We’re looking forward to introducing you to Emmy Young. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Emmy, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Honestly, I’m not a morning person at all; I hate waking up early but I would stay up all night if I had a choice. However, I will always be the person to book the earliest flight in and the latest flight out to maximize my time wherever I go. So I would say the beginning of my day is usually just me trying to wake up. I’m not a big breakfast person and would rather eat lunch and dinner so I really don’t have a lot going on in the morning.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I began my journey with music at the young age of 7 when my parents signed me up for piano lessons. It was through this that I found I really enjoyed performing on stage for our recitals and auditions. Around that same time, I also began my acting career, starring as Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web. While most kids were terrified of being on stage or public speaking/performances, I found that I craved the spotlight; I truly loved every moment spent on the stage and worked very hard to continue that passion. A couple years later, I joined my school’s choir and band; I was the first chair clarinetist for my band career and I got numerous solos. In choir, I had my first solo singing gig when my choir teacher chose me from auditions. My love for music and performing was only growing.
Since piano is an exceptional foundational instrument, I was able to pick up new instruments quite easily, such as guitar, ukulele, flute and saxophone. Around 2016, I decided I wanted to pursue a music career more seriously. Just a sophomore in high school, I set out to begin my own YouTube channel. The challenges in the beginning felt almost insurmountable- I was the only musician in my family, thus I was teaching myself everything. I had no idea how to record music, edit, audio production, basically anything. I started from nothing and posted my first video, which was the start of everything. I found I could play or sing whatever I wanted and this led to a lot more musical freedom than I’d ever had in my music career. My passion continued to grow and I pushed harder and harder to follow my musical dreams.
I began songwriting in my free time as well as becoming more proficient on guitar. I started performing at open mics to become more comfortable with being on stage solo. I was very lucky that I had amazing organizers who were always so welcoming and made the open mics groups feel like a community.
Then, everything changed again. Just when I was starting to feel less nervous, COVID shut everything down. Unfortunately, it got most of my open mics and the stores shut down permanently. Additionally, all of my hard work performing seemed to vanish as I stepped on stage for the first time after COVID; I was terrified and worried I would never get back to where I was pre-COVID. Thankfully, my friends and family were very supportive and came to my performances. I kept performing and posting on my channel, leading to bigger events and more exposure.
Now, in 2025, I have performed at numerous Atlanta International Night Market events, a K-Pop World Festival and so many more events I never would’ve thought possible. And thanks to my language learning in college, I have been able to perform in English, Mandarin and Korean. I am truly so lucky to be able to have music in my life and be able to follow my passion.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The defining moment that really opened my eyes in my music career was the first time I ever performed. I had been practicing for months in advance for our upcoming recital and I felt confident. I knew the notes forwards and backwards and could play with my eyes closed (metaphorically). I was just learning about the stage and spotlight, so I didn’t even realize this was a pivotal moment in my career. Dressed in a fancy kid dress from Costco, I marched up to the stage, sat down on the bench and played my heart out. For some, this moment is terrifying- everybody’s eyes and ears are on you, whether you like it or not. Every mistake is out on full display and for some that paralyzes them with fear. It truly does take a lot of training and practice to not react if/when you make a mistake. As a kid, I was a perfectionist and always wanted to do my best but at the same time I was just having fun. I loved the echoing halls of auditoriums and recital halls. I loved feeling my fingers fly across the keys, producing beautiful music for everyone to share. I even loved the bright stage lights, even though they made me sweat. And when you finish playing, regardless of talent, the audience clapped for you! It was the coolest thing to me as a kid and I found myself wishing we had more recitals, more events to perform at. It isn’t an easy path and it is quite scary at first, but when you believe in yourself and know that you’ve put your all into it, it is such an amazing feeling to share your art with the world.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Oh there were plenty of times I almost gave up. As a kid, I had no say in getting enrolled in piano (starting my music journey). It wasn’t that I hated music…I just hated practicing. And you ask, “well how can you ever get better if you don’t practice?” It’s simple- you don’t. I’m sure I did waste time and money at the beginning, just ask my parents. While I enjoyed performing, I didn’t love the music I was assigned and even more so did not enjoying practicing. It was very tedious, especially in the beginning when you’re being taught essentially a whole new language; it’s like freshmen college weed out classes. I hated theory- I didn’t understand why it was important to know how many beats in a measure and why I had to know how to draw alto and treble clefs. However, for some reason I persisted. And I know this because my parents gave me many opportunities to try everything as a child and I am very lucky for that. If I tried something and didn’t like it, they didn’t force me to keep going. They never forced me to continue with music, and even though I hated practicing, for some reason I kept going. I think they could tell that I truly enjoyed it, even if there were some aspects I didn’t like as much. And I’m so glad they supported me, through piano recitals, band concerts, singing performances and so much more. I used to be nervous performing around them (I would never practice in the same room) but now it’s their supportive faces I look for in the crowd.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
It’s not easy. If you go on YouTube, American Idol, The Voice, TikTok, you’ll see creators who launched their entire careers off from that platform. And while for some people it does work out, you should never bank your career on it. For something like a career in the arts, hard work does not always equal a guaranteed job unfortunately. I have plenty of friends who got music performance degrees and are struggling for jobs now. The demand for classical musicians, especially soloists, is next to none. As a singer? I feel like it’s even less. I would say that most singers that I personally like seem to have gotten their start because they were songwriters as well. You may look at TV and the internet and say “people like Ariana Grande have made it and she’s not a songwriter.” But she technically got her start as an actress and pivoted. And a lot of current big names, like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo were exactly the same way. In fact, Sabrina was a singer for many years before she blew up. Another lie I can think of is that the musician life is glamorous, and I’m sure in some ways it is. But what you don’t see is the absence of friends and family, lives left behind to tour the world, the diseases and injuries you can sustain to your voice and body from physical strain. And I think if you’re aware of all of this before going in, you’ll already be a bit prepared for this lifestyle change.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I want to live with no regrets. Why would I care about singing karaoke in front of strangers when I am pretty sure I’ll never see them again? Why would I let people who don’t care, don’t even know me, dictate how I live my life? This is the mentality I have began my career with and still live by to this day. Sign up for everything- for every 100 applications or cold messages you’ve sent, you may get one reply and maybe even a no. But if you let that stop you from doing what you love and following your dream, you will never succeed. At some point, you have to stop caring what other people think. There were many times I submitted to perform, got accepted, showed up and realized the venue was a lot bigger than I realized. Yes, it was scary, but at the same time it was also exhilarating. It was moments like these that helped me grow as a performer; if you only ever do the same thing, it will grow old and you will not grow as a person. You have to learn to challenge yourself and always push yourself. If you only perform at the same open mic and always sing the same songs, how is that helping you grow as an artist? Try out new venues, try a new genre, just try something! For me, I usually go places without knowing anyone- I don’t know the performers, the coordinators, anything. And from these events I have made amazing friends and contacts that I can reach out for future performances. Don’t be scared, just try it!
A couple months ago I was at a conference for work and I had just met these people maybe 5 hours prior. On a whim, they invited me to go to karaoke (and little did they know it was one of my absolute favorite things to do). I didn’t know these people, I was in a new city, it was late and I could’ve stayed in. But I am an extrovert, I like trying new things, and my love for karaoke won. I showed up and made tons of new friends. We were a mix of good and bad singers, young and old, but we were all having fun. It’s times like this when you say “should I stay or should I go?” and if your heart is telling you to try it, go!!!
Last month, I bought last minute tickets to go to a concert. I had an absolute blast and then the night only got better. As I was leaving the venue, I noticed the local news interviewing people about their experience at the concert. Summoning all of my past media training and charisma, I approached the reporter and asked if I could participate. The worst they could say is no, right? Well, he said yes! And that’s the story of the first time I was on the news. You gotta manifest your destiny- if it’s something you want, go get it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/@emmyyoung
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/emmyyoung_99
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmyyoung_99
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/Emmy-Young-684027421779047
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@emmyyoung
Image Credits
Tien Tran
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