Emma Hewitt
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Emma Hewitt

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Although Emma Hewitt is from Geelong, she admits she’s not the biggest football fan, much to her family’s dismay. “They are all huge Cats fans,” she says of her family. “I am of course a Cats fan too at heart, but I couldn’t tell you who any of the players are and I don’t really follow any of the games. Actually I met one of the players a while ago who was apparently the captain or something, and I asked him what he did for work, which was, as I was made aware, a huge embarrassment to my friends (laughs).

Hewitt has her own set of priorities, having sold out solo shows in 25 countries this year alone, released her debut album Burn The Sky Down and more recently, the acoustic EP Starting Fires which features previously unreleased demos and live acoustic takes – something which is a bit different to her usual line of work. “This release was actually something I have wanted to do for a while, and something I will probably do more of from time to time,” she says of the EP. “My brother [Anthony Hewitt] and I write the songs in this form, this is how they are born, and this is how we play them ourselves, so it is nice to be able to share this side of the music with other people as well as the dance versions.”

Hewitt’s brother Anthony delivered backing vocals and guitar on the EP, just another project for the siblings who Hewitt says get on “fantastically”. “We are best mates really,” she says. “We have always worked together for over 10 years now. We started playing in bands together as teenagers, we always wrote the songs together and had a few publishing and record deals in the rock and acoustic worlds before heading into dance music. We still both write all of the tracks and Anthony is also my manager now so it is very much a collaboration in all areas.”

Having collaborated with some of the world’s biggest EDM artists including Cosmic Gate and Dash Berlin, Hewitt is constantly on the road travelling and touring with these artists and in solo mode. “When I am in travelling mode I tend to read a lot; I have a kindle that my parents gave me a while back which has been a life-saver, so I have read loads of books this year,” she says. “I do love watching Breaking Bad or Arrested Development when I have the time too.”

Despite all the travelling, Hewitt is doing what she loves and says it’s really difficult to pick a favourite show from this year’s batch. “They are all unique in their own way, we always meet interesting people and see amazing places that are all so different so it is difficult to compare and choose,” she says. “I did particularly enjoy the Australian tour with Cosmic Gate in April though, it was so fantastic to go home and play such well received, sold out shows on home turf, and to have some of my friends there. That was a pretty memorable experience!

“I found Israel extremely beautiful and I am always blown away by the people and crowds in South America. Milan last week was an extremely energetic crowd and the big festivals in America like Nocturnal Wonderland are loads of fun with an absolutely electric atmosphere.”

Hewitt says she’s very lucky with all the producers she’s worked with. “[They are] really genuinely nice people,” she says. “I tour a lot with Cosmic Gate, and they are just the greatest people, with an amazing energy, their shows are always an absolute blast! Dash Berlin is also really lovely and we have a lot of fun. Armin [van Buuren] is a very sweet and down to earth person. It is refreshing to see DJs with this level of success still be humble and friendly.” And as for future collaborations, Hewitt has already got a few people in mind. “I’d love to do something with The Glitch Mob or something completely left with someone like Eskmo – I am really drawn towards down-tempo/soundscape type music at the moment,” she says.

Hewitt has a bunch of collabs due to drop later this year, if not, early next year and then will be starting work on a new album or EP in November as well touring. “I am working on earning those frequent flyer points,” she chuckles.

And, she says she’s looking forward to making the trip back Down Under for Future Music Festival 2013. “I love coming home to play shows, and Future has always been one of my favourite festivals. I am sure there will be some surprises, maybe a new song or two. Costume-wise I am not sure but I will definitely be wearing something from Aussie designers Black Milk, I wear their leggings and bodysuits for pretty much all of my shows, I can’t get enough of them!”

BY ANNABEL MACLEAN

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