Emmy Meli releases her debut EP Hello Stranger – featuring seven tracks that represent seven years of Emmy’s life, akin to a coming-of-age tale. Hello Stranger takes its name from Barbara Lewis’ 1961 R&B hit, which Emmy covers as the first track, paying homage to the musical influences that have shaped her journey.
The EP was recorded with producer collective Some Randoms (Reneé Rapp, John Legend, Kehlani). The focus track “Aura” boasts a dynamic collaboration with rapper Baby Tate, weaving through a narrative of self-discovery and personal growth – just the right anthem to bring us into the headspace we need for hot girl summer 🌞
About the release, Emmy shares: “Aura is a song for the people who glow from the inside out. Whose beauty and effervescence turn every head in the room because they shine in such an inexplicable way. It’s for those who’ve grown into exactly who they’re meant to be because they stay true and everyone can tell. If a song could smell good, it would be Aura.”
Breaking out in late 2021, Emmy reached viral stardom with her self-love mantra “I AM WOMAN.” The song stemmed from sticky note affirmations she left for herself around her house. The empowering single urges female listeners to claim their personal power. The acclaimed track was selected as the theme song for Megan Markle’s podcast “Archetypes,” the largest podcast sync in history, and has earned over 350m streams.
The soundtrack to her youth included the jazz greats Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as more contemporary artists like Lauryn Hill. By high school, she was recording her songs and secretly releasing them on SoundCloud. Her parents convinced her to go to community college, but shortly thereafter Emmy transferred to the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, and then once the pandemic hit Emmy dropped out. Instead, she focused on what she had wanted to do all along: write and record her own songs while she simultaneously worked three jobs to make it happen. Emmy takes elements of soul, pop, and hip-hopand filters them through her mere 24 years as a woman in music. It’s actually no surprise that Emmy’s behind this song which sparked a Gen-Z feminist movement in 2022.
The R&B pop singer has since opened for Fletcher, Hayley Kiyoko and performed at Lollapalooza and Firefly Music Festival in 2022. Her music has appeared in ad campaigns for Intimissimi, Triumph UK, Savage Fenty, and Disney+.