Small Town, Big Sound: Country on the Coast with Emily Bass
By Heather Bennett Eye
While most young musicians trade small-town life for big-city lights, Emily Bass chose the opposite. She split her childhood between Destin and Magnolia, Tex., and has since returned to put down roots in Freeport, where the pace of life is a little slower.
Emily is a talented local singer/songwriter who has made multiple appearances on NBC’s The Voice, has opened up for acts like Cole Swindell, and is working hard at making a name for herself beyond the panhandle. “I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember,” said Emily. “I did a lot of talent shows and stuff growing up, and then started taking guitar lessons, then piano lessons and voice lessons. I just stuck with it. It’s something that I just kind of had fun with when I was a kid, and then it just never went away.”
Emily got an early break working with Steve Beyer Productions, now known as Beyer Entertainment, starting when she was 16, which eventually took her to Los Angeles. Through Beyer, Emily booked events in cities like Houston, Palm Springs, New York and Las Vegas.
She met her fiancé, Eric, at one of her performances in Palm Springs, although they both lived in Los Angeles at the time. After a couple of years in the city, Emily began longing for a place that felt a little more like home. So, she and Eric moved to Freeport, where they now live with their two dogs, Alice and Penny, and where she continues to work on her music.
This past fall, she released her first album, Pink Cadillac, with the help of music producer Moises Zulaica, whom she had previously worked with in Los Angeles. While her shows feature a mix of rock, pop and country hits, her album reflects her own personal style. “I would definitely put it in the country-pop genre,” said Emily. She and Moises passed tracks back and forth, with her recording in a Destin studio and him producing in Mexico City. “It was a lot of fun to do.”
Last year Emily also performed with Kaitlyn Bristowe, of Bachelor Nation fame, at the Lady World Festival in Miramar Beach. She coached Kaitlyn on her first public performance and harmonized with her during her set.
Earlier this year, Emily won the People’s Choice award at the “Made in Walton County” Songwriter’s Showdown by the Cultural Arts Alliance. She also made a trip to Nashville to play at Ole Red and Kane Brown’s on Broadway.
Most country fans know how special Nashville is, and Emily will head back to Music City this September to attend the Josie Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House as a nominee for Rising Star of the Year – Country (Female). “I’m so excited,” said Emily. “I’ve never been to the Opry, so I’m pretty ecstatic for my first time to be going there to be nominated.”
If you’d like to catch one of Emily’s shows, you can find a show near you at https://www.emilybassmusic.com. You can also listen to her music and download her album on Spotify and Apple Music.
