Emma Dean (musician)

Career

2003 to 2006 – Emma played in ARIA award nominee Kate Miller-Heidke's Band during 2003–2006, playing violin, piano and backing vocals. Emma eventually left Miller-Heidke's group to concentrate on her own solo career. She formed the Emma Dean Band with her brother, Tony Dean, on drums, Dane Pollock on guitar, John Turnbull on bass guitar and Rachel Meredith on cello.

2005 – Emma released a self-financed, self-distributed four-track debut EP, Hanging out the Washing. She was invited to perform at the International Music Market held in Brisbane. She also wrote and recorded music for Physical Theatre Company Zen Zen Zo's production Those With Lucifer.

2006 – Emma released her second EP, Face Painter and began touring as a solo performer in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. She supported Kate Miller-Heidke on her National tour with performances at the Woodford Folk Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Blue Mountains Music Festival and Mount Beauty Music Muster. Emma also supported The Dresden Dolls at the Arena with Zen Zen Zo and supported US touring artist Teddy Geiger. She was a finalist in the Jazz and Pop sections of the QSong awards with her song Chai Tea. She performed in Women in Voice 15 at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and was the female vocalist in the Queensland Performing Arts Centre annual Spirit of Christmas production performing alongside renowned Australian artist David Campbell.

2007 – Emma was a finalist in the prestigious Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship. She completed a solo tour to Berlin and undertook a critically acclaimed solo east coast tour of Australia. Emma also supported Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) at the Zoo in Brisbane.

2008 – She was a runner-up in the Queensland Courier Mail's People's Choice awards at the QSong Awards for her song Orange Red. She was also a finalist in the New Artist to Radio Competition (an Australia wide commercial radio competition) for her song Cocaine.

2009 – Emma co-wrote the musical Downside Up with Jacob Diefenbach. Downside Up debuted to a sold out crowd at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts. Emma was guest composer and performed as Ariel for the critically acclaimed Zen Zen Zo production of the Tempest alongside one of Australia's most acclaimed theatre actors, Bryan Nason as Prospero. Emma was also invited to write music and perform the role of Medea in the New Dead:Medea Material directed by Kat Henry and performed at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Australia's leading acting institute whose graduates include Cate Blanchett and Mel Gibson). Emma was a finalist in the gospel section of the QSong awards for her song When I Touch My Heart which was written for The Tempest. An End to Dreaming, an original song written by Emma Dean and Jacob Diefenbach was used in Zen Zen Zo's critically acclaimed production Zeitgeist which was taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Nelson Arts Festival in New Zealand. Her official Real Life Computer Game film clip which was directed by Liz Murphy was placed in the top 50 Rage (TV program) film clips for 2009.

2010 – Emma also toured her original shows Emma Dean Meets Dr Dream with Dale Thorburn and Emma Dean and the Imaginary Friends with a three-piece physical Theatre group drawn from the wonderful talents of Brisbane artists Dale Thorburn, Jamie Kendell and Gemma Contini and Sydney artists Lia Reutens, Amanda Laing and Walter Davis-Hart. Her album Dr Dream and the Imaginary Pop Cabaret was launched at the Old Museum Brisbane in November. As well Emma starred in the Zen Zen Zo cabaret production My Sublime Shadow with Jake Diefenbach, Dale Thorburn and Jill Guerts. In recognition of her work Emma was awarded the Under Our Wing Award for outstanding cabaret performances. The inaugural winner of this award in 2003 was Tim Minchin. Other winners have included Sammy J and Tom Dickins (The Jane Austen Argument). Emma was named one of ten artists to watch in 2011 by the New York Post. She released two film clips Stuck in the Mud directed by Eric Figueroa and Sincerely Fearful directed by Jonny Williams. Sincerely Fearful was placed number 30 in Rage (TV program) top film clips of 2010–2011.

2011 – In April she released her official Something They Can Hold film clip directed by Jonny Williams. In May–June Emma toured Australia with Tony Dean and Ben Stewart for her Something They Can Hold tour. She performed her one-woman show Stripped at the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival to glowing reviews. She also performed Stripped at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival. In August Emma played Sally Bowles in the critically acclaimed Australian Zen Zen Zo/Qld Performing Arts Centre production of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret. She also visited New York for the first time where she played showcase solo performances at the Bitter End, The Gershwin Hotel and Birdland in New York City in October.

2012 – She was a guest performer at the Queensland Matilda Awards in which she was nominated as best actress in a leading role for her role as Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret which won a Matilda for best musical. In August Emma performed her one-woman show Stripped at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival to critical acclaim. In September, Emma supported US singer Macy Gray at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. In 2012 Emma also joined forces with longtime collaborator Jake Diefenbach in an electro fairytale pop duo called Geppetto. Geppetto toured their new show An End to Dreaming down the East Coast of Australia and to the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Melbourne Cabaret Festival to critical acclaim. Geppetto was invited to perform at the New York International Fringe Festival. Their debut EP Into the Woods was produced by Powder Finger's Darren Middleton. Into the Woods was launched in October at a sold out show at Brisbane's Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.

2013 – The first EP White is a collection of off-kilter ballads with just Emma and a Wurlitzer. It was released through US independent label CandyRat Records who also released a series of videos to showcase Emma's live performances. Red which has been released digitally through Bandcamp and ITunes contains stories of love, lust and heartbreak. Black which will be delicious and dark will be released in November 2013. New York has opened its doors to Emma.

Albums

EPs