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Emily Richards believes music is the most powerful language on earth, and it is that belief that has propelled the diverse depth of her music career. With more than two decades as a successful singer, songwriter, pianist, dancer, and producer, Ms. Richards has witnessed the incredible healing made possible by passionate lyrics, melodies and harmonies. Fueled by a deep love of nature, Emily’s music is dedicated to awakening the heart and evolving our collective actions — to help unify humanity and preserve our planet.
Emily began singing at age three, performing Shirley Temple songs on her grandparents’ coffee table – complete with tap shoes and curly-top hairstyle. With a natural gift for playing piano, Emily was composing and competing around the western United States by age 11. Being on stage was as comfortable for her as wearing your favorite pair of shoes, so it’s no surprise Emily’s career moved into musical theatre when she was a young teen.
It was in a starring role of a musical that Ms. Richards was discovered – to record her first album in Nashville. Emily’s artistry was developed alongside artists Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Jewel, and Martina McBride – whom she opened for in 1996. It was on that stage her star potential was more widely perceived, and after signing an exciting deal with a Grammy-winning producer in Los Angeles, Emily moved to the City of Angels.
At the turn of the millennium, Emily earned the title “Digital Music Pioneer” as one of the first artists to ever make music available for download and streaming on the Internet. Her second album You Give received more than 2 million unique downloads on MP3.com alone, and she was the groundbreaking site’s most popular artist. In 2000, she headlined their 50-city tour — where 100 bands opened for her across the United States and Canada. During this tour, tragedy struck when Emily’s little sister Annie was killed by a drunk driver. And that changed everything.
Using her art to go deeper, Emily dedicated her music to making a difference in her sister’s name: from organizing musical events for the Senate and Congress in Washington DC, to touring with Rock the Vote on the campaign trail; from performing at events for international peace building to singing alongside the biggest Hollywood advocates for environmental sustainability. Emily’s music became a source of healing and hope for people all around the world.
Recreating herself again and again, in 2009 Emily’s music turned “electronic” under the alias Madam Snowflake -- where she emerged like a butterfly from a chrysalis. Singing a message of harmony, Emily felt compelled to share her music in new ways and became the CEO of music community ccMixter.org. It is through this platform that Ms. Richards empowers other creators to embody her message -- by sharing the stems of her original songs and vocal recordings under Creative Commons licenses. Emily’s songs have gone viral and now can be heard on stages larger than Coachella across Europe.
On November 11, 2019 Emily released her 17th album, New Earth while simultaneously completing the music, lyrics and book for her first musical, Babylon. Both bodies of work, though completely different genres and art-forms, reflect Emily’s love for our earth and her belief that music can open our hearts wide enough to unify and heal.
Emily’s passion for our planet is not limited to her music. Emily is a dedicated environmentalist, continually working to walk the walk in new ways: from volunteering in organic school gardens to living zero-waste; from eating a plant-based diet to driving an electric car powered by solar panels; from organizing beach clean-ups to leading spiritual retreats. Emily believes each step makes a difference, and that awareness will enable humanity to find more harmonious ways to live -- together and with all other beings.
To learn more about Emily’s music and causes, visit madamsnowflake.com (her music), AWAKE Community (her nonprofit), ArtisTech Media (her music company).