AN EVENING with EMILY HURD

If you ask Emily where music comes from, she says “the big place.” Her earliest memories of music are singing and dancing to Hoagy Carmichael in her living room as a toddler.

Today, Emily Hurd is a prolific songwriter, best known for her soulful voice and poetic rhymes. Music is a vital part of her daily rhythm and her spirituality. She stands firmly without genre, believing in the power of the song above all else. Paul Zollo of American Songwriter says that Emily writes "albums to fall into and swim in forever."

She is grateful to be able to share her songs with the world: her tunes have appeared on television's NCIS, 90210, The Good Wife, Melrose Place, and Life Unexpected, though live concerts are still her favorite way to experience music. The majority of her 19 full-length original studio albums were recorded live by John Abbey at Chicago's Kingsize Sound Labs. She is currently working on her 20th album.

In her newest release Scratch Kitchen, Emily steps away from her usual metaphors and tells the true story of past abuse in relationships and a stubborn will to live. Easily her most vulnerable collection, she says the record was written in her sleep, waking from nightmares and running to the piano to sort out her over-due revelations. The songs act as a promise to herself, and she hopes others can benefit from her story.