We recently had the chance to connect with Emily Rath and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Emily, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
Maybe it’s a secret, maybe not, but I feel like we’re all struggling with figuring our lives out, no matter what age, where you’re at, what you do, etc. It’s so easy to look at other people and think man, they really have their shit together, they must be so happy and content (especially from what we see on social media), but I guarantee most of us are all just bumbling around and dealing with our own existential questions all the time.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Emily Rath, I’m a singer/songwriter and frontwoman of my alt rock-indie band East of June. I grew up constantly singing, doing musicals, a cappella groups, choirs and I started writing my own music when I was 15. After college I decided to move down to LA from the Bay Area and for a while I was doing my thing as a solo artist. It unfortunately led me down some tough roads where I got stuck in a few bad situations that clearly I had to learn from before I met my current bandmate Kyle Mortensen. I had gotten to a place where I was so done with feeling taken advantage of by others that he popped up at a good time where I was really open-minded to whatever came my way. He found me online and reached out because he saw I made music. We started vibing musically and collaborating and that was the beginning of our band.
Kyle was working with longtime friend Dirk Lance (OG bassist from Incubus) when we met and then we all started writing music together. Over the years we did a lot of awesome stuff, put out a lot of music, played some really cool shows – including a 2 week Cruise tour as the indie band for Virgin Voyages in the Bahamas and we busted our asses. A little while ago, we had to part ways with Dirk as he was getting really busy with family obligations and traveling, etc. so Kyle and I are basically the core of this band now.
Over the years, because of all our diverse musical backgrounds, our music felt like it could fit into multiple genres. Lately, however, we’ve really been redefining our sound and I think it’s getting to a better, more cohesive place. We have a lot of music out and more in the writing process or production that we’re hoping to get out soon.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Mmm, I like this question because I feel like I’ve experienced a lot of moments like this in my life. The biggest inward battle I’ve been facing lately is releasing how I thought my life would go versus where I actually am. It’s especially hard being in the entertainment world where everything is a wild card and there are no guarantees. So when I started pursuing my dreams many years ago, I thought I would be in a different place in my career at this point, but life just doesn’t go the way you plan it.
I really feel like I’m in a ‘transformation of self’ moment right now. I’ve been working really hard at letting go of the vice grip I’ve had on my dreams and just letting life happen, flow, be, or whatever you want to call it. I’ve also been exploring what it’s like to not put such immense pressure on myself all the time, recognize that I have so much to be grateful for while also keeping the dream alive and knowing that absolutely anything can happen at any time, no matter what age you are.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
In my early years in LA, I got involved working with a producer that had previously had a lot of success and I felt really special that he wanted to work with me initially. I ignored certain red flags that came up because he knew what I wanted and he basically promised to make all my dreams happen. I really felt like this was my big chance and I couldn’t f*ck it up so I let things slide. And when I reflect back to that time, I know now that this man was the classic definition of a narcissist and was actually manipulating and grooming me over these two years of my life. It’s a really crazy psychological phenomenon because while it’s happening, you can’t see that it’s happening. There were moments where I would question things and the doubt would seep in, but the way he manipulated me made me feel like this was all normal, even when he crossed boundaries that I deep down knew were wrong. Finally, after patterns where I would finally stand up for myself in little ways and then he would ‘punish’ me psychologically, I reached a point where I truly couldn’t handle the stress anymore and we finally parted ways.
Once I was out of it I really wanted to understand how this could happen, which is when I started learning about this type of psychological gaslighting. Once removed from the situation, I saw how every technique he used with me is an actual part of this predatory behavior. I started to heal by reconnecting with myself again and had to learn the deepest lesson of trusting myself and knowing when something doesn’t feel right. I wrote many songs about this experience of course, which helped me get through it. I truly think the whole thing happened because I previously believed that I needed someone else older, more experienced, etc. to help me get to the next level in my career and while yes, sometimes that can be true, it really showed me that I wasn’t believing in myself as much as I should be.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
No surprise here, but I believe that my purpose in this life is to share my voice, my music and my words so whatever form that takes, I’m gonna do it. Do I want my music to be heard on a really big level? Of course. Whether that means continuing to put out music as an artist/band, writing for other people, which I have done and would still love to do more or even writing and being creative in other ways, then so be it. I will keep singing, writing and creating because that is just who I am.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I do actually believe I am doing what I was born to do. Sometimes I question why I had to be drawn to such a difficult industry to invest all my dreams in, but that’s neither here nor there… Fun fact though, I love going to psychics and have had sessions with really good ones – not the ones you find on the side of the road with a neon sign out front, but the ones that you only hear about by word of mouth. There are truly gifted people out there that are in touch with the other side you could say and they can essentially receive messages from your spirit guides to push you in directions that will ultimately make you happier in life. One time a psychic told me that my spirit guides pushed me towards music throughout my life because it’s how I process emotions or whatever I’m going through and how I express myself. I think that’s a pretty good indicator that perhaps I was born to share this part of me! It’s just something that has always called to me. The act of creating makes me feel like my soul is being heard.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily_rath_music/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EastofJune
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-950201829
- Other: Band IG: https://www.instagram.com/eastofjune/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5fiwIXY1W14lPpXjSucNAj?si=BEHbPNWVRTO_9KVQ7VI4Pg
Image Credits
Skyler Piltch, Mathias Fau, Jesse Buck-Brennan, Scott Templeton
