For over 15 years Emily has been a storyteller through song, recasting old ballads and fairytales into new shapes. As a songwriter she is best known for conjuring dark and magical netherworlds where folklore and fairytale collide with urban and contemporary landscapes, often giving voice to women’s lives. Her Greek myth-inspired lullaby Hatchlings won a BBC Folk Award for Best Original Song, and she was nominated for Best Singer in 2016.

Her new 2026 album Dominion of Spells reimagines folktales of transformation, threaded through with themes of midlife, motherhood and magic. It follows Coracle, a collection of new compositions drawing on British ballads and folktales to explore motherhood, death and other worlds, which the Observer called ‘a marvellous, original work’. Her fairytale-inspired debut The Glamoury and lullaby-themed Hatchling also won wide acclaim and international radio play.

Emily also plays banjo, concertina and piano, and tours widely with traditional song band The Furrow Collective, who were awarded Best Band at the 2017 BBC Folk Awards. She has shared stages with folk luminaries including Martin Simpson and Waterson:Carthy, performs as a duo with Rob Harbron, and is part of the folk chart-topping Sea Song Sessions.

Alongside performing, Emily is an experienced and highly regarded educator, with a first-class degree and master’s in traditional song and composition. She works independently as a voice teacher and workshop leader, and has lectured for Newcastle University and Leeds Conservatoire.

Emily is currently touring Dominion of Spells.