Folk-pop’s Emma Charles Navigates the Complexities of Competing Emotions in “Scorpio” (premiere)

Growing up revering the likes of Carole King and Joni Mitchell, folk-pop artist Emma Charles is following in their footsteps by innovating a well-worn genre with savvy lyricism and intuitive musicianship. Following up on the promise and acclaim of her previous single, “Comfort in the Chaos”, Charles is due to release her latest tune, “Scorpio”, on 2 August. The new single sees the singer-songwriter interweaving elements of electronic music into her folksier base.

Produced by Doug Schadt (Emmy the Great, Maggie Rogers), “Scorpio” feels well-poised for the pop market, but also offers layers not always seen in contemporary mainstream music. The ebb and flow through which its electronic elements rise and fall recalibrates its emphasis on Charles’ beautiful vocal performance. This leaves listeners intent on giving attention to the self-aware tale that she weaves through her lyrics, providing a distinctive new offering to the ever-rising folktronica scene.

Charles says, “‘Scorpio’ came from a conversation with a friend, who noted that my birth date was on the cusp of the star signs Scorpio and Sagittarius. Curious, I discovered these two signs were very different, and they each possess very unique qualities which correlated to different aspects of my personality. Apparently, the signs are fire and water–polar opposites–which I translate to my extroverted/introverted personality. Overall, ‘Scorpio’ is about finding the right balance in my life and how to navigate competing emotions – something I think many can relate to.”

“Scorpio” is available to pre-save now. It will be released via Sky Records, a unit of the Resilience Music Alliance.

Charles will be performing two “Scorpio” release shows in Los Angeles. The first will be on 3 August at High Tide DTLA’s “Songbird Sessions” from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. The second will be on 19 August at the Mint’s Hunnypot Live, beginning at 8:45 pm.

“Scorpio” features Schadt on guitar, drums, and percussion, as well as Zack Zadek on piano and Eric Read on drums