About That Song: Emily Hicks
About That Song #63
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
Today’s guest is Emily Hicks, a Utah-based singer-songwriter who released her debut album in September. Fun fact: We’re both attending the Folk Alliance Regional Midwest (FARM) conference this weekend in Lisle, IL!
Emily Hicks. Photo credit: Beehive Photography & Video.
Sarah: Hi Emily Hicks! Thank you for stopping by About That Song on the heels of releasing your highly anticipated debut album, Weird Wild Wonderful. A self-described “Granola Zillenial” based in Salt Lake City, you’re embarking on a Midwest tour in a few weeks, including a stop at the FARM Gathering in Illinois. With a new album and tour, it seems like the perfect time to learn more about your songwriting journey.
Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Emily: Taylor Swift’s “Teardrops On My Guitar.” I was in 7th grade when this song was released, and it was EVERYTHING for me as a boy-crazy middle school girl. Plus, Taylor Swift was the first young woman writing songs about her actual life on an acoustic guitar that I was ever exposed to. Before that it was Disney Channel stars and The Beatles. I obviously love The Beatles, but I didn’t necessarily see myself in their songs, so it never occurred to me that I could write songs about my own life until I started listening to Taylor Swift.
Sarah: Yes, there’s a different sense of what’s possible when you see someone you identify doing the THING. It’s pretty amazing to imagine how many young women picked up guitars and started writing songs because of Taylor Swift.
Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment?
Emily: Once I bought my first acoustic guitar, I couldn’t put it down. I never started out writing with the intention of building a career out of it. It was truly just a way for me to feel my feelings as a moody teenager. It took around 5 years before I started playing my music out live and maybe another 2 or 3 after that before I finally called myself a “songwriter” out loud. There wasn’t a specific song that helped bring this to fruition. It was more of a slow burn due to the encouragement from mentors, friends, and other musicians I looked up to that allowed me to finally embrace this identity.
Emily Hicks. Photo credit: Beehive Photography & Video.
Sarah: It's incredibly valuable to have mentors, friends, and fellow musicians supporting your musical journey, and even more so that those respected humans would point out what was already true: You are a songwriter! In 2021 you released your first single “Goodbye Indiana,” an ode to your home state. You said your big musical hello with a goodbye! Can you tell us about that song?
Emily: I was born and raised in a small Indiana town and wrote “Goodbye Indiana” when I made the cross-country move out to Utah. This move occurred a month or so after graduating from college and DAYS after getting married. To me, this move signified a new chapter in my life and an opportunity to get out there and explore who I was/am as Emily Hicks. “Goodbye Indiana” was my way of paying tribute to the state that raised me, and now it helps me to remember where I came from.
Sarah: Whoa! That was a big month for you, Emily! I love that you captured these large-scale life moves with a song.
In your new album, the title track and the last song of the album both hit me as songs where you offer a welcome mat, a generous sense of “come here just as you are.” “Weird Wild Wonderful You” celebrates the fact that “perfect ain’t good company.” Tell us about that song.
Emily: I’m happy to hear that’s the message you received because it is exactly what I wanted to communicate. I wrote “Weird Wild Wonderful You” specifically about my weird husband, but the philosophy applies to all humans I encounter. I LOVE getting to know people and have always been drawn to the outsiders. I’m not looking for perfection in any relationship—friends/family/partner—because I know I can’t deliver perfection either. Wouldn’t it be great if we all just accepted each other for the weird, wild, wonderful unique people we are?
Sarah: YES! Yes it would! Let’s all lean in to the heart of your beautiful song and do that for one another. In “Let You Stay” you promise the listener “if you show up at my doorstep one day, I’ll let you stay.” Can you talk about that song?
Emily: “Let You Stay” is my favorite song on the album. I used to be an elementary music teacher and had strong connections with my students. When I decided to leave teaching to pursue the singer/songwriter life full time, this is the song I wrote for all the amazing little humans I got to know over the years. Leaving my students was really difficult, but they are some of my biggest supporters now. I want them to know that no matter how messy life gets, I still believe in them.
Sarah: What an incredible gift to give your students. I suspect that you have done for some of them a version of what Taylor Swift did for you—show that it’s possible to do THE THING. Pick up the guitar, write the song, chase the dream. Bravo!
So you have some upcoming Midwest shows, huh?
Emily: I do! I’m heading out on a Midwest tour loop October 13–November 3. I’ll be stopping in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. To learn more about specific shows/dates, readers can visit my website.
Sarah: Wonderful! (Wild! Not weird, though!) I’m especially excited to know you’ll be at White Squirrel Bar with another fabulous Emily H—Emily Haavik! So any Minnesota based readers, head on over to St. Paul on November 2 for an early show! Details are here.
Thank you, Emily Hicks, for stopping by to talk with me today! I’m wishing you an incredible tour!
Listen to “Weird Wild Wonderful You”
Weird Wild Wonderful Album Credits
All songs written and performed by Emily Hicks
Recorded at Dog House Studio, Nashville TN
Mixed at Freda Recording, Nashville TN
Mastered by Knack Recording
Featured session players: JP Ruggieri, Dom Billet, Clark Singleton, Leif Shires, Kristin Weber
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
