Emma Cook

“It’s tough not to be won over by Cook’s luminous approach to crafting songs – a refreshing change of pace when so many artists try so hard to be, well, pretty much the same.” RED DEER EXPRESS

2016 FACTOR Juried Sound Recording recipient Emma Cook combines a powerful and haunting voice reminiscent of Sarah McLachan with the song stylings of Feist. She also knows what it means to struggle. The Toronto indie-folk singer was well on her way to making a name for herself before a falling tree branch caused a serious head injury and forced her to take a hiatus from music to focus on recovery. After a three year battle with Post-Concussive Syndrome, Emma drew 2016 to a close with the release of her third album ‘Same Old Song, produced by Mitch Girio (Emma-Lee’s Never Just a Dream).

Before her injury, Emma had logged over 100 shows across Canada, the US and the UK and had official showcases at NXNE, CMW & Indie Week. She was a 2008 Toronto Independent Music Awards nominee and received an Ontario Arts Council grant to record her second album “Hit & Run.” Written and co-produced by Emma, both of her albums have garnered fantastic reviews and sought the attention of campus radio, CBC and the Verge on XM Satellite Radio. The Ontario Arts Council again backed the young artist, awarding her an International touring grant which took her from Toronto down to Mississippi and back in Feb and March 2009, with stops at SXSW, and NYC’s famed Bitter End.

In early 2017 Emma began writing songs again. “They just started pouring out of me” she said, “I am channeling all of the loss and frustration, all of the pain and hardship of the last few years.” Thanks to a recent FACTOR grant, Emma recorded her fourth album with producer Dean Drouillard (Royal Wood), the first single of which made her finalist in the CBC Searchlight competition, and has reached 3k streams on Spotify in just a few weeks. Emma embarks on a cross Canada album release tour in March/April 2018.