Erika Michelle Anderson (born January 28, 1982), better known by her stage name EMA, is an American singer and songwriter originally from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, who presently lives in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

. In her career beginnings, she released her debut album ''Little Sketches on Tape'' in 2010 on Night People, an independent music label founded by former

Raccoo-oo-oon Raccoo-oo-oon was an experimental noise rock/psychedelic rock quartet from Iowa. Their first release was a self-issued cassette entitled ''Is Night People'', which was reissued by Swedish label Release the Bats, (see Allmusic). The members of the ...

member Shawn Reed. In 2011 EMA released her second album '' Past Life Martyred Saints'', which received positive reviews from

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History '' ...

, and the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''. After releasing her debut album, EMA was named "New Band of the Day" by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' and "Artist to Watch" by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

''. In 2011 she performed "Endless, Nameless" for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

''s twentieth anniversary tribute to

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo. ...

's album ''

Nevermind ''Nevermind'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, ' ...

''. Her song "The Grey Ship" was used on an episode of

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

's ''

Off the Air In the broadcasting industry, a dark television station or silent radio station is one that has gone off the air for an indefinite period of time. Usually unlike dead air (broadcasting only silence), a station that is dark or silent does not eve ...

'', and in the 2014

Carter Smith Carter Smith (born September 6, 1971) is an American filmmaker and fashion photographer. He is best known for directing the films ''The Ruins'' (2008) and '' Jamie Marks Is Dead'' (2014). Life and career A native of Bowdoinham, Maine, Smith move ...

film ''

Jamie Marks Is Dead ''Jamie Marks Is Dead'' is a 2014 American supernatural horror drama film directed by Carter Smith, and starring Cameron Monaghan, Liv Tyler, Judy Greer, Morgan Saylor, Noah Silver and Madisen Beaty. Its plot follows a high school athlete who is ha ...

''. The album '' The Future's Void'' was released on

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...

in 2014. She made her network television debut performing on ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production c ...

'' on August 26, 2014. EMA released her third studio album, ''Exile in the Outer Ring'', on August 25, 2017 through

City Slang City Slang is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany. History The label was founded in 1990 by former tour agent Christof Ellinghaus, exclusively to release The Flaming Lips' '' In A Priest Driven Ambulance (With Silver Sunshine ...

. The first single was "Aryan Nation" and dedicated to the people of "heartland America", where she is from. The single was inspired by the British skinhead film, ''

This Is England ''This Is England'' is a 2006 British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates how their subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture ...

''.

Discography

Albums

* ''Little Sketches on Tape'' (Night People, 2010) * '' Past Life Martyred Saints'' (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011) * '' The Future's Void'' (Matador/City Slang, 2014) * '' #Horror : Original Score by EMA'' (Matador, 2015) * '' Exile in the Outer Ring'' (City Slang, August 25, 2017)

Singles

* "The Grey Ship/Kind Heart" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011) * "California" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011) * "Soul on Fire" (Hell, Yes!, 2011) * "Milkman" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011) * "Marked/Angelo" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011) * "Take One Two" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2012) * "Satellites" (City Slang, 2013) * "So Blonde" (City Slang, 2014) * "3Jane" (City Slang, 2014) * "Active Shooter" (City Slang, 2015) * "Amnesia Haze" (City Slang, 2015) * "Aryan Nation" (City Slang, 2017) * "Breathalyzer" (City Slang, 2017) * "Down and Out" (City Slang, 2017)

References

External links

*
Biography and review

SF Appeal profile

Pitchfork Media profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Erika M. 1982 births Living people American women singer-songwriters American women rock singers American rock songwriters American rock guitarists Matador Records artists Guitarists from South Dakota 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists City Slang artists Singer-songwriters from South Dakota