A single and video released today by EMA sets out to promote the cause of children who are being bullied.
Proceeds from the sale of ‘Take One Two’ shall be donated to The Jamie Isaacs Foundation, a New York-based organisation dedicated to providing youth advocacy and lobbying for the passing of anti-bullying legislation.
The video, using clips originally filmed in a trailer park in South Dakota in the mid 1990s, features EMA with some of her friends at the time. The contemporary artist reflects: “When I look back now at our fresh young faces… I’m amazed at how simply happy we all look. This is especially remarkable as I know what was going on outside those plywood walls: getting called names, shoved into lockers, and threatening to get our asses kicked for being queer or punk or just plain weird. But despite all that, there is a joy, strength and self-acceptance in our faces that I find inspiring and wanted to pass on.”
Use of the footage has met with the approval of those who appear in the video, as EMA points out: “My friends thought it was ‘adorable’, but I didn’t hear back from the sweet boy in the turquoise teddy. I worried that it was too much, too revealing, and he wouldn’t want that footage put out into the world. Finally, I got a message back:
‘That was the most beautifully done video I have ever seen I love it I love it I love it. I could not stop bawling. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so secure as when we were all hanging out in the trailer bedroom. Erika. Lacy. All 3 of us went thru some pretty tough shit. But we made it through. Lets use what we learned and give it to somebody else that needs it.’“
The artist sums up what she feels is the message behind the track: “Cherish your friends, f**k the haters and let your freak flag fly.”
‘Take One Two’ by EMA is available for purchase now online.
