Even though much of his previous music has been deeply tied to Christianity and is stylistically influenced by gospel music, Edmonton singer-songwriter Emmet Michael says he no longer considers himself a Christian, and his music is shifting to reflect the changes.
“I think for a long time, that was something that I held on to,” Michael says. “As a Christian, you’re sort of taught like this is the handbook to live your life, and this will give you, you know, eternal salvation and a community that you feel like you can belong to.”
His next performance is going to be at a church, but not for the Sunday service crowds like the ones he’s played for many times before. This performance at Robertson-Wesley United Church on June 23 will be for the Community & Connection 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocacy Conference, where he will share his story as a transgender man and connect with others who are working “to help make two-spirit, queer and trans people feel safe and included. I’m still very often associated with these spaces because I think a lot of my work personally and professionally, is based in bridging between church communities, and queer and trans communities.”
(Darrin Hagen spoke with Michael in 2021 for a story on local 2SLGBTQIA+ country music artists.)
The conference will also include two keynote speakers whom Michael says he’s excited to connect with. Nisha Patel, Edmonton’s eighth Poet Laureate, will be speaking about queerness, disability and allyship. And educator and performer Sissy Thiessen Kootenayoo will discuss their experiences as a two-spirit person.
Michael says music has always been a safe space for him to be able to communicate stories and ideas some people may have never heard.
Listening to Michael’s music, it’s easy to feel the connection to that world. It’s introspective, mindful and reflective. There is a heartbreaking quality to his most recent single, “Halloween,” as it pulls on the vulnerabilities of childhood and explores Michael’s past relationship with his father. His echoing voice and chiming guitar encourage the listener to slow down and give the lyrics some thought, and you can feel the influence of artists like Manchester Orchestra in its slow but steady build.
And now that Michael has just finished a singer-songwriter residency in Dawson City, he’s ready to get back to recording and performing while continuing to develop his sound.
“I am shifting my music stylistically more to pop and alt-rock genres and trying new projects,” he says. “Because I personally have shifted a lot, and I’m coming from a very different place, and so stylistically, I think it’s sort of time for a change.
“I think it’s time for me to have more fun musically. And so that’s sort of the path that I’m on right now.”
Learn, heal and share with Emmet Micheal’s performance at Robertson-Wesley United Church on June 23
