeat button quick enough); "Where do I belong? Is it in your arms or is it somewhere I can learn to be strong?" to the stunning ‘Chai Tea’, where Dean delivers an intimate and graceful serenade.

The record echoes Regina Spektor in its flawless exchanges between rock, pop, jazz and folk; at times you’ll be jumping around your lounge (‘Good Song’) and at others you’ll be sharing a revealing glass of wine with the lady herself (‘Too Fat For Ballet’).

If the thought of finding yourself in a record entices you, then let Emma Dean guide you. - Time Off


"EP: Hanging Out The Washing (2005)"

"Dean... pulls off every lilted note with absolute class and chilling intuitiveness.”

When has this inventive singer/songwriter ever put a foot wrong? Retiring her folk-pop duo Bittersuite to strike out on her own, 21-year-old Dean continues to take risks with her solo work and still pulls off every lilted note with absolute class and chilling intuitiveness.” - Time Off


"Live: Judith Wright Centre Feb 2008 (Time Off)"

"....Her gift for performance is clearly on show and watching her skilfully play violin and sing simultaneously is absolutely mesmerising....".

Emma Dean, Tara Simmons

Extract from longer review:

That tonight’s show is sold out confirms the huge amount of interest stirring in these two local singer/songwriters....

...After a quick intermission, the lights dim as Emma Dean takes the stage with her silky, jazzy vocals and her attention-commanding scatting. The addition of a string ensemble for tonight’s show adds to the theatrical performance of ‘Henry’, and the audience hangs on every note of Dean’s piano solo. Her gift for performance is clearly on show and watching her skilfully play violin and sing simultaneously is absolutely mesmerising.

Following a rousing applause, Dean’s encore begins with a string arrangement that seems slightly familiar and has everyone guessing before falling into a dramatic, riotous rendition of none other than Avril Lavigne’s ‘Complicated’. It’s a surprising and amusing cover, and the adaptation is so brilliant you’d hardly recognise the song from its inane beginnings. It’s hard to tell whether it was chosen tongue-in-cheek or if Dean genuinely likes the song, but, as with the rest of her set, it’s delivered with class and aplomb.

Review by Renee Montgomery
- Time Off


"Live: Judith Wright Centre Feb 2008 (Rave)"

"....Her vocal performances match the attitude, never hitting one note when she can soar up and down arpeggios and scales to bring a song to a dramatic conclusion..."

Emma Dean / Tara Simmons
The Judith Wright Centre 8 February 2008

Extract from longer review"

....Emma Dean’s performance could not be further removed from Simmons’s – where Simmons was restrained on stage, Dean vamps it up, sweeping on stage in a designer dress and a mater dolorosa hairdo like some outlandish combination of Tori Amos and Diamantina Galas. Her vocal performances match the attitude, never hitting one note when she can soar up and down arpeggios and scales to bring a song to a dramatic conclusion, a fact she notes in her song Most Of The Time (“I know you think I’m over-dramatic”). Her very apparent talent makes up for the diva quotient as, with the help of a large string section, she runs through a swathe of songs – all of which are well-received by a very supportive crowd. After her final song, the new single Cocaine, she returns for an encore cover of Avril Lavigne’s Complicated – a cover that includes a byzantine pizzicato passage in the first chorus (Complicated, geddit?) and an melodramatic conclusion which riffs on the main theme of The Phantom Of The Opera. By rights, it shouldn’t work – but, damnit, it does. Both Simmons and Dean are obviously set on promising career trajectories, and it will be very interesting to see which of these two radically-different approaches works best in the future.

Review by Chad Parkhill - Rave


"Live: Women In Voice QPAC 2006"


"...looks like a princess...but she's also raw with a great sense of irony and can morph in a second as she sings songs based on her princess diary..."

Below is an extract from a longer review.

Women in Voice 15
Playhouse Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane, 18 November 2006

...Each singer creates her own party piece, but they all step in as backing singers, so it really does seem like a big communal songfest. Some have props or a bit of a light show, others just sing, and what voices - blues, jazz, folk, pop, enormous variety, power and beauty, and a great line of comedy....

Emma Dean... just sits at the piano. She's no bland Diana Krall though, singing old standards. She sings mostly her own songs and looks like a princess in white silk with a tumble of blonde curls cascading down her back, but she's also raw with a great sense of irony and can morph in a second as she sings songs based on her princess diary into all the nasty little girls at school who are also doing ballet. And when she also plays jazz violin like Stephane Grapelli and acoustic guitar, the audience is taken on a pretty wild ride.

Review by Barbara Garlick - www.stagediary.com


Discography

Singles 2020
1. Thunder
2. Thieving Hearts
3. Stuck In The Mud
4. Sincerely Fearful
5. Something They Can Hold

Previous
1. Hanging Out The Washing (EP-2005)
2. Face Painter (EP-2006)
-"3 Meals" received local and national airplay.
3. Real Life Computer Game (Album - 2008)
- "Cocaine" received local and national airplay.
4. Downside Up (2009) Original musical theater written by
Emma Dean and Jacob Diefenbach
5. The Tempest (2009)soundtrack recorded for Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre's
production of The Tempest.
6. Dr Dream and the Imaginary Pop-Cabaret (Album - 2010)

Photos

Bio

Its a sexy circus, its a freaky dream and Emma Dean is about to drop you 'down the rabbit hole' and turn your world upside down. Singer, songwriter and ringmaster Dean will drag you into an imaginary underworld to explore different facets of her wild and often child-like imagination on her new album “Dr Dream and the Imaginary Pop Cabaret”. Its a sideshow behind a piano; its a carnival of kook; its a sing-along striptease; and Emma Dean is the neurotic cabaret songstress to lead the chorus of freaks.

"...Curious, funny, astute and above all, weird. She could well stake a good claim to be the new Millennium's Kate Bush with (her) theatrical approach to music...." Patrick McKiernan allgigs.co.uk, United Kingdom

Emma Dean has become the guilty pleasure of the underground with nationally sold-out shows, festival appearances and supports with Amanda Palmer, The Dresden Dolls and Katie Noonan. At the end of last year she was labelled “one of ten artists to watch in 2011” by THE NEW YORK POST, and shortly after her single "Sincerely Fearful" made it's first debut in the American music charts. Her unique shows feature an explosion of pop music, theatre and the decadent world of cabaret!
Recently, Emma was awarded the Butterfly Club's prestigious “Under Our Wing” award. With past recipients including international stars Tim Minchin and Sammy J, the award shows a career which can happily sit within the music and entertainment worlds in a single glorious imaginarium.

“Just sample her monster Broadway single “Sincerely Fearful”, which is 50% “Wicked” and 50% Tori Amos and 100% addictive, and you will find an unavoidable sound worthy of the repeat button.” Ryan Brockington NEW YORK POST

Slip in to your frilly knickers, sip a cocktail and and let Emma flirt with your jealous inhibitions.

Visit www.emmadean.com for a tantalising taste.
Emma Dean has achieved much in her short and sucessful career with all 3 recordings resulting in the following highlights:

- Top 15 for one month in US Specialty Radio Charts
- Airplay on Triple J
- Airplay, interviews and live performances on 612ABC radio
- Airplay, interviews and live performances on local and national independent radio stations (including 4ZZZ, JoyFM and ABC Coast Radio)
- Wonderful live reviews in local street press
- Articles in Courier Mail, The Sunday Mail, MX Magazine, Quest Newspapers and national and local street press
- Performing at National Festivals including Woodford Folk Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival, Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Brisbane Festival, Queensland Festival, Noosa Jazz Festival, 2High Festival, Australian International Music Market and BigSound Conference
- Performing in Women In Voice 15 at QPAC Brisbane 2006
- Performed as female soloist in The Spirit Of Christmas alongside David Campbell and The Queensland Orchestra at QPAC (nationally televised on ABC Christmas evening 2006
- Played special guest spots and supports for The Dresden Dolls, Amanda Palmer, Kate Miller-Heidke, Teddy Geiger and Angie Hart
- Finalist in the pop and jazz section of QSong awards 2006
- Finalist in the QSong Courier Mail Peoples Choice Awards 2008
- Winner of "Under Our Wing Award" in 2010
- Toured through Victoria, NSW, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland
- Toured to Berlin, Germany
- Sold Out Headline Shows