Emily Bear Sings, Releases First Pop EP

Emily Bear Sings, Releases First Pop EP

By Lindsey Gapen Lukas, managing editor

It’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 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 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 Dancin music video, which Bear recently filmed in New York. Her video features 80 dancers. “It’s the idea that dance – and art in general – are for everyone and should be accessible for everyone,” Bear says.

Dancers have taken notice of the song’s empowering message by creating response videos.

“And the music video hasn’t even come out yet!” Bear exclaims. “All the proceeds of the video are going to charities that help people pursue their passion and love for dancing no matter if they have financial, mental or physical challenges. I really think it’s important to spread this idea.”

Eager Emily Bear fans can expect the release of her Dancin music video sometime in the coming weeks. Until then, her EP is available on Spotify, Itunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play and more.

In addition, Bear will perform on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Prairie Street Brewhouse, which will benefit the music programs at Rockford Public Schools. She’s never performed in Rockford without donating to Rockford Public Schools.

“I remember once, I was playing a show in Vienna [Austria], and [President] Bill Clinton was speaking after I played … he said, ‘What if Emily had been born in an impoverished country with limited resources and no way to develop her musical gifts?’ And I always just think about that. The chances of me being born into a family that would support me and

help me foster this musical ability – it’s all chance. And I feel that giving people chances should be a given.”

The opportunity to give back to her hometown is extra special.

“I feel if I grew up in L.A., or Chicago, or another big place, I would have turned out differently,” Bear says. “The people in Rockford are so genuine and I have the best memories here – high school football games, the apple orchard, going on dinosaur digs at the Burpee Museum. Watching my brother [Benjamin] row and my sister [Lauren] figure skate. I love Rockford, and just seeing how it’s bloomed in the past 10 years has been so cool to me.” ❚