Spotlight On... Fourth Daughter

Classically-trained pianist turned electronic producer Emily Atkinson is gearing up to release Full Bloom, her second EP as Fourth Daughter. Due for release on Friday 21 February, some of the EPs tracks caught early attention from Radio 1 with last year’s Higher (Just a Feeling) crowned the station's track of the week at the end of September – an impressive achievement, we're sure you'll agree.

Since then Radio 1 have dubbed her one of their Future Artists, she’s been announced as an official artist for this year’s SXSW showcase festival in Austin, Texas, and just last Friday she was in session for BBC Introducing in Scotland with Phoebe I-H and Stephanie Cheape. Ahead of the release of her new EP, we catch up with Atkinson to find out more about the new EP, her inspirations and what’s next for the up-and-coming producer.

Who/what inspired you to make the transition from classically-trained pianist to electronic producer? 
The music I listen to and listened to growing up was very electronic so I think it was kind of inevitable it would pivot this way at some point. I could play really well and then when I first got access to ProTools at college the first things I did was make songs out of all of the sounds I suddenly had access to, and it just naturally progressed into what it is now.

You’ve been making music as Fourth Daughter for a few years now, really settling into your groove on your 2023 HYPERREAL EP. When it comes to your music making as Fourth Daughter, who would you cite as your musical inspirations? Are there any producers/artists you really look up to/aspire to follow in the footsteps of?
My musical inspirations can fluctuate a lot but there are some that have really stuck, artists like Rufus Du Sol, Jamie xx, Disclosure, Romy, Jungle – people like that have really inspired me musically and I guess that also goes hand in hand with who I aspire to as well. I think what they’re all doing is incredible and I would be so made up if I followed in their footsteps one day.

In a recent interview on BBC Radio Scotland you said you enjoy making collections of songs that go together – can you tell us more about the process that brought Full Bloom’s five tracks together? What connects them?
Yeah, so this EP was written over quite a short period of time and I wanted for each track to feel like it had its own personality – there’s the upbeat summery dance feels in Higher (Just a Feeling) and then we have some darker drum'n'bass influence in Deja Vu and then the more kind of pop-leaning dance effect in HYBRID.

I wanted to be able to explore all kinds of production influences that make up my own sound so that definitely influenced my song choices for the EP. I’m also writing about real situations and life is just a mesh of loads of different things existing at once and how we feel can be different day to day so it’s reflective of that. Although the EP is cohesive with so many common threads in the songs in production and writing, it’s meant to represent a full spectrum just in life and that’s what led me to the title Full Bloom, taken from a lyric in [Deja Vu] because it just made sense to me.

After the EP comes out, you’re heading to Texas in the States for SXSW in March. What are your plans for when you’re out there and what are you hoping to get out of the experience?
Yes! I honestly can’t wait. My plans are I’ll be playing a few showcases whilst I’m there and I’m hoping to meet loads of new people and artists whilst I’m there as well. Also, tacos. I can’t wait for the tacos.

You’re also playing Belladrum festival this summer, what can Scottish crowds expect?
I think I’m going to go in on a hybrid set of some of my live set and some DJing so people can fully expect to be dancing and having the best time. That’s my hope anyway.

And what does the rest of the year look like for you?
Lots more releasing, playing shows and writing as many songs as I can.

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Full Bloom is out on 21 Feb via music is fun

Follow Fourth Daughter on Instagram @iamfourthdaughter