Country On The Clyde was the first time we had met and seen Emilia Quinn perform. It was worth the wait. Here is the interview we sent her afterwards. All photo's credited to Doddie Munro.
"How long have you been writing and performing country music?
I haven't been actively taking part in the country music scene for very long but I've been writing various country-style and roots tunes for as long as I have been writing songs in total. The first song I ever wrote was a country song when I was 11 years old! I've always come back round to it, after I've experimented with other genres like blues and rock. I think I've settled into it permanently this time and found my sound.
If you could invite the people who have influenced you in your music career to a dinner party, who would you invite?
Oh my gosh, I'd need a bigger table! I think I'd probably get Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood (she just seems so sweet) I WOULD PROBABLY NOT USE THE WORD ‘sweet’ , Taylor Swift (I used to be obsessed) Ashley Campbell and.. Anna Vaus.
If you were to take one well-known song and put your own country twist on it, which song would you choose?
That's such a hard question! Probably something from the 80s like Tainted Love by Soft Cell or a Bon Jovi song haha.
If you had the chance of performing anywhere in the world, where would your dream venue be?
Is it too cliché to say the Opry? Either there or Wembley Arena, I couldn't tell you why, I'd just love to say "Hello Wembley!"
What excites you about the British country scene?
It's growing so quickly! There is also so much talent and such a wonderful sense of community between fans and artists in the British Country scene, I love that. Obviously I'm biased, but I think there's so much room for it here and I really hope it will grow into the mainstream as well and reach people who may not consider themselves fans of Country because they picture it as just cheesy, country western type music, which it absolutely isn't. There are so many influences of other genres in it, cross-overs and such, that I think there is something for everyone's taste.
The British country music scene is growing fast. Each artist has their own take on what country music is to them. How do you feel that our music stands up against the music coming out of America at the moment?
I think our music stands up well against music coming from America, and I really hope it becomes as big of a thing here as it is across the pond. Like I said before, I believe there's room for it to grow and I also hope that America will fall in love with our British acts as much as we fall in love with American bands. Both are equally as talented.
Where do you see British country music in 5 years time?
I hope it grows and becomes more recognised in the mainstream music market. I think with huge festivals like C2C carrying on along with all the smaller festivals like Buckle and Boots, Dixie Fields etc it will bring British Country into the spotlight and expand our community.
Do you think you will be more accepted in 5 years, when you say you are a British country music artist?
I certainly hope so. At the moment if I tell someone I'm a country artist, they do make some assumptions about my sound but my response is simply to show them mine and others' music and educate them, hopefully creating new fans in the process!
Where can we find you on social media?
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, all under Emilia Quinn Music and my website is www.emiliaquinnmusic.com
is www.emiliaquinnmusic.com "