Singer Emma Peridot On Celebrating Wins, Touring, And New Single “Could’ve Been”

This LGBTQ+ singer is back with another hit!

With nearly 1 Million streams on Spotify alone, Emma Peridot has really proven her role in this music industry. From starting performing music in college to now, we have loved every single release and we were so glad of this new release!

We had the amazing opportunity to talk with Emma on when she first found her love of music, favorite music artists, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to become a singer?

E: “I was probably around 10 or 11 when I first picked up a guitar. I didn’t really have the intention of having music take over my life and become my passion at that point, I was so young and it was really just for fun back then. But once I could play basic chords I started dabbling with singing covers, and by the time I was like 13 I started going through some personal stuff. I was realizing I was gay, but nobody else knew yet. I remember one of the first songs I wrote was called “Live in Secret” and it wasn’t very good (lol) but it was so cathartic to take something I was struggling with and create something tangible that other people could connect to. After that I latched onto that feeling of hope that songwriting brought me, like “okay…this could really be something meaningful.”

Tell us about your new single “Could’ve Been”.

E: “I started Could’ve Been way back in like 2018 or 2019. It sounded a lot different back then and I didn’t really know what direction to take it in sonically at that time, so I actually shelved it for a few years. Then right at the start of COVID when Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia album came out, I listened to that album on repeat for a few months, and then it occurred to me that I should revisit Could’ve Been and add that disco/80s flare to it. Making that change totally took the track to another level. I also have been having a lot of fun collaborating with other artists lately. I showed my good friend Fifth Lucky Dragon the track and he was super stoked about hopping on as a feature, which added another super cool element to it. The song really came to life with those few changes. I’m honestly really glad that I took a step away from it for a while until I knew exactly what it needed to become the best song it could be.”

What is your songwriting process?

E: “I approach it a couple different ways, but I’ve found that my favorite approach is just to sit down with my acoustic guitar, start messing around with different chord progressions, tempos, and strum patterns, and hum random gibberish on top of whatever I’m playing until I land on a chord progression and melody that I like. Usually it’ll have a vibe to it; sometimes it’s uptempo and fun and other times it’s a slow and sad song. So I’ll just start writing lyrics that go with the vibe of the music. I’ll tap into past and present experiences, things going on in the world, sometimes I’ll even write about something going on in a friend’s life. I view songwriting as a lifelong journey of continuously capturing experiences and turning them into art.”

What has been your favorite song you have released so far?

E: “That’s always a hard question because I love all of my songs so much, but I think Billion is a top contender for my current favorite. In Billion got really candid about my struggle with anxiety. As long as I can remember I’ve had racing thoughts and always worried so much about the future, like different outcomes of how things could happen or “what ifs.” I’ve gotten much better about it over the last two years, actually. I think having so many unknowns during COVID and truly not being able to predict or put a timeline on anything was really hard for me at first, but it ended up forcing me to adapt and just say “alright, I have no choice but to take things one day at a time,” which was ultimately a healthy mindset shift. But in Billion I took that feeling of chaos and tried to translate it sonically. The song is a pop-rock/EDM hybrid, and the drop has these crazy, glitchy vocal samples that just remind me of what I imagine my brain would sound like when it’s all over the place from those anxious thoughts.”

What has been your reaction to receiving over 400K+ streams on your music?

E: “It’s honestly insane and feels very surreal. I generally try not to focus too much on numbers, just because in the past I’ve definitely sought out a lot of external validation from that stuff and caught myself being disappointed if some releases don’t do as well as others. Still, I think it’s really important to celebrate the wins and also to look back and see how far I’ve come. I’m so grateful for all those people streaming my music and supporting me!”

If you could collaborate with any other singer, who would it be and why?

E: “I would love to collaborate with Lauren Sanderson. She’s another LGBTQ+ artist and is actually also from Indiana! I love her music, and her career has really inspired me. She’s out here making it big, and if she can do it, why can’t I?!”

What are your biggest goals for your music career?

E: “The next step that I would love to take in my career would be to open for a few bigger artists on their tours. I actually have a list of artists in my notes app on my phone that I would love to open for. My ultimate goal, though, is just to get to a place where I make a full-time income from producing (for myself and other artists), releasing music, and touring. My dream has always been relatively simple: to have a dedicated fan base and be able to connect with them. That’s what it’s all about for me!”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

E: “I’m @itsemmaperidot on all social platforms!” Website Instagram TikTok Facebook Twitter Spotify Apple Music YouTube

Stream “Could’ve Been” today!

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene. When not helping her team and working on the monthly issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral Tasty recipe.