"She sits at the piano, lips to microphone, boot to pedal, and speaks her mind — in song. I became an instant fan." --Val Haller, New York Times
If you ask Emily where music comes from, she says “the big place.” Her earliest memories of music are singing and dancing to Hoagy Carmichael in her living room as a toddler. She grew up at the end of a long gravel drive on the Rock River in Rockford, Illinois and sought out connection with music, nature, and cooking from an early age.
Today, Emily Hurd is a prolific songwriter, best known for her soulful voice and poetic rhymes. Music is a vital part of her daily rhythm and her spirituality. She stands firmly without genre, believing in the power of the song above all else. Paul Zollo of American Songwriter says that Emily writes "albums to fall into and swim in forever."
She is grateful to be able to share her songs with the world: her tunes have appeared on television's NCIS, 90210, The Good Wife, Melrose Place, and Life Unexpected, though live concerts are still her favorite way to experience music. The majority of her 19 full-length original studio albums were recorded live by John Abbey at Chicago's Kingsize Sound Labs. She is currently working on her 20th album while helping to run her Rockford restaurant, The Norwegian. Bringing people together around the table for a meal still brings her a deep sense of purpose.
Hurd first entered the music scene in 2005 when she and many of the staff members from Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music created her third original live album. Since then, she has toured her native Midwest, as well as internationally, sharing the stage with Irma Thomas, Bettye LaVette, and more. Her songs have been finalists in several international songwriting competitions, including the USA Songwriting Competition, The Song Of the Year Songwriting Competition, NPR’s NewSong Music Contest, The International Songwriting Competition, The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, the Great American Songwriting Contest, The Billboard World Song Contest, and The Unisong International Songwriting Competition.
In her newest release Scratch Kitchen, Emily steps away from her usual metaphors and tells the true story of past abuse in relationships and a stubborn will to live. Easily her most vulnerable collection, she says the record was written in her sleep, waking from nightmares and running to the piano to sort out her over-due revelations. The songs act as a promise to herself, and she hopes others can benefit from her story.
Her discography includes: "Meanwhile, I Love You," 2023, "Underkill," 2022, "Nightshades," 2020, "New-Fashioned Christmas," 2018, "Backbone," 2017, "Yule," 2015, "Shine Kid Shine," 2015, "Landmark," 2015, "the best-loved," 2013, "Burn Like a Field" (Stone Blind Valentine, 2013) "Any Given Day, 2012," "Long Lost Ghosts, 2012," "Tins & Pins & Peppermints, 2010, "Daytime Fireflies," 2010, "A Cache In The Warehouse Floor," 2008, "Love In Flats," 2007, "Barefoot Session," 2006, "Potent One," 2006, and "Lines," 2005.