Getting To Know...
Em Hoggett.
Em Hoggett is a British singer-songwriter, actress and producer based in Los Angeles. A trained classical pianist since the age of 4, Em holds ATCL (Associate Diploma) and LTCL (Licentiate Diploma) diplomas in Piano Performance. Em has performed with renowned concert pianist Lang Lang at the Royal Festival Hall (London), the Fazioli Concert Hall (Italy) and other notable venues in the UK.
Em began writing songs at 13 while attending a performing-arts high school in London. She attended the Purcell School of Music in England for two years to train as a jazz singer and study music technology and producing. Although awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, Em pursued her passion for acting and moved to New York in 2015 to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Em was raped when she was 16.
But she didn't tell anyone what had happened for a long time.
At 18, after an amazing first semester at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Em suddenly felt depressed when she returned home to London for Christmas. In returning to the place where the attack happened, so did her memories. She hoped that feeling would fade on her return to New York. It didn’t. After successfully suppressing the rape for years, it suddenly took over her life. It consumed her thoughts by day and haunted her dreams at night. It was then, after her mum suggested she write a letter to her attacker to get her feelings out, that she wrote the song 'What I Want to Say to You'. She shared the song with the world to try and make herself feel better, to make her family and friends aware of what had happened to her and to help other survivors. The response she received was amazing but Em was still consumed by darkness, which she believes was the result of two years of suppressed emotion all coming out at once.
During that time she wrote two more songs – 'Anger', and 'Will It Always Be Like This' and began to feel better. In 2017 Em moved to LA and was doing great until the Harvey Weinstein news broke and, during that time, other triggering events happened both in the media and her personal life. She was close to a complete breakdown, at which point she wrote a fourth song – 'Get Out'. These four songs make up the What I Want to Say to You EP.
Since moving to Los Angeles, Em formed her production company, Enfyrian Images, with partner Umar Malik. Enfyrian Images aim to tell important stories, give a voice to the voiceless and bring awareness and insight to relevant and underrepresented topics. They have produced a number of short films and recently produced two shows at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018 that Em stars in.
Ticket sales and net proceeds from the sale of the EP are donated to charities including It’s On Us (USA), founded by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and Rape Crisis UK and Wales.
We had a chat with Em to hear more about her story, the #MeToo movement, what she plans on doing next and more. Read it below.
Hi Em, the story behind your new EP What I Want To Say To You is heart-breaking yet incredibly inspiring. You must be so proud of yourself for battling your demons and coming through the other side stronger than ever.
"It was a tough process to say the least. It took years to be able to speak about my rape, but doing so literally changed my life. One of the purposes of the EP is to try and encourage others to speak out, because for me, telling my story and receiving support were essential components to begin acceptance and healing. I am very proud of the EP and so happy that it has to been able to make an impact on others. Music has been the most incredible tool to help me heal and express. Writing the songs was a way to heal, but releasing them was a way to help others in their healing. It’s amazing that something which I used to help me has the power to help so many others too. It helps you to see that we are not alone."
Knowing that you've helped so many people through sharing your music must be an incredible feeling.
"Receiving messages from survivors explaining how the songs have helped or inspired them is incredible. It reminds me why I’m doing what I’m doing and to keep speaking my truth. It is not easy to sing those songs and speak in interviews about my experience so frequently, but I believe it is helping people. One survivor messaged me saying the songs had given her the courage to take her attacker to the police. This was absolutely amazing. One woman said she was looking for a reason to stay alive and that the music video had helped her. Reading those kinds of messages is incredibly touching, reminds me why I am doing this and how important this work is."
What are your thoughts on the #MeToo movement? What do you believe might be missing in the equation?
"It is fantastic that the #MeToo moment happened. It has been so necessary to see how many people this really affects (although I’m sure there are still many women and men living in silence).
"The #MeToo movement did an incredible job at highlighting the horrific amount of people this affects. But, people can easily turn a blind eye to statistics and numbers. Music has an incredible power to make you feel something. It is such an organic way to connect, human being to human being. The ability of music to enable you to actually FEEL someone’s pain leaves a lasting impact. It has the power to make people take action. It would be incredible to see more art coming out on the subject and to see that being accepted by society. A song about rape should be no less accepted than a song about heartbreak because it happens just as frequently."
The title track of the EP 'What I Want To Say To You' comes with a very powerful and moving video. Tell us a bit more about how that all came together.
"We wanted to release a video at the same time as the EP. We had a TIGHT deadline to get it done before the date. Literally a matter of days. My incredible partner, Umar Malik, and I sat down and talked for hours about what I wanted this to be. Once the story was devised, we went through a crazy pre-production process. We had to find the locations, crew, and cast (which was a LOT of people) in the space of a day. We only got our makeup artist at midnight the day before. Both of us slept for about three hours, woke up and did a 14-hour shoot. It was crazy, but the result is incredible. The shoot itself was truly one of the best days of my life. The energy on set was amazing. Everyone was so friendly and funny, which was nice as it was such a sensitive topic. Many of the cast were real survivors; it was incredibly powerful."
Let's talk a little bit about your background. You're a classically trained pianist since age 4 and having been writing songs since 13. What was it that drew you to music initially?
"We had a piano in our home and, apparently, I just sat down at four-years-old and asked to have lessons. I instantly took to it and that was that. I was performing as a classical pianist throughout my whole childhood and took my first degree in piano by the time I was 11. I later became interested in writing songs and soon found it was a complete passion of mine. Music has been a huge part of my life, so when my mum told me to ‘write a letter to my attacker’, as a way to heal, that naturally came in writing in song. That song is 'What I Want To Say To You', the title track from the EP. Music has saved my life on multiple occasions."
Finally, what's next for Em Hoggett? Is activism something you'll always want to go hand in hand with your music?
"I have a second album ready to go! I am hoping to get back in the studio as soon as possible, so I’m really excited. I’m not sure that I’d say every song is coming from an activist point of view, but I will say that all of the songs mean a great deal to me, and they have all helped me to find clarity in moments of overwhelming emotion."
What I Want To Say To You is available now.
