Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmber.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was living in Chicago and working in finance, but I wasn’t happy. I started DJing and playing bars and clubs around town, and I realized that the job was bringing me more joy than the career I had built over the last ten years. I had a dream on March 6, 2016, in which I quit my job and drove to LA, which really inspired me to take the leap and jump all in into my music career.
September 2016, I moved to LA to attend a music production school in Burbank called ICON COLLECTIVE. I focused on all aspects of music production. Shortly after moving to LA, I sold all my DJ equipment to focus on production and was solely producing music for around five years or so. When COVID hit, and I was asked by my friend Maya to DJ her virtual release party (April 2020), I initially said no since I had been so removed from it at this point, but after some convincing, I agreed and instantly realized how much I missed it.
At the end of 2020, I launched a record label called Better Together Records, which has had a few great releases as we built up our roster. Fall 2021, launched a podcast called Better Together Radio to showcase artists that are making waves and cutting through the noise.
In 2022, I came out as trans/nonbinary. I had been in therapy for many years, but I finally built the strength and courage to come out and be myself, which was incredibly liberating.
This last year, I rebranded my entire EMMBER project and have been playing more shows around LA and even a show in Denver.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road.
Challenges included leaving a safe and stable career in finance to pursue a job in the volatile music industry. So making money in the early days was a challenge. An additional challenge was cutting through the noise; so much music is released daily, and building a following is a challenge. I’ve built a great fan base over the last few years.
Insecurities about my identity took a while to overcome, but having a therapist and a great group of friends helped me feel safe enough to open up and be myself.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I DJ, produce music, run a record label, and host a podcast. I produce all styles of music, ranging from pop, hip-hop, R&B, dance music, etc. I specialize in house and techno music along with a strong focus on vocal production. I heard a tip early on: if you can make a singer sound good, you’ll always have work! They weren’t wrong! Most of my work comes in the form of vocal production or engineering.
I’m also known for my high-energy DJ sets; I cross genres a bit but love to keep the crowd on their feet!
Building a dope community of artists is one of my biggest accomplishments, but also building this life of freedom, I broke the 9-5 and did something different that was scary and incredibly difficult.
I’m an Aries sun, so incredibly passionate, which can be a fault at times. I give my all, and it shows in my productions, and my DJ sets legit feel like a rollercoaster ride!
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I was working with a biz coach, the homie Nik Cherwink, who helped me realize the gaps in my business; he assisted in my rebranding to help me genuinely come together and represent me! I highly recommend him to any artists that are feeling stuck and trying to get to the next level.
The first DJs in my life that inspired me along the way were some friends from Chicago; DJ LD taught me some key lessons early on and booked me for my first few gigs, Russ Christopher helped me secure my first residency, and the homie Jesse Seely actually encouraged me to start producing.
My friend and biz partner, Pamela, was the first friend I came out to as trans, and she has been supportive since day 1. We built a dope label and a cool community together and have helped each other grow.
My team has some great photographers I work with that legit make me look good. Shout out to the homie Bella Guerra for the sick press shots.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with some great vocalists, like the homies Nordi Blu, Terrell Carter, Maya Manel, and Heather Skantel, who were some of my favorite vocalists I’ve ever worked with.
Contact Info:
- Website: emmbermusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/emmbermusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmbermusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmbermusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/emmbermusic
Image Credits
Most are Bella Guerra others are Derek Chung Dan Leer Hi.Gunpowder Visually Chris
