Bliss: So you’re over in Austin, right? I have a couple of good friends there. One’s an upcoming musician—super, super talented. I’ll let him know that I interviewed you. You’ll probably cross paths with him, I’m certain. He’s playing all around Nashville and Texas.

So, a little bit about me before I dive into the interview with you—I had a couple of magazines four years ago in print called Bliss Life, Bliss Babe, Bliss Babies, and Aphrodite.

I’ve interviewed everyone from Jill Biden to—my favorite interview—Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October. Are you familiar?

Emily: Wow. Yeah, yeah.

Bliss: I’ve interviewed Josh Todd from Buckcherry too! Yeah, he was a lot of fun.

So, I just researched you a little bit—I’m going to make this very conversational. I have lots of questions, but it never goes how it’s supposed to.

So, I want to start out… Tell me about growing up. Were you always a musician? Where did this talent come from?

Emily: Oh, man. I started playing when I was like five. My mom used to sing in church and stuff, but I think I was kind of the only musical one in my family.

It was me, my mom, my dad, and my sister. One day my mom took us shopping, and I saw a guitar down an aisle—I think it was a thrift shop or something. It was this little acoustic guitar. I was five, and I was enthralled with it. I still have it in my closet.

I’d never seen a guitar before—it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. That was kind of the first thing I played, and I haven’t really put it down since. It’s what I naturally gravitated toward.

Bliss: What kind of guitar was it?

Emily: It was a little Harmony acoustic. It’s about this big. It’s kind of in pieces now because it was in my garage for so long, and the heat messed with it. But it’s still there—in pieces, but it’s there.

Bliss: So, after that, when did things really start?

Were you playing in church? In high school? Theater or performing arts? Or did you just do what you needed to get by, and then after school get into a band or something?

Emily: Gosh, I desperately wanted to be in a band in high school, but I was so shy. I didn’t really let anyone hear me sing until I was 20. I loved it, though.

I would go to school and hate every second of it, then just want to go home, sit on the floor in my room, and play guitar. That was my escape from growing up in a small town.

Bliss: Did you grow up in Austin?

Emily: Yeah. I grew up in Cedar Park, about 20 minutes outside of Austin. I just didn’t really fit in there—it never felt like home.

But my room did, because I had instruments, my floor, my little tape recorders… So yeah, I didn’t really start getting out and playing in bands until college.

I went to St. Edward’s University—it’s a small liberal arts school in Austin. I started a band with my roommate, played around town, and eventually went off on my own. And yeah… now I’m here.

Bliss: What was the name of the band?

Emily: We were called The City Sounds, which—I don’t even know what that means. Our songs were not great… but we had fun. Coffee shops, open mics—you know.

Bliss: What was the first gig you played? Do you remember?

Emily: Yeah—the first off-campus gig was at Spider House Ballroom. We opened for another band from our college. It was a complete disaster… but it was the best.

Bliss: Why was it a disaster?

Emily: We had no experience on stage. We didn’t know what a soundcheck was. No stage presence—we were just like, “What are we doing?”

At the end of the show, I walked off stage with my cable still plugged into my guitar and knocked over a bunch of stuff.

Bliss: That’s amazing. Do you still have the flyer or promo material?

Emily: Not from that show. But when I was a senior, I had started writing songs on my own and got more into electric guitar. I do have a poster from Battle of the Bands that I won.

The prize was playing the big end-of-year concert, so yeah—that was a big deal.

Bliss: You should put your guitar and that poster in a shadow box.

Emily: I should! That’s a really good idea.

Bliss: Did you study theater or performing arts?

Or did you go the “practical” route in case music didn’t work out?

Emily: Yeah, before college I told my parents, “I’m not going—I’m doing music.”

They were like, “Nope. You’re going.”

So, I studied communications. I didn’t really know what else to do. But it helped me socially—I learned how to talk to people and not be so shy.

We didn’t have a music program, but everyone around me was musical, so I got to write with people and experience being in a band.

Bliss: You’re a natural, though. You’re a great singer.

How many interviews are you doing a week?

Emily: Quite a few. I did about eight last week, and I’ve got three today—this is my first one.

Bliss: Let’s talk about your guitar—the one you helped brand.

Emily: Oh, the Epiphone guitar?

Bliss: Yeah! Do you have a design I can see?

Emily: Yeah, let me grab it. This is the black one—it’s the first one they launched. I play it all the time. It’s my number one. There’s also a white version.

Bliss: Did you design it too?

Emily: Yeah.

Bliss: Wow. That’s beautiful. Can anyone purchase it?

Do you want to start your own guitar brand one day?

Emily: That would be fun. But I’m such a fan of Gibson and Epiphone—I think I’m more of a connoisseur than a designer. I did actually design these, and they really helped with the specs and everything.

…but yeah, I think I’d rather have a guitar pedal company.

Bliss: Nice. I like that.

Bliss: Nice. Okay, so let’s talk about Gavin Brown. I do know Barenaked Ladies, but I’m not heavily into rock. It’s changed, you know, the sound of music. I’m an ’80s person, however — I’ve got my Judas Priest necklace and my Eddie Van Halen guitar pick earrings!

So, tell me about how you became connected with Gavin.

Emily: Yeah, it was kind of crazy. I have a buddy named Sean, and he does audio engineering at this studio in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

I was on tour, driving my van, and I had just finished the tour. It was a difficult tour because my bass player had just kind of been like, “Hey, I don’t want to tour anymore. I want to run my coffee shop.”

So, it was just me and my drummer, and it was a different experience than normal. It was really hard.

And I had reached this point where I was like, “I think I might be done.”

Bliss: Really?

Emily: Yeah. I was...

Bliss: You were going to hang it up?

Emily: I was going to hang it up. I was going to come home, and I was thinking in my mind, “All right, when I get home, how much money could I get for my amp, bass, and stuff?”

I was this close to giving up. I was going to be home in eight hours, but then I got this text from Sean, my buddy, and he’s like, “You need to meet my friend Gavin Brown, who’s this amazing producer.”

“He’s done all these amazing records. He’s got all these hits.”

And I was like, “Okay, might as well.”

So, then we met each other, and he wanted to know all about me.

And I said, “Here’s me. I am this close to giving up.”

And he said, “This is great news.”

And I was like, “What do you mean?”

He said, “Well, you’re in this pocket right now of rebuilding.”

So, he’s really helping me rebuild, and I guess I’m in this new chapter of my life.

And he said, “Yes, you are!”

Bliss: How long ago was that?

Emily: That was two years ago when we wrote these songs. We have a bunch more in the can to release, and it’s amazing to have a partner and producer guiding this whole thing for me because, in the past, I’ve really done it on my own.

He’s amazing. He’s the best producer I’ve ever worked with.

Bliss: There’s this saying about digging for gold, right? Most people quit right before they’re ready to strike gold.

And for the luck of the universe, you didn’t. That must have been hard. I’ve been where you are, and this is just the beginning.

I mean, obviously, you’ve been at this for 13 years, but I think one of the things I’ve learned is to trust the process. Everything is connected on your journey, right?

So, when you were growing up, as far as female musicians, singers, and songwriters, did you have any female inspirations?

Emily: Oh gosh, so many. Joan Jett.

Bliss: You sound like her. What about Melissa Etheridge?

Emily: Oh, I love Melissa Etheridge. And I love Indigo Girls. I love Heart. Heart’s a big one for me.

Bliss: Oh yeah. Love Heart too! Have you met any of them?

Emily: Yeah, I did. I got to open for Joan Jett and Heart a few years ago in Louisiana.

It was so good. Wow. Yeah, it was crazy. It’s amazing to be on a bill with those ladies.

Yeah, I still can’t really believe it.

Who else? Pat Benatar! I love Pat Benatar! I have a Pat Benatar shirt that I was thinking of wearing today, but it was too creepy.

Bliss: That’s awesome. Who would you like to go on tour with?

Emily: Oh… Linda Ronstadt. I love Linda Ronstadt.

Bliss: Besides who you’re touring with now, who’s on your bucket list?

Emily: Gosh, my bucket list would probably be Queens of the Stone Age as my number one.

And then I played a couple of shows with Tool, so that would be awesome to do a full tour with them.

I think those two for sure.

Bliss: When does your tour start? Or has it started already?

Emily: It hasn’t started yet. My first show of the year — which is crazy — is on Saturday in Philly.

And then at the end of May, I start shows with Yungblud. So I’ll do a few of those.

Bliss: How long is your tour? How many weeks?

Emily: These are spot dates — three dates with Yungblud at the end of May.

And then there are some tours coming up in June that I haven’t announced yet, so I’m not sure I can say. But stuff will probably pop up between then and the end of the year.

Bliss: Do you write most of your own music?

Emily: Yeah. Everything up until Lips and Crave Me, these new songs, was all me.

Then I met Gavin, and we wrote those together — and Lips with Jesse Hughes from Eagles of Death Metal.

Bliss: Yeah, I watched that video in your bio. What’s the biggest thing you learned from working with Jesse?

Emily: I think the biggest thing is not trying to be perfect.

The thing that really opened my eyes when I watched him write was that he didn’t write anything down. He just went in and sang whatever came out.

And I was like, “Whoa. That’s crazy.”

I’d never done that before. It was always, “Oh my God, I have to plan everything and then go in and do it.”

But he didn’t have a plan. He was just like, “I’m going to say whatever.”

And that became the chorus, right there on the spot.

I think he taught me — without meaning to — not to care so much and not to put so much pressure on the process.

Bliss: Just do it.

I always say when I started my magazine, I went to school for theater and art. I always wanted to have a magazine.

As cliché as it sounds, I was at a bar writing the name of my first magazine on a napkin — and I did it.

I started writing a blog, and it also helped heal my broken heart.

So my point is, in the long run, you don’t need to know how everything works or have a perfect plan. You just have to start.

It’s the art of the start, right?

Let the journey take you.

When you write songs — and when I write articles — I’ll write snippets from my brain, little segments, and then combine them all together.

Bliss: What’s your method for writing music? Do you sit down and just hammer it out on the computer or write it out? Or is it more like you think of things, type yourself notes, and then come back to them later? What’s your method to your madness?

Emily: Yeah. Usually… so, I have this little room in my house, and then I have a closet right there that’s kind of big.

So, I go in there, sit on the floor, and just play. Then I kind of sing whatever happens. The more I sing, the more it turns into actual words. Then I write the words down and carve them into something that makes sense. It all kind of starts the same way.

I used to do the same thing in high school — sitting on the floor in my room. I don’t know why I have to sit on the floor. It just feels more centered, maybe… more grounded. Yeah, it has to do with being grounded, right? When you’re younger, a lot of kids sit on the floor and do their thing, and it brings back that energy.

Bliss: I always ask this question, and it’s quite deep.

My whole goal is to interview artists, musicians, and people with a higher level of consciousness who believe there’s more to this life than just what we’re here for, right?

The universe has a special purpose. We have it in our DNA. What we do really well… my passion is awareness — finding out people’s level of awareness. Awareness generally stems from trauma, and trauma lends perspective, right? So I always ask this question:

If your DNA was a symphony, what would it sound like?

Emily: Oh my gosh. I love this question, and I love the purpose of the magazine.

If my DNA was an orchestra or a symphony, what would it sound like?

Oh my gosh… there would be a lot of drums in it — like floor tom drums — and then obviously a lot of guitars and a lot of violins. I don’t play violin, but there’s something so heartbreakingly beautiful about that instrument.

And then, this is kind of silly, but I love birds.

I love them. I have so many, and I’ll just sit out in the backyard every day and listen to them. I’ve started memorizing what they sound like too. Certain cardinals sound different from bluebirds, and it’s really distinctive.

It’s fun because there’s this app that’s basically like Shazam for birds. I love listening to the rhythm of their calls. They’re musical. So there’s probably some type of bird element in there, I imagine, in my DNA.

Bliss: What’s your sign?

Emily: I’m a Taurus.

Bliss: When’s your birthday?

Emily: May 11th.

Bliss: Mine’s May 18th. Hey! There we go. That’s awesome.

Happy early birthday to you too!

That’s funny — I sleep with the AC on, the windows open, and the fan running, and I can hear the birds in the morning. They say the sound of birds chirping is meant to wake the flowers up, right?

Emily: Awwww. Yeah. Love that.

Bliss: Yeah, and maybe you could incorporate birds chirping into your music.

Do you like classical music — Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven? Who’s your favorite among the classics?

Emily: Oh my gosh… Claude Debussy, I think. Clair de Lune is like the ballad. And of course, Andrew Lloyd Webber — we talked about Andrew Lloyd Webber.

It’s funny because I was in band in high school. I played the French horn, and it was kind of the closest thing I had to being in a band.

I liked playing the music, but I didn’t really know how to read music, and I still don’t to this day. I think I was sick the day they taught us how to read it. laughs

I would just ask them for a CD of the music:

“Hey, can you give me a recording of the piece we have to learn? I just want to do some extra work.”

I had to learn everything by ear because I didn’t know how to read music.

Bliss: And you still don’t to this day?

Emily: No. Not at all. As a musician… there’s just the ear.

Bliss: That is great. That’s awesome. There’s hope for me yet. That’s a unique super-genius talent.

If it’s all by ear, that means you’re really tuned into frequency and authenticity, right? And it takes a while to do that. That’s part of the Rock the Bliss Life — tuning into your own frequency and being as authentic as you can.

So that’s superhuman power.

Your next question is…

I’m going to give you an example of why I’m asking this question. It’s another deep one.

Awareness is key, right? Some people are born on this earth and they’re just… dropped in. They’re NPCs. They’re nine-to-fivers operating on autopilot. They have no awareness or higher consciousness.

And then some people are different. I like to say, “We were invited to the party.” We were invited to the party on this planet Earth, right?

So when was the first time you became aware? I’ll give you my example. I became aware when I was 14 months old.

My dad died, and my mother had just received his death certificate. We were driving home, and I remember being in the back seat asking her why she was crying so much. She said, “That’s when I received your dad’s death certificate.”

And I was like, wow. I was aware at 14 months old.

Trauma lends perspective. Then there were a few other moments throughout my life, and it just keeps happening over and over.

You get tuned into your frequency and your purpose… as long as you’re not distracted by nefarious things — drugs, alcohol, bad people.

So when was the first time, if you can remember, that you became aware? Like looking up at the world and going, “Huh… I’m here for a specific reason.”

Emily: Yeah. Gosh, let me think.

I feel like there have been so many instances of that throughout my life. Do you want the youngest one?

Bliss: Yeah — or maybe the most rewarding. I find females are often more tuned in than men… though not always.

But yes, I want the youngest one for sure.

Emily: Let’s see…

It had to have been when I first saw an electric guitar.

Like I told you about the acoustic guitar I saw, but then I was seven years old and begged my mom:

“Mom, can you please take me to the music shop? I just want to see all the cool stuff.”

I remember seeing this kid-sized Stratocaster. I had never seen an electric guitar in person before.

I can still remember that moment. That’s when I thought:

“That’s what I want to do forever. That’s the thing. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

I don’t have the ability to do a 9-to-5. It’s boring.

I’ve had several jobs in my life, but it always comes back to this for me. Even when I want to give up or think I should quit, it’s like:

“No, no, no. Come back.”

So yeah, I think that’s the youngest one.

Bliss: You seem very aware to me.

Most people can’t answer these questions. Or they struggle trying to answer them. Some people get emotional and say, “Wow, that brings back memories.”

Whether it’s a family member passing away or some life-changing moment…

So what’s your endgame with all of this?

Maybe that’s a loaded question because you were talking about almost quitting two years ago, but do you ever think about your endgame? And do you have a list of goals written down to help propel your music career?

Emily: Yeah. So many. I have so many goals.

I think my endgame is to be like 70 years old, have a bunch of land, and for me and my wife — we’ve been married almost seven years — to stand on the porch together and realize:

“Yes. I fulfilled my purpose.”

I want to create moments at every show where people feel connected to each other, where they can just live in the present moment for an hour and a half at my concerts.

I want to create this feeling where you’re fully in the show, enjoying yourself, and nothing else exists — because that’s where I go when I’m performing.

I kind of enter this other place that’s not here.

Bliss: It almost feels like an astral projection thing. We’ll have to discuss that later too because I’ve experienced that myself. My soul left my body years ago. I had to pull it back down. Wild.

So it’s sort of a trance state when you’re on stage?

When you’re performing, are you always fully present? Because you have the audience, the band, and everything happening around you. Do you ever catch yourself slipping deeper into that trance?

Kind of like when you’re driving and suddenly you arrive somewhere and think:

“How did I even get here?”

Emily: No, totally.

Usually right off the bat, I start in the trance because it’s like:

“Okay, this is what I’ve wanted to do my whole life.”

I don’t want to be sitting on the floor in my room anymore. I want to be on stage, standing up and expressing myself in a way that lets people see parts of themselves in what I’m doing.

There are moments where I slip out of it and suddenly think:

“Oh my God… what are these people thinking?”

And then I spend like 30 seconds in my head before I have to stop myself and remember:

“They’re not here for that. They’re here for the music.”

So yeah, I slip out of it sometimes, but I have to remind myself why I’m there.

Bliss: With AI impacting art, music, and everything we do now… how has AI impacted you?

Emily: For sure. That’s such an important question right now.

Some people say AI is going to take musicians’ jobs, but I don’t think that’s going to happen because there are still so many people who crave real human experiences.

I’m going to be in this room making music forever, even if there’s a robot on the other side of it.

But AI has helped me run my business as an artist. I’ve used it to find revenue streams I didn’t even know existed.

I’ve recovered money that had been sitting out there for years. It helped me discover royalty streams and “black box money” that nobody tells artists about.

There’s really no one you can go to and ask:

“How do I find the money I’m owed?”

Nobody truly knows. The industry is complicated.

So yes, I’ve used AI to ask questions like:

“What royalty streams do I need to sign up for?”

And I think there are probably tons of creatives — not just musicians — who are owed royalties they don’t even know about because nobody teaches us this stuff.

I haven’t really used AI for creative work yet because I still want the real stuff to come out of my body and onto the page.

Although… there are AI songs where I’m like:

“That’s a banger.”

So honestly, I don’t know where we’re headed.

Bliss: I have no idea either. None of us really know what the hell is going on. We’re all just in this shit show together.

Maybe we can do a follow-up interview after your tour. I’ll stay in touch, and I hope you enjoyed this because I definitely did.

It’s all about elevating your frequency and awareness. Artists and musicians just have that je ne sais quoi. That spark. Something I resonate with.

I want to know what makes you tick so people can get inspired by you.

Emily: I love these questions so much. I’m really into the whole frequency and spirituality thing.

Bliss: You’re a blessing, and I just want to say thank you. I’m honored to have done this interview and to have met you.

Good manifestations on your tour, and we’ll chat again soon for a follow-up.

Emily Wolfe on tour:

Official dates: https://www.emilywolfemusic.com/

 May 1-3: Sing Us Home 2026: Philadelphia, PA w/ The Menzingers, The Mountain Goats, Dave Hause

 Supporting YUNGBLUD & The Warning:

May 25, 2026: Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre

May 28, 2026: Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

May 29, 2026: Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater

 September 27: Lost Evenings IX 2026: Dallas, TX w/ Frank Turner, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead