The Australian LA-based Pop/Folk Artist and Singer/Songwriter Emily Coupe channels all the emotion we feel this time of year, yet through our contemporary twist with "Quarantine Christmas."
Emily Coupe is the type of artist who wears her heart on her sleeve for listeners to connect with, all while consistently delivering themes of romance and self-reflection. Fueling her music with organic tones and her voice's earthy feel, Emily Coupe stops at nothing until her tunes spark a revelation within the listener.
With her latest seasonal release, "Quarantine Christmas," Emily Coupe sings of our present-day struggles amid the long-running pandemic. When speaking about the single, Emily Coupe stated, "May 'Quarantine Christmas' be some kind of solace, emotional release, or a cathartic way to navigate through this difficult yet happy time."
Speaking on the single "Quarantine Christmas," the piece opens with jazzy electric guitar melodies, faint jingle bells, and Emily Coupe's mesmerizing vocal abilities. She begins singing of watching the snowfall outside and describes this imaginary lock, keeping her and everyone else from seeing their loved ones.
We're entirely submerged into the organic feel of this holiday single, especially as the mellow cello begins haunting up the sonic foreground while Emily Coupe comes forward with her soulful acoustic guitar melodies. We also feel this magnetic pull towards the vibrance of Emily Coupe's broad vocal range, as she offers prime melodies that portray intense universal emotion.
We're more than appreciative of the modern-day holiday tune "Quarantine Christmas," primarily through the serene stylings of Emily Coupe, as she lets the listener feel connected although we're miles apart.
What inspired you to create such a relatable, modern, and in-depth holiday tune with "Quarantine Christmas"?
Honestly, my friend Johan Carpenter and I wrote this song over 6 months ago as a spoof/joke song, and unfortunately for many places around the world (including LA and Sydney/Australia), it has come true. It was inspired as a 'what if' type of scenario, imagining what it would be like if we were still experiencing Covid lockdowns during Xmas. And here we are!
Was it challenging to write the lyrics for "Quarantine Christmas," seeing as your lyricism is rather emotional and reflective?
The process of writing lyrics for me is usually pretty fast, as I let the first thing that pops into my head - inspired by the music - flow out onto the page. We started off this song with the idea of a Christmas song, Johan started playing guitar, I came up with some 'dummy' lyrics, and we went from there! I believe I ended up keeping most of the original lyrics actually! So I guess it is pretty emotional because it was the first thing that came to me, and I kept it.
We truly admire the ode to past holiday songs within the instrumentals on "Quarantine Christmas." Did you have any help when creating the sonic atmosphere and melodies?
Yes, Johan is really talented and helped set the scene with his original chord, rhythm, and playing choices, and my music manager Patrick Bojanic actually suggested changing the chorus lyrics to match Jingle Bells. Partially because it becomes more recognizable, and also because Jingle Bells is a publically owned song so don't need to pay any royalties. And Patrick ended up producing it with communal used Xmas song instruments aka bells, strings, upright bass, etc - so it was a team effort for sure.
Why did you want to create a one-shot music video/performance for your single "Quarantine Christmas"? Did you release the video to give listeners more to connect with?
Absolutely. I think it's really important to release at least once video with every song release, whether high or low budget, and since this song was produced on fairly short notice, plus we had entered another lockdown, we thought that this was the fastest and most effective way to create a high-quality video quickly. It also captures the theme of the song too - which is that we are all stuck inside this Xmas in our living rooms, wearing masks, and remembering that the most important thing that we have is each other, etc.
What goals do you have with your music heading into the new year?
My goals next year are that I want to complete recording, as well as release all of the new songs on my second album and a few other random singles too. I would also love to play more shows and tour if possible, and continue to build and expand my presence on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Youtube, and to connect with as many new people as possible.