Emily West Interview

Recording artist, songstress and songwriter Emily West has a voice like an angel. She just released her debut album, “All for You,” via Portrait/Sony Music Masterworks on August 14. As a finalist on season nine of “America’s Got Talent,” Emily was able to perform for a wide audience and wound up being first runner-up. She has also performed many times at the Grand Ole Opry.

So I understand that you have performed at the Grand Ole Opry.
Yes, I love to perform there. I have performed there 35 times.

That’s a really big deal. Would you say your music is basically country or pop, or what is the genre?
That’s one of the reasons I moved to New York. I wanted to make other records, not just country records. I mean, I love country music, because it tells a story, but I also love Broadway. I love music that tells a story. One day I’ll make another country record, but this album is zooming me more towards something like Barbra Streisand. I would love to be Barbra. This album is more contemporary than country.

I understand that you also work with Cyndi Lauper.
Yes, she is actually on the record with me.

How long have you been singing?
I started singing when I was eight years old. I was in a pageant in Iowa. I’ve been singing ever since then.

Iowa is a long way from New York. You were also on “America’s Got Talent.” What was that like for you?
It was a surreal experience. I had acrobats, singers, dancers. It was like living in a service for a couple of months. It was the best time; it was a dream. I made a lot of friends from the show. It was like a dream the whole time. I mean, it was hard work, but it was worth it.

You were a finalist, correct?
Yeah, I was the runner-up.

The runner-up—that’s very impressive. What motivated you to get into the entertainment business?
I love to sing.

Well, you do have a beautiful voice. What musicians and artists have inspired you, besides Barbra?
Patsy Cline, Cyndi Lauper…anybody that told a story.

Do you write your own music, your own songs?
I do. I enjoy songwriting and interpreting other people’s songs.

When you’re up on stage and singing, performing, what does that feel like to you?
It feels like freedom! I feel normal when I’m on stage. I don’t always feel normal, normally. I feel a little out of place, but on stage I feel normal.

Is there anything you would like to talk about or promote for the magazine?
Just the record and the tour, and I am on Twitter and Instagram as well.

emilywestofficial.com

Eileen Shapiro

Best selling author of "The Star Trek Medical Reference Manual", and feature celebrity correspondent for Get Out Magazine, Louder Than War, and Huffington Post contributor, I've interviewed artists from Adam Ant, Cyndi Lauper, and Annie Lennox to Jennifer Hudson, Rick Springfield, LeAnn Rimes, and thousands in between. My interviews challenge the threat of imagination....

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