Emily Afton is a fast rising musician born and raised in Encinitas (graduated from SDA in 2007) and now taking the Bay Area by storm. She admits, the music scene up north can be a bit intimidating with artists setting a very high bar for production value, but Emily seems to thrive under the pressure of bringing a great performance to an audience that demands it. She loves that “people in the Bay Area really value a good show” but can’t wait to be bringing her best stuff to the hometown crowd at Summer Fun.
On stage, her presence is hard to miss when she’s dressed like a neo glam rock goddess with brightly colored hair, glitter and all smiles. But by the end of her set, it's her voice that will be seared in your brain.
Emily Afton’s voice is transporting. Powerful and emotive, Emily delivers her soul to you in the form of nostalgic indie-pop songs - with dark ribbons of folk and electronica interwoven. Solo or with her band, Afton aims to snatch your heart with her live performance playing haunting vocal-driven narratives in the style of Fiona Apple followed by heavy synths and uptempo dance tracks that can turn an aloof audience dancing. Emily’s sound is eclectic and original, taking influence from such eccentric talents such as Frank Ocean, Bjork, CocoRosie and Madame Gandhi.
Her reputation for energetic live performances recently earned her an opening spot on tour with Third Eye Blind. It was a career highlight for Emily and it's easy to see that she'll soon be the one headlining big stages. For young musicians looking to make a name for themselves, Emily stresses the importance of being authentic and staying with it. She told us “you can get so far just by being persistent and not giving up!” But the realities of doing music for a living makes her wish she had studied marketing or business strategy while at school.
Emily's recorded output is also stellar. ARCHETYPE, released in September 2016, has been called an indie-pop explosion from "an artist who is clearly on an ascent" (Pure Volume). The episodic debut LP, co-produced by David Earl and Lila Rose reveals a new edge and depth to the once sweet singer-songwriter's music. Emily and her band have spent the bulk of 2017 touring ARCHETYPE across the U.S., while beginning the work for their next musical release (coming 2018).
Don't miss Emily on the Summer Fun stage after Mattson 2 at 6:15 pm.
Follow Emily on Instagram by clicking here.