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Emily Bear Sings, Releases First Pop EP By Lindsey Gapen Lukas, managing editor
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t’s been a treat for Rockford residents to watch Emily Bear grow up in the public eye. The singer/songwriter, pianist, composer and film scorer has performed at high-profile venues (among them Carnegie Hall and The White House) and performed internationally. She recently composed two songs for the film Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase and performed the score for A Dog’s Journey. But ask her what she’s most proud of, and you won’t hear about any of that. “I’ve learned a lot from each experience, and I have so many incredible memories. But I have to say, getting over my fear of singing was huge for me,” Bear says. The 18-year-old released her first EP of pop music on Oct. 18, 2019, titled Emotions. Reaching this milestone
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required courage on Bear’s part. As relaxed as she is playing piano in front of 40,000 people, singing was something else. “I was absolutely mortified to sing in front of people. I just felt so vulnerable,” Bear explains. “But now, I couldn’t imagine my life without it.” After music industry professionals noticed that Bear could really sing, they invited her to record demo songs of pop music. She soon discovered that singing by herself in a booth was much less intimidating than singing in front of others. She gradually became comfortable in her own skin. As she transitioned into being a confident singer, she also became more skilled as a songwriter. Emotions has six tracks and Bear wrote, composed and
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played piano on all of them. Each song on the EP stems from Bear’s personal life experiences and each addresses the theme of “emotions.” Her second single, Dancin, is an example. “The lyrics ‘Now I’m just dancin’ to the songs that made me cry,’ – I feel so many people can relate to that,” Bear says. “It’s about being able to take something that’s brought you down, and being able to grow past it, and move on. You get to a place where you can dance to the songs that used to make you cry.” The message transfers into the
