Today was my first time hearing about EmiSunshine, but I’m pretty certain it won’t be my last. The 9-year-old folk singer is well on her way to stardom after a recent breakout performance at a flea market in Sweetwater, Tennessee.
Since the video of EmiSunshine belting out Jimmie Rodgers’ Blue Yodel No. 6 went viral last weekend, the little girl’s been profiled by major national sources — and compared to young versions of Jewel, LeAnn Rimes, Loretta Lynn and Taylor Swift.
In local circles, EmiSunshine’s been a well-kept secret ever since winning a Madisonville talent competition a few years ago. According to a January profile in Maryville’s Daily Times, EmiSunsine — whose full name is Emilie Hamilton — wrote her first song when she was five. She recently completed an 18-track album called “Black Sunday ’35,” and wrote or co-wrote 16 of the songs. And, as if that isn’t impressive enough, EmiSunshine also plays ukulele, banjolele, mandolin, kazoo and a few songs on the piano.
Here’s EmiSunshine performing the title track on her album, which she wrote after learning about the Dust Bowl in school.
As dad Randall Hamilton put it to the Daily Times, EmiSunshine’s incredibly skilled at coming up with “crazy-cool melodies” with simply chord progressions.
“It sounds like avant-garde jazz, like there’s more chords and it’s more complicated than it really is,” said Randall, who serves as Emi’s bandleader and jumps in for some harmonies.
But, to the 9-year-old, songwriting just comes easy: “When I come up with a melody, I just put some chords together, and it turns into a song.”
EmiSunshine will perform at Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales on Wednesdays through Saturdays this summer. She also recently met a GoFundMe goal that will allow her to pursue a “musical and educational opportunity” in New York City.
