For New York-based R&B artist Emprss, everything stands out … in a good way. From fashion style to lyrical quality to unique sound – she has the total package. She’s also not afraid to push boundaries, as her latest single “Selfish” displays. As an artist who likes to explore sexuality by way of characters who move through stories that many people can relate with, this single demonstrates that dedication to pushing the envelope with her lyrics.
“It’s a club song and a happy song that makes you want to dance,” she said, “but it’s also a song about jealousy and someone trying to take someone that you’re seeing. It’s about seduction and what you’re willing to do to keep what’s yours. Ultimately it’s a woman who’s telling the rest of the world, ‘This person is mine and you better get away.’ And like many of my songs, it comes with a twist.”
Not for the faint of heart, this single not only pushes boundaries with its explicit lyrics and subject matter, but also forces the listener to reconcile a sound that is equally light and dark. Like much of her music, Emprss infuses “Selfish” with a dark driving bass and EDM elements, while peppering her naturally flowing rap skills with a lilting vocal that brings a lightness to her music. It’s a dichotomy that at the very least will make people turn their heads, but for most will mean hitting repeat over and over again.
All of that is intentional, she said. It’s part of a plan to establish herself as a musical icon and trend-setter in the same ways that others before her have moved the industry forward. She points to her personal music heroes, Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill, as inspiration for artistry that embraces multiple aspects of the music-making process.
“They’re singers and rappers and creators all at the same time,” Emprss said. “They write and create music. That’s something I’ve looked up to over the years as female artists, and it’s not necessarily what you see in the public eye today. And that’s what I want for myself. That’s why I chose the name Emprss. If you define power as an individual who has her own mindset about things and is not easily influenced by the masses or other individuals, then that’s definitely me. That’s the power I have. I like to be in charge of my own destiny. Everything that I’m doing with music I’m doing because that’s the way I want to do it. I’m running the show.”
And she hopes that along the way fans will be able to embrace the “human experience” through her music. She wants to convey a whole world of emotions through her music – love, heartbreak, fun – while delivering messages dealing with all types of issues through her unique voice. In most cases she does so by writing lyrics that tell stories through characters that people can identify with. One of her newer singles, in fact, is a perfect case in point. “Got Nobody” tells the story of a lonely, single woman who decides to go to the club and look for love, even though she knows it’s the wrong place to do that. The song follows the woman as she tries to convince herself not to do what she knows she shouldn’t, but can’t help but be attracted to the good looking individuals she sees throughout the club.
“I love the whole creative process and I love the fact that I can tell a story with my music,” Emprss said. “It’s like reading a good book. Like JK Rowling made an amazing story out of nothing, and for me that’s how my songs are. There may not be truth behind the songs that I create – they’re just stories. But they’re stories that are attractive to people because there are all kinds of ways that they can identify with it.”
Twitter: @emprsstheartist
