Born in 1991 in Basildon, Essex, U.K., Emma Blackery grew up on a diet of classic pop before discovering the pop-punk of Green Day, blink-182, and My Chemical Romance in her teens. Inspired by this newfound scene, Blackery started to write her own material, and by the time she was 18 had joined a local band and was gigging around Essex. After a few unsuccessful stints in other bands, she decided to go her own way in 2012 and started to upload her own music to her video channel. Although initially not making many waves musically, she started to vlog on a regular basis, uploading comedy sketches and her thoughts on life, while quickly gaining a loyal fan base. Her debut EP, Human Behaviour, appeared that same year, and she followed it up with 2013's Distance EP, which landed at the top of the rock download charts on its first week of release. Blackery continued to vlog and record, with her third EP, Perfect, appearing on her 23rd birthday at the end of 2014 and reaching the Top Ten of the U.K. rock and metal singles chart. Her fourth EP, Sucks to Be You, appeared two years later, and Blackery went out on the road with the re-formed pop-punkers Busted on their Pigs Can Fly tour, taking in some 18 dates across the U.K. Blackery delivered her fifth EP, the six-track Magnetised, in 2017. For the first time, it saw her moving in a more pop direction, leaving behind the teen pop-punk of her previous releases, with the EP debuting in the U.K. Top 75 albums chart. She returned in 2018 with her debut full-length effort, Villains, which also adopted the sleek electropop sound of Magnetised as well as embracing the pop-punk stylings of her earlier work. ~ Rich Wilson