Q&A: Grayling
Emma, or better known as Grayling grew up in a musical family however, she shied away from performing and stepping into her own light until later in life, and the full time music career emerged while busking on the banks of Loch Lomond.
Since then Grayling has played sold out shows with her band (Joe Rattray on Bass (Admiral Fallow, Lizzie Reid), Conor Smith on Pedal Steel, Lauren Macdonald on Drums (Heisk) and Sam Vincent Kilbride on Guitar) in The Old Hairdressers Glasgow as well as support slots at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, The Poetry Club and The Glad Cafe supporting the likes of Charlie Hickey, The Joy Hotel and Stu Larsen.Grayling has recently shared the stage opening for The Heavy Heavy, Sarah Klang, Sylvie and Charlie Hickey. She performed at Country to Country in Glasgow’s OVO Hydro as well as headlining the famous King Tut’s stage in January 2024 as a part of their ‘New Years Revolution’ festival.
We caught up with Emma to hear all about her upcoming second EP ‘Cardinal Fire’, her favourite Scottish acts, and an exciting headline slot in the iconic Oran Mor.
Your latest single dropped last month, could you tell us about 'Half Price Fantasy', the track's meaning and how it came to be?
I wrote Half Price Fantasy early last year when I was questioning my relationship to alcohol, I guess it’s another way of saying “cheap thrills”. I was just feeling so disillusioned with drinking etc and was tired of wasting time - so that song is just sort of lamenting about that. It was so much fun to bring this one to the band, I feel like they really brought it alive and Joe Rattray (my lovely bassist and dear friend) helped write the bridge too.
The single is gearing fans up for the release of your second EP 'Cardinal Fire' with an emphasis on self care. What is your self care routine on and off stage?
With the fear of sounding quite boring - I love SLEEP haha. So important. A wee meditate here, a little yoga there, very rock and roll. On stage I always get quite nervous before a show so it’s good to have nice people around you who make you feel relaxed and I’m very lucky in that way!
You headlined King Tut's in January this year for New Years Revolution, which is full of incredible Scottish acts. Which Scottish acts are you enjoying listening to at the moment? And who do you think could become the next big thing in Scotland/the UK/internationally?
I absolutely love Alice Faye and I think she is slaying the game right now, her voice and storytelling is unreal and unrivalled.
I’m always loving Cara Rose and Lizzie Reid and time after time find myself going back to their songs like a delicious sounding comfort blanket.
Kenneth Noah Blair is gearing up for some releases which I’ve had the pleasure of adding some backing vocals to. His songwriting is timeless and he is basically Scotland's very own John Prine - so be sure to check him out!
Tell us your three desert island albums.
Ahhhh this is so hard! It’s always changing… right now I would have to say -
Courtney Marie Andrews - Loose Future
Cut Worms - Self Titled Album
Dolly Parton - Blue Smoke (for the endorphins)
If you could collaborate with anyone on future music, who would it be?
I’ve been a big fan of Flyte for a loooong time and on their new album they collaborated with a lot of great artists like Billie Marten and Laura Marling, it’s a dream for sure but that would be my life made!
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are looking to establish themselves in the Scottish music industry?
Try not to compare yourself to anyone else - this has never done any good for any one! It can feel so hard nowadays with Instagram and TikTok, I try to limit my time on both and honestly I feel too old to use TikTok anyway haha. But definitely get on that! I wish I was better with it as it’s seen a lot of people rise to success.
I think the most important thing is just to be authentic to yourself and have fun.
And finally, what can we expect to see from Grayling throughout the rest of 2024?
We have our biggest headline on the 30th of May at the Oran Mor Auditorium, which is the beautiful church bit up the top, I’m so excited and scared so please come along so that my anxiety dreams of an empty church do not come true x
We’ve also got a few festivals lined up for the summer which I’ll be announcing shortly. The full EP is out on the 31st of May and we have a few more singles lined up before then! Yee bloody ha!
Follow Grayling here.