Hamilton singer Emma Bown, 15, wants to help others through her music
Singer Emma Bown, 15. VNTG CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY
By Michele Bogle, Contributor, The Hamilton Spectator
Emma Bown, a 15-year old, Grade 10 Glendale Secondary School student and singer from Hamilton, already understands that you’re never too young to change the world.
Years before, Emma began experiencing bouts of depression. “This year of quarantining has definitely enhanced my symptoms, as well as for others I’m sure,” she said.
Singing has always been a means of healing for her. She found herself wanting to help others with mental health issues, through her music. Her latest single, “Helium,” recorded under her stage name Emerald B, addresses depression. “I hope that others can relate to this song and find some comfort in knowing that they’re not alone in this struggle.”
Inspired to sing by watching Hannah Montana when she was younger, Bown who was excruciatingly shy, started performing at fairs, competitions and sporting events to help build confidence. At the age of 12, Bown made it into a new all-girl, six member singing group Girl Pow-R, auditioning with Cyndi Lauper’s well-known single Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. For the past three years she has performed and toured in Canada and the U.S. with the group, giving her the confidence and stage presence she had hoped for. The group was nominated for JUNO in 2020 in the children’s album category for their album “This is Us.”
All members of the group were required to champion a cause of choice. Emma chose to volunteer as often as possible for Food4Kids Hamilton, a special activity she shares with her mother.
Since the beginning of this year, Emma continued her efforts as a positive influencer. She was featured in an issue of Canadian Kids Magazine and has participated in numerous virtual events themed in support of positive awareness toward cultural and religious differences like the Moksha Canada Springfest, and raising money for the Sudbury Manitoulin Children’s Foundation.
What’s next for the group?
“For now, we are taking courses in songwriting and we’ll continue performing in a lot of online shows until we can perform in person again.”
What are you currently focused on as a solo artist?
“I’ve been writing a lot with Brian Melo. Some might know him as the 2007 winner of Canadian Idol. He’s a singer-songwriter from here in Hamilton, and I met him at a March Break camp called Studio 410, where he is a mentor. I joined him later on in one of his Beyond the Melody podcasts and he became my mentor. We’ve been writing a lot together. We wrote and released “Cupid Has Other Plans” in February. There are more songs that we’ll release this year that address mental health. This has become an important issue for me to write about, so I’m doing it in songs, hoping to reach more people.”
Updated on Tuesday, June 08, 2021.