Emily Savitri Haines (born 25 January 1974) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the lead singer, keyboardist and songwriter of the rock band

Metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathema ...

and a member of the

musical collective Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared.Liisa Ladouceur"Collegjthk ctive Souls" ''This Magazine'', November/December 2004. The concept is distinct from th ...

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene is a Canadians, Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Cannin ...

. As a solo artist, she has performed under her own name and as Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. Haines possesses the

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

of a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

Early life

Born in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, and raised in

Fenelon Falls Fenelon Falls is a village in Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Kawartha Lakes. Nicknamed the "Jewel of the Kawarthas," it has a population of 2,500 permanent inhabitants, which swells in the summer due to tourism and holiday cottages. Fenelon ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Haines is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States (her parents were both born in the US). She is the daughter of Canadian poet Paul Haines; her mother founded a school for under-privileged children in India. Her middle name, Savitri, is from '' Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol'', an epic poem by

Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet, and Indian nationalist. He was also a journalist, editing newspapers such as ''Vande Mataram''. He joined the ...

. Her sister is the Canadian television journalist

Avery Haines Avery Hayward Haines (born 28 November 1966) is an American-born, Canadian television journalist, and currently Managing Editor, Investigative Journalist, and Host of Canada's longest-running and most-watched CTV newsmagazine series '' W5''. ...

and her brother is Tim Haines, owner of Bluestreak Records in

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

, Canada. Haines grew up in a house rich with experimental art and musical expression and her early influences included

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'' ...

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

, and

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

. She studied drama at the

Etobicoke School of the Arts The Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA) is a specialized public arts-academic high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in Etobicoke, it has been housed in the former Royal York Collegiate Institute facility since 1983. Founded on September ...

(ESA), where she met

Amy Millan Amy Millan (born December 3, 1973) is a Canadian indie rock singer and guitarist. She records and performs with the bands Stars and Broken Social Scene as well as having a successful solo career. Her second solo album, '' Masters of the Burial'' ...

and

Kevin Drew Kevin Drew (born September 9, 1976) is a Canadian musician and songwriter who, together with Brendan Canning, founded the expansive Toronto baroque-pop collective Broken Social Scene. He was also part of the lesser-known KC Accidental, which con ...

, with whom she would later collaborate in Broken Social Scene (co-founded by Drew). During their time at ESA, Haines and Millan formed their first band together. Haines attended the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

in Vancouver between 1992 and 1993, and Montreal's

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

between 1995 and 1996. In 1996, she distributed a limited-edition album entitled ''

Cut in Half and Also Double ''Cut in Half and Also Double'' is the debut album by Canadian artist Emily Haines that she self-released in about 2,000 copies in 1996 in Toronto. The song "Carpet" contains similar lyrics and vocal melodies to those in "Too Little Too Late," ...

'' that included songs written and recorded during her student years.

Professional music

Haines met James Shaw in Toronto in 1997 and began performing as a duo called "Mainstream". After releasing an EP entitled ''

Mainstream EP ''Mainstream'' is an early demo EP from Canadian indie rock band Metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or ...

'', they changed the band's name to "Metric", after a sound programmed by Shaw on his keyboard.

Joshua Winstead Joshua "Josh" Winstead is an American songwriter and musician. He is the bassist and synth player of the Canadian indie rock band Metric. On June 3, 2016, he released his debut solo album ''MMXX'' on his own label Royal Cut Records. Life and car ...

and Joules Scott-Key joined the band in 2001. As of 2022, Metric has released eight studio albums: ''

Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? ''Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?'' is the first studio album by Canadian indie rock band Metric. The album was released on September 2, 2003, on Enjoy Records (now known as Everloving Records) and Last Gang Records in Canada and went ...

'' (2003), ''

Live It Out ''Live It Out'' is the second album released by the Canadian indie rock band Metric. It was released on September 27, 2005, on Last Gang Records. The album has sold 45,000 copies in the US, and went platinum in Canada selling 100,000 units. ''Li ...

'' (2005), ''

Grow Up and Blow Away ''Grow Up and Blow Away'' is the third studio album by the Canadian indie rock band Metric. The album was recorded in 2001, but its release was delayed for years due to their record label, Restless Records, being purchased by Rykodisc. As the y ...

'' (2007, but recorded in 2001), ''

Fantasies Fantasy is a genre of fiction. Fantasy, Fantasie, or Fantasies may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Fantasia (music), a free-form musical composition * ''Fantasie'' (Widmann), a 1993 composition for solo clarinet by Jörg Widmann * ...

'' (2009), ''

Synthetica ''Synthetica'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Metric, released on 12 June 2012. The first single, " Youth Without Youth", was released on 1 May 2012. "Speed the Collapse" was released as a sneak preview on 23 May 2012. On ...

'' (2012), ''

Pagans in Vegas ''Pagans in Vegas'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Metric, which was released on 18 September 2015. The first single, "The Shade", was released on 11 May 2015. "Cascades" was released as the second of the album on 2 June 201 ...

'' (2015), '' Art of Doubt'' (2018), and Formentera (2022). Haines also contributed vocals or backing vocals to songs by

Jason Collett Jason Collett is a Toronto-based Canadian singer-songwriter. He has released six solo studio albums, and is a former member of Broken Social Scene. His latest album, ''Song & Dance Man'', was released in February, 2016. Early life Collett was bo ...

Stars A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...

Delerium Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band’s history, their musical style has encompassed a ...

K-Os Kevin Brereton (born February 20, 1972), better known by his stage name k-os (; "chaos"), is a Canadian alternative rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. His given name may also be cited as Kheaven, a spelling he later adopted. The alias "k ...

KC Accidental KC Accidental were a Canadians, Canadian post-rock band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band released two albums of mostly instrumental music.

The Stills The Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000 and disbanded in 2011. History The band's original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Tim Fletcher, guitarist Gregory Paquet, bassist Olivier Corbeil and dru ...

Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was ...

The Crystal Method The Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. They were pioneers of the big beat genre and their music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video gam ...

, Rezz, and

Todor Kobakov Todor Kobakov (born September 19, 1978) is a Bulgarian-Canadian composer, producer, arranger and pianist based in Toronto, Ontario. He is best known for his solo piano album Pop Music, his commercial and film scores and for his collaborations with ...

. In 2004, Metric appeared in the 2004 drama film '' Clean''. The band, appearing as themselves, performed their song "Dead Disco" and had minor speaking roles in a backstage scene. "Dead Disco" also featured on '' Clean Original Soundtrack''. In 2010, she appeared as part of Broken Social Scene, on the soundtrack for the film ''

This Movie is Broken ''This Movie Is Broken'' is a 2010 Canadian film directed by Bruce McDonald (director), Bruce McDonald. A cross between a romantic comedy and a concert film, the film stars Greg Calderone as Bruno, a young man hoping to convince his longtime crush ...

''. In 2006, as Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, Haines released the studio album ''

Knives Don't Have Your Back ''Knives Don't Have Your Back'' is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton. It is not her own debut album, as she released under her own name in limited number of copies an earlier work in 1996, t ...

''. The songs "Our Hell" and "Doctor Blind" were issued as singles and corresponding music videos were produced. Following the release, Haines undertook a tour of North America in January 2007. ''Knives Don't Have Your Back'' was followed in 2007 by the EP '' What Is Free to a Good Home?'', which was inspired by the death of her father. Her solo work is typically more subdued and piano-based than her work with Metric. She often appears with Amy Millan as her opening act. Prior to the fourth Metric album ''Fantasies'', Haines traveled to Argentina to write. She became good friends with

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

and

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

before Reed's death in 2013. Haines contributed to Broken Social Scene's 2017 album

Hug of Thunder ''Hug of Thunder'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock musical collective Broken Social Scene. It was released by the Arts & Crafts record label on July 7, 2017. Background After declaring a hiatus in September 2011, Broken Social ...

and performed with Broken Social Scene on

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

30 March 2017. In May 2017, Haines was with Broken Social Scene in Manchester, England, the night after the terror attack at the Ariana Grande concert; she attributes her ability to carry on and play after the attack to the support of former

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

guitarist

Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous ...

. On September 15, 2017, Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton released the album ''

Choir of the Mind ''Choir of the Mind'' is the second studio album by Canadian singer/songwriter Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton. Coming 11 years after her first album, it was released on September 5, 2017 by Last Gang Records and elicited favorable reviews from ...

''; it was recorded a year earlier in Toronto and released by

Last Gang Records Last Gang Records is a record label formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton in the Fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Last Gang was nominated as Independent Record Label of the ...

and eOne (

Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...

). The album's lead single, "Fatal Gift", was released on 9 June 2017. In support of the album, Haines toured North America in late 2017.

Instruments

When performing with Metric, Haines plays two synthesizers. Her primary synthesizer is a

Sequential Circuits Sequential is an American synthesizer company founded in 1974 as Sequential Circuits by Dave Smith. In 1978, Sequential released the Prophet-5, the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer; it became a market leader and industry standard, use ...

Pro-One, which she has played since the band's early years. As secondary synthesizer, she played a

Kawai is a musical instrument manufacturing company headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It is best known for its grand pianos, upright pianos, digital pianos, electronic keyboards and electronic synthesizers. The company was founded in Augus ...

MP9000, which was replaced by

E-mu E-mu Systems was a software synthesizer, audio interface, MIDI interface, and MIDI keyboard manufacturer. Founded in 1971 as a synthesizer maker, E-mu was a pioneer in samplers, sample-based drum machines and low-cost digital sampling music ...

's PK-6 Proteus Keys in 2003, and was followed by the Clavia Nord Wave in 2012. She also plays the

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

, electric guitar, piano and harmonica.

Other projects

In August 2013, Haines became involved with FLEET4HEARme, a collaboration with Fleet Jewelry and HearMe, an organization that aims to increase children's access to music programs in public schools. In September 2015, the Canadian outerwear brand Rudsak unveiled a leather jacket customized by Haines. The jacket is a classic black motor-cycle style with lyrics from Metric song "The Governess" on the back. Metric is active in the international advocacy organization

Global Citizen Global citizenship is the idea that one's identity transcends geography or political borders and that responsibilities or rights are derived from membership in a broader class: "humanity". This does not mean that such a person denounces or waives ...

, and Haines is involved with its girls and women issues campaign #SheDecides. In 2017, Haines partnered with House of Matriarch High Perfumery to create her own fragrance, "Siren".

Discography

Emily Haines

Albums *''

'' (1996)

Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton

Albums *''

'' (2006, No. 28 in Canada) *''

'' (2017, No. 42 in Canada) EPs *'' What Is Free to a Good Home?'' (2007) Singles *"Doctor Blind" *"Our Hell" *"Fatal Gift" *"Statuette" Music videos *"Doctor Blind" *"Our Hell" *"Fatal Gift" *"Planets" *"Statuette" *"Legend of the Wild Horse"

Metric

Albums * ''

'' (2003) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2015) * '' Art of Doubt'' (2018) * ''

Formentera Formentera (, ) is the smallest and most southerly island of the Pityusic Islands group (comprising Ibiza and Formentera, as well as various small islets), which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community (Spain). It covers an area of ...

'' (2022)

Collaborations

The following songs are credited with Emily Haines on either lead or backing vocals:

Filmography

*'' Clean'' (2004, as herself) *''

This Movie Is Broken ''This Movie Is Broken'' is a 2010 Canadian film directed by Bruce McDonald (director), Bruce McDonald. A cross between a romantic comedy and a concert film, the film stars Greg Calderone as Bruno, a young man hoping to convince his longtime crush ...

'' (2010, performing with

)

Guest appearances

Cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

on the

k-os Kevin Brereton (born February 20, 1972), better known by his stage name k-os (; "chaos"), is a Canadian alternative rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. His given name may also be cited as Kheaven, a spelling he later adopted. The alias "k ...

music video, "

Man I Used to Be "Man I Used to Be" is a song by Canadian alternative rapper k-os. It was released in January 2005 as the third single from his 2004 album ''Joyful Rebellion''. Content The song tells the story of a man who has gone through rough times and wishe ...

". *

music video for "Love and Death" playing a secretary. *Stars in Julian Plenti's music video for the song "Games For Days". *Stars in

music video for the song "Fire".

References

Other sources

* Chan, Alvin
"Emily Haines – Pop Princess Sharpens her Knives"

MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

.com. . Accessed 28 July 2008. *Sweeny, Joey. "Indie Pop Goes Twee". The Rock History Reader. Ed. Theo Cateforis New York: Routledge, 2007.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haines, Emily 1974 births Living people Canadian women rock singers Canadian women singer-songwriters Canadian pop pianists Canadian people of American descent People from Kawartha Lakes Musicians from Ontario Singers from Delhi University of British Columbia alumni Concordia University alumni Canadian indie rock musicians Canadian new wave musicians Canadian indie pop musicians Broken Social Scene members Tambourine players Feminist musicians Rock harmonica players Best Original Song Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian women in electronic music 20th-century Canadian keyboardists 21st-century Canadian keyboardists 20th-century Canadian pianists 21st-century Canadian pianists Canadian mezzo-sopranos Canadian feminists 20th-century Canadian women singers Canadian women pianists 21st-century Canadian women singers 21st-century drummers Metric (band) members Grönland Records artists 20th-century women pianists 21st-century women pianists