Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmy Young.
Hi Emmy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I began my journey with music at the young age of 7 when my parents signed me up for piano lessons. I will say I definitely was not the perfect student and did not like to practice. However, I found that I really enjoyed performing on stage for our recitals and auditions. Around that same time, I also began my acting career, starring as Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web. While most kids were terrified of being on stage or public speaking/performances, I found that I craved the spotlight; I truly loved every moment spent on the stage and worked very hard to continue that passion. A couple years later, I joined my school’s choir and band; I was the first chair clarinetist for my band career and I got numerous solos. In choir, I had my first solo singing gig when my choir teacher chose me from auditions. My love for music and performing was only growing.
Since piano is an exceptional foundational instrument, I was able to pick up new instruments quite easily, such as guitar, ukulele, flute and saxophone. Around 2016, I decided I wanted to pursue a music career more seriously. Just a sophomore in high school, I set out to begin my own YouTube channel. The challenges in the beginning felt almost insurmountable- I was the only musician in my family, thus I was teaching myself everything. I had no idea how to record music, edit, audio production, basically anything. I started from nothing and posted my first video, which was the start of everything. I found I could play or sing whatever I wanted and this led to a lot more musical freedom than I’d ever had in my music career. My passion continued to grow and I pushed harder and harder to follow my musical dreams.
I began songwriting in my free time as well as becoming more proficient on guitar. I started performing at open mics to become more comfortable with being on stage solo. I was very lucky that I had amazing organizers who were always so welcoming and made the open mics groups feel like a community.
Then, everything changed again. Just when I was starting to feel less nervous, COVID shut everything down. Unfortunately, it got most of my open mics and the stores shut down permanently. Additionally, all of my hard work performing seemed to vanish as I stepped on stage for the first time after COVID; I was terrified and worried I would never get back to where I was pre-COVID. Thankfully, my friends and family were very supportive and came to my performances. I kept performing and posting on my channel, leading to bigger events and more exposure.
Now, in 2025, I have performed at numerous Atlanta International Night Market events, a K-Pop World Festival and so many more events I never would’ve thought possible. And thanks to my language learning in college, I have been able to perform in English, Mandarin and Korean. I am truly so lucky to be able to have music in my life and be able to follow my passion.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The beginning was extremely difficult; I had to not only learn the various social media platforms and how to market myself but also how to do almost everything musical. My background in piano helped me tremendously but there were still more hurdles. I watched endless YouTube tutorials, teaching me first how to use Audacity. It was definitely a humble beginning- me recording in my bedroom, trying to figure out the difference between pop filters and shock mounts. My parents had no idea either but were supportive nonetheless and supplied me with most of my equipment even though they themselves didn’t understand it either.
Performing is not an easy road either. There are still days I am more nervous about some performances than others but overall I am confident in myself. I am confident in my abilities and the fact that I have put in more hours than the audience will ever see- choosing a song, recording the backing track, practicing the lyrics, etc. I know I work hard and I also know that I love what I do. I hope that shows through in my performances.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
For my professional work, my music career actually ended up helping me get the job that I did. All of my experience in audio production as well as photography and videography landed me a job in communications. I host our podcast, write the monthly newsletter, am in charge of photography for events and more. Without my YouTube channel and the skills I’ve been building over the years, I don’t think I would have landed this job. I am very proud that I have been mostly self-sustainable.
However, my path was not an easy road, as it usually isn’t for most people. But I knew what I loved and wanted to share that with others. Some people may have stopped when they had to learn an entire new program and learn about audio production. Others may have quit because they don’t like public speaking or being in front of others. I know I am confident in my abilities and I believe that shines through not only in my musical career but also in my professional career.
Something that sets me apart from others is that I am always looking for new opportunities. I may or may not like them, but I tell myself I at least need to give it a shot before I mark it off my list. For example, a couple years ago I went white water rafting for the first time. While it was a bit daunting at first, I ended up loving it and I have been several times since.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories was acting in my first play. We were in 2nd grade and at that point, there weren’t any auditions, it was a first come first serve of who wanted what. This other girl and I both wanted Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web. Let me preface here- do you know why I wanted to be Charlotte? I had seen the costume closet at the back of the room and the costume was this super sparkly, purple ensemble; I thought it was pretty and that was why I wanted to be Charlotte. So because 2 kids wanted to be her, they did a “pick a name out of a hat.” I remember when they called my name I was so excited- I was gonna get to wear the purple sparkly outfit!!! Now the funniest part- so they take me back to the closet, push aside the purple sparkly outfit (much to my dismay), reach into some hidden drawer and pull out this ugly, gray outfit. And that was my Charlotte costume.
Even though the costume didn’t end up being what I expected, I ended up falling in love with theatre and performing through this opportunity. I loved being in the spotlight, I had my lines down and I belted my heart out to our encore song, Some Pig. My parents were amazed to see me shine and my dad will still sing Some Pig to me, even 15+ years later. I am so thankful it turned out that way because I found my passion for performing.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/emmyyoung_99
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CznZj4UCH/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Twitter: Twitter.com/emmyyoung_99
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@emmyyoung?si=SxOgk1uRVrN4H9-T
Image Credits
The fall shots, shots in front of the house and profile photo (5)- Tien Tran The stage photos (2)- Riverfest
