Miss Emily

Biography

Emily Fennell, known professionally as Miss Emily, is a Canadian blues and soul singer-songwriter based in Kingston, Ontario. Born in Prince Edward County, Ontario, she began her musical journey as a pre-teen, winning accolades at county fairs throughout Southern Ontario. Inspired by soul legends Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, with K.D. Lang as her benchmark, Miss Emily honed her craft performing in juke joints, nightclubs, and bars across Ontario's backroads and highways. At just 23 years old, she became a full-time musician while raising her daughter Piper as a single mother, a decision supported by the Kingston community that would become central to her identity and career.

Miss Emily's professional breakthrough came through her residency at The Merchant in Kingston, where she performed every Friday night, gradually transitioning from cover songs to predominantly original material. Her powerful, soul-drenched vocals and electrifying live performances earned her national recognition, culminating in a 2022 JUNO Award nomination for Blues Album of the Year for her album 'Miss Emily LIVE at the Isabel,' a 15-track compilation of live performances recorded at Kingston's Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, where she holds the record for most sold-out performances. Her career has been marked by fearless songwriting that addresses personal struggles including domestic violence, single motherhood, and resilience, themes that resonate deeply with audiences and critics who have compared her to Aretha Franklin and Amy Winehouse.

Throughout her two-decade career, Miss Emily has released five albums and earned multiple accolades including three Female Vocalist of the Year awards at the Canadian Blues Awards (Maple Blues Awards 2019, 2021, 2023), New Artist of the Year, and a Sapphire Canadian Blues Music Video Award. Her artistic philosophy centers on community, vulnerability, and the belief that great risks yield greater rewards. She credits her success not solely to talent but to positive attitude, smart business decisions, personal connections, and an unwavering work ethic forged in Southern Ontario's music venues. Her recent work blends soul, blues, and roots music, featuring collaborations with accomplished musicians and showcasing her commitment to creating music that heals and uplifts rather than diminishes.

Fun Facts

• Miss Emily holds the record for the most sold-out performances at Kingston's Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, beginning with five foundation-rattling shows that were five-figure financial risks she produced herself through hundreds of personal phone calls and emails to sell tickets.
• She won three Maple Blues Awards in a single night at the 2020 Canadian Blues Awards in Toronto (Female Vocalist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, and was nominated for four awards total), which was her first blues awards experience and where she met producer Colin Linden.
• Her songwriting process is remarkably fast; she describes her method as 'barfing out' songs, meaning they typically come to her fully formed in 5 to 20 minutes, a technique she has maintained since her teenage years.
• Miss Emily's music video for 'Hold Back the River' was filmed inside the Kingston Penitentiary and won a Sapphire Canadian Blues Music Video Award in 2020, demonstrating her innovative approach to visual storytelling.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Ray Charles - Musical mentor and stylistic influence; Miss Emily studied his work as a young adult to develop her soul-blues approach (Ray Charles catalog) [Early career development]
• Aretha Franklin - Musical mentor and primary influence; Miss Emily channels Aretha's powerful vocal style and emotional depth (Aretha Franklin catalog) [Early career development]
• K.D. Lang - Benchmark artist; Miss Emily used K.D. Lang's career and artistry as a reference point for her own musical development (K.D. Lang catalog) [Early career development]

Key Collaborators

• Gord Sinclair - Producer and musical collaborator; worked with Miss Emily on album production and songwriting ('In Between' (2017), planned follow-up album (2020)) [2017-2020]
• Rob Baker - Collaborator featured on album release shows ('In Between' album release shows (2017)) [2017]
• Colin Linden - Songwriter and collaborator; met at 2020 Maple Blues Awards and collaborated via voice memos during pandemic, contributing songs to her recent album (Recent album (unreleased title as of search results)) [2020-present]
• Steve Marriner - Musical collaborator; worked with Miss Emily at Ganaraska Recording Company studio (Studio sessions at Ganaraska Recording Company) [2020]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Miriam's Song (Shalom, Baby!)
2. Thank You! (Modeh/Modah Ani) *features Noah Aronson (Every Day!)
3. How Good It Is, How Sweet It Is (For Shabbat!)
4. Blessings for Shabbat: Candles, Kiddush & Challah (For Shabbat!)
5. How Good It Is, How Sweet It Is (Psalm 133) (Shalom, Baby!)
6. Stop! (Shalom, Baby!)
7. Bubbles Mah Rabu (Shalom, Baby!)
8. Family Blessing (Shalom, Baby!)
9. Halalalalalalaleluyah (For Shabbat!)
10. Bim Bam (For Shabbat!)

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)