10 QUESTIONS WITH ARTIST EMILY ULMAN

Melbourne’s on singer-songwriter Emily Ulman has recently released raw and captivating new single ‘Mountains Mountains Mountains’ which is off her upcoming album that is set to be released later this year. You can get to know the artist a little better with the 10 Q&A’s below.

Photo: Izzie Austin

"Mountains Mountains Mountains" is such a striking title — if each 'Mountain' represented a different part of your life, what would they be?

Ooft that's such a good question. In my head it's a mountain range rather than individual mountains. Each needs the other in order to exist. Like yin and yang: the peaks need the valleys, like the climb needs the free fall. The repetition of the word "mountains" evokes the sense of movement and driving and the journey and the one foot in front of the otherness of life. Each mountain is the mantra, you've got this, you can do this, you're doing this.

You mentioned the Japanese proverb "The reverse side has a reverse side". What's something people might be surprised to discover about you?

I know I appear to be 5 foot 1, but I’m actually 6 foot 2 on the inside. It’s wild, right? The contrast is absurd. I’ve been approached by scientists who want to study this phenomenon, but I just haven’t had the time. Honestly, it’s like the universe gave me short legs and a giant heart. I’m like a pocket-sized person with a skyscraper-sized mentality. If you ever need someone to reach the top shelf, I’m not your girl, but I can definitely see why you’d ask.

Your new single balances intimacy with expansiveness — what’s one seemingly small moment in your life that ended up changing everything?

I was on a different path, studying Occupational Therapy with plans to become a Music Therapist, when a dear friend, Dave, asked me to fill in at the Prince of Wales in the cloakroom. It sounds small, but that moment completely shifted my trajectory. I've been working in the music industry ever since. I credit Dave for unintentionally redirecting my life, even though he probably had no idea what he was setting in motion. It’s why to this day, I encourage people who want to work in music to say yes to everything and get involved in even the smallest parts of the biz. You never know, you might just have your own "Dave moment."

From programming iconic venues to launching award-winning festivals like Isol-Aid, you’ve shaped the industry behind the scenes. What’s one backstage story that still makes you smile?

I’ve got this list tucked away in my brain of artists I booked for their first gigs in Melbourne or Australia: Katy Perry, Chet Faker, Angie McMahon, The Cat Empire, Billie Eilish (just to name a few). It honestly makes me giggle. Back then it was all guestlists, dodgy riders and hoping the soundcheck wouldn’t go overtime. Now they’re household names and I wish I could time travel back to that version of me, blissfully unaware, chatting and laughing backstage with future superstars like it was no big deal.


You described songwriting as “emotional archaeology.” What’s a “buried artifact” — a memory or feeling — that resurfaced while writing this album?

The album was written in the depths of lockdowns, but I look at the material now and the songs are all ‘hillsides’, ‘lakes’, ‘fire’, ‘mountains’, ‘The Maribyrnong' and landscapes I was clearly craving but visiting nevertheless. It’s like my imagination packed a picnic, hopped a fence and went bush while the rest of me stayed inside hosting an online festival holding a cup of tea and barely holding it together.

Mountains Mountains Mountains dives into the tension between the pristine and the overgrown. What’s something messy in your life right now that you’re learning to love?

Ok wow, what isn't messy. Honestly, as someone who nerds out on good design, I’ve got some serious questions for whoever designed life. Like for starters, let's talk about my calendar. Pro Hart meets Freddy Kreuger. But the tidiest times in my life were often the quietest creatively, so I’m leaning into the clutter. It means something is growing. Right?

You worked with an incredible team on this track — Gab Strum, Bonnie Knight, Alex Lashlie, and more. What was a “wow” moment in the studio that you’ll never forget?

I used to joke in the studio that every day felt like I was in a day spa. I felt so pampered and indulgent working with this team of supremely talented humans, all focusing on my music and creativity. So many wow moments that I was constantly squealing and in a ridiculous state of perpetual awe.

It’s been a decade since WEAR IT WELL. What has changed most about the way you approach making music now compared to then?

I'm not sure much has changed. I still write because I am not sure I know any other way. I'm still endlessly inspired and supported by our incredible local Aus music community, and I guess if anything has changed it isn't me, it's the industry! But that might need it's own substack haha. You can follow me here: https://substack.com/@emilyulman

You’ve championed so many artists and created inclusive platforms for others. What’s one piece of advice you give rising artists — and one you wish you’d given yourself?

Community. I can never say it enough or value mine so truly. Lean in and lean on and support and show up. There's always a way to bring others with you.

If this upcoming album had a scent or a landscape, what would it be — and why?

Scarved and beanied cold-nosed kisses at the footy. It’s not a scent or a landscape but that’s the experience I love most.