About two months ago I was on the set for what was then Berkeley B-Side’s latest live production. In between fixing cameras to tripods and uncoiling extension cords, I noticed a certain individual walk in and greet B-Side’s editor in chief. This certain individual happened to be the incredibly talented Emma Gerson.
I had heard about Emma through being in B-Side last semester (Spring 2021). She was on the lineup of B-Side’s Spring Magazine Virtual Launch, and thus a handful of her songs were included in a Spotify playlist highlighting the B-Side’s favorites from each respective artist. Within a few days I found myself in the predictable habit of clicking on the playlist only then to skip ahead and click on Emma’s songs. They were just that good.
Fast forward six months later—past a summer in which “Let Me Be Good to You” was a road trip staple—and my first in-person semester that made “Throne” that much more relatable, and here I was introducing myself to Emma. I’m unsure if I’ll ever get over that ounce of embarrassment that comes with admitting that I’m a fan of an artist to their face. Luckily for me, Emma was grateful for my support and expressed gratitude for buying a ticket to what was then her fast approaching opening act at the Before the Fame Festival in San Francisco.
In the following month, I’ve had the pleasure to converse with Emma ahead of her BTF headlining show at the Brick & Mortar on December 10th, including an interview just a day before alongside her latest project Girlfried. I wanted to get an insight into what it’s been like for Emma to see her music reach an expanding audience and what inspired her to create Girlfried. These conversations have culminated in three takeaways that will maybe inspire your inner singer/songwriter, and at the very least deepen your appreciation for the artistry and musicianship of Emma Gerson and Girlfried.
I. Why Go Viral?
Emma Gerson headlining the Before the Fame Festival at the Brick and Mortar in San Francisco on December 10th.
This is not Emma’s first appearance in the Berkeley B-Side. Emma kicked off the Spring 2021 season of the A-Side Sessions with a graceful performance, characteristic of an artist in their natural element on stage. The video was released alongside an accompanying interview and profile piece. Since then, the past ten months have brought with it newfound attention and opportunities for Emma.
In early August, “Let Me Be Good To You” was included on the Spotify playlist ‘Created by Women,’ Emma’s first inclusion on a Spotify editorial playlist. A few weeks later, Quadio Media, a media network for college creatives, recognized Emma as one of the hottest growing college artists and hosted her for an episode of the Quadio Power Hour in collaboration with Breaking Sound Radio. Perhaps most notably, Emma opened for not one but two shows at the Brick and Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco, in collaboration with the Before the Fame Music Festival. These and many other opportunities paint a portrait of a musician nearing a career inflection point.
When I asked her to describe what the past few months have been like, I was pleasantly surprised by her response.
“Nothing has been expected. It’s been really cool to see things naturally grow […] for musicians, especially for Gen Z musicians, there’s a huge pressure to go viral or do something other than keep making music and keep putting it out consistently and gain fans that way.”
This theme of finding joy in the process of musicianship stands in stark contrast to many similar aspiring musicians saturating Instagram feeds and Twitter threads. The phenomenon of the viral hit just didn’t seem to appeal to Emma as much as staying authentic and committed to the grassroots growth she’s slowly but surely cultivated.
This observation found further support when I asked her what came to mind when I read her Spotify Wrapped numbers to her. After taking a moment to recognize and appreciate how the numbers were symbolic of her expanding reach, she returned to the process itself
“Even though numbers don’t really matter, it goes to show that I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing because if I keep at it, hopefully it will work out,” she continued, “I just need to believe that.”
II. A Special Window of Time
Throughout our conversation, I caught on to how often Emma and her bandmates Ali Miyares (drums) and Lauren Anastasia (bass) reflected on the special window of time they found themselves inhabiting. Alongside Eesha Ghadia, who joined to play guitar for their December 10th show, the four women comprise Girlfried, the self-described “premiere girl band” of UC Berkeley.
Lauren Anastasia (bass) and Ali Miyares (drums) of Girlfried performing at the Before the Fame Fest.
The story of Girlfried begins with a creative urge Emma had after seeing Jenn Clemena, the headlining artist for the first Before the Fame show that Emma opened for, on stage with “some of the most talented and technically skilled” musicians Emma had ever seen. The musicianship on display inspired Emma and she knew that if she were ever given the opportunity to return to the Brick & Mortar for her own show, she’d have to come with bandmates of her own.
Yet, Girlfried had only officially been practicing together for a little over a month. Ahead of her second Before the Fame opener, this time for Sabrina Shauna, Emma got in touch with Lauren over Instagram who happened to live with Ali. With just three days before the show, Ali committed and learned the entire opening set. That show was on November 12th, meaning Girlfried had only been around for one month. But what Girlfried has managed to accomplish in just one month is truly remarkable.
The band developed and practiced a setlist that highlighted Emma’s solo work and new Girlfried tracks. The three described the process of meeting at the Co-Op’s garage room every night with such pride, pulling back the curtain on what will undoubtedly go down as a remarkable time of their lives.
Given the opportunity to talk about what the uplifting of each other’s music has been like, Lauren remarked “(Emma) comes with these fully written songs with lyrics and a chord skeleton […] and it’s lovely that Emma is so open to us just going at it. Thus is our idea for the sound and the music and the dynamics and we’re gonna turn it into this. […] It’s been really cool to be in the space to flesh them out as a group”.
Eesha Ghadia of Girlfried. Eesha joined Emma, Lauren, and Ali for the Before the Fame Fest as a guitarist.
Ali shared her own awe for Emma’s openness with regards to input and collaboration. “For Emma to share her music with us and for us to be sitting in a room and for us to be building the music behind her songs feels so amazing because we all together are creating a creative product”.
The routine the musicians settled into contributed directly to a level of consistency and synergy in which they could flesh out their ideas and respective visions. While I got the impression that the fulfillment the three band members shared was in part spurred by the relatively pressing timeframe in which they operated, it was undeniable that their creativity and synergy arose from the shared respect and trust each artist had for the other. The outcome of this shared respect and trust was on full display at their headlining performance at the Brick and Mortar on December 10th, as Emma’s undeniable voice danced afront a new dimension of sound unfamiliar to even her most recent live performance.
The range with which Girlfried and Emma dabbled was truly impressive. Tears were shed, lovers embraced, and friends danced together all in the span of 40 minutes. Those 40 minutes were indeed a very special window of time in their own right.
III. Gratitude
As the performance came to a close, I reflected on how I’d do justice covering such a special show for all involved, for this was never about just Emma, Lauren, Ali, Eesha, or even Girlfried. What sticks with me the most after researching questions and topics, interviewing the band, and dancing at the show is the overwhelming amount of gratitude that each musician had for one another, and Emma’s gratitude for the community that has uplifted her to where she is today.
I truly believe Emma wouldn’t have had her headlining show Friday night go any other way. After all, she was there continuing the chain of female artists empowering one another by providing opportunities to the community at large. Do you remember my anecdote about Emma’s first opening show in early September? Sabrina Shauna, who opened alongside Emma, was given the opportunity to headline November’s Before the Fame show and reached out to Emma to open at her’s. After Emma sold an impressive amount of tickets, Burd Management (the agency in charge of the Before the Fame Fest) asked Emma to headline her own show. Continuing in the tradition, Emma reached out to several artists, all women, to open for her own show, returning the favor back to a community of female artists waiting for an opportunity of their own.
When I asked Emma what it meant to be able to participate in this community of talented women empowering one another, she answered in a way so characteristic of an artist grateful for everyone that’s shared in her journey to where she is today.
“I feel like I’m doing something that a lot of women today and before me have struggled to do, which is pave their own way and be seen as an independent talent in their own right. Not by being compared to someone else, or being the female version of some male musician […] So I think what we are doing is really rare and special really and important”.
I’m grateful for the time Emma, Lauren, and Ali spent conversing and answering my questions, and the music Girlfried is set to share with the world.
And share with the world they will. Over winter break, Girlfried recorded at a studio in Los Angeles, with hopes of organizing a tour for summer 2022.
Article and Photos By Joe Sison