Emily Haines | |
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 Haines performing atOttawa Bluesfest in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Emily Savitri Haines (1974-01-25)January 25, 1974 (age 51) |
| Origin | Toronto,Ontario,Canada |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Last Gang |
| Member of | |
| Website | www |
Emily Savitri Haines (born 25 January 1974) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the lead singer, keyboardist and songwriter of the rock bandMetric and a member of themusical collectiveBroken Social Scene. As a solo artist, she has performed under her own name and asEmily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. Haines possesses thevocal range of amezzo-soprano.[1][2]
Born inNew Delhi,[3] and raised inFenelon Falls,Ontario, Haines is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States (her parents were both born in the US).[4] She is the daughter of Canadian poetPaul Haines; her mother founded a school for under-privileged children in India.[5] Her middle name, Savitri, is fromSavitri: A Legend and a Symbol, an epic poem bySri Aurobindo.[5] Her sister is the Canadian television journalistAvery Haines and her brother is Tim Haines, owner of Bluestreak Records inPeterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Haines grew up in a house rich with experimental art and musical expression and her early influences includedCarla Bley,Robert Wyatt, andPJ Harvey. She studied drama at theEtobicoke School of the Arts (ESA), where she metAmy Millan andKevin Drew, with whom she would later collaborate in Broken Social Scene (co-founded by Drew). During their time at ESA, Haines and Millan formed their first band together.[6]
Haines attended theUniversity of British Columbia in Vancouver between 1992 and 1993, and Montreal'sConcordia University between 1995 and 1996. In 1996, she distributed a limited-edition album entitledCut in Half and Also Double that included songs written and recorded during her student years.[7]
Haines metJames Shaw in Toronto in 1997 and began performing as a duo called "Mainstream".[8] After releasing anEP entitledMainstream EP, they changed the band's name to "Metric", after a sound programmed by Shaw on his keyboard.[8]Joshua Winstead and Joules Scott-Key joined the band in 2001.[9] As of 2023, Metric has released nine studio albums:Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (2003),Live It Out (2005),Grow Up and Blow Away (2007, but recorded in 2001),Fantasies (2009),Synthetica (2012),Pagans in Vegas (2015),Art of Doubt (2018),Formentera (2022), andFormentera II (2023).
Haines also contributed vocals or backing vocals to songs byBroken Social Scene,Jason Collett,Stars,Delerium,K-Os,KC Accidental,The Stills,Tiësto,The Crystal Method,Rezz, andTodor Kobakov.[10]
In 2004, Metric appeared in the 2004 drama filmClean. The band, appearing as themselves, performed their song "Dead Disco" and had minor speaking roles in a backstage scene. "Dead Disco" also featured onClean Original Soundtrack. In 2010, she appeared as part of Broken Social Scene, on the soundtrack for the filmThis Movie is Broken.[11]In 2006, as Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, Haines released the studio albumKnives Don't Have Your Back. The songs "Our Hell" and "Doctor Blind" were issued as singles and corresponding music videos were produced. Following the release, Haines undertook a tour of North America in January 2007.[12]Knives Don't Have Your Back was followed in 2007 by the EPWhat Is Free to a Good Home?, which was inspired by the death of her father.[13] Her solo work is typically more subdued and piano-based than her work with Metric.[14] She often appears with Amy Millan as her opening act.[15]
Prior to the fourth Metric albumFantasies, Haines traveled to Argentina to write.[16][17] She became good friends withLou Reed andLaurie Anderson before Reed's death in 2013.[18]
Haines contributed to Broken Social Scene's 2017 albumHug of Thunder[19] and performed with Broken Social Scene onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert 30 March 2017.[20][21] In May 2017, Haines was with Broken Social Scene in Manchester, England, the night after theterror attack at the Ariana Grande concert; she attributes her ability to carry on and play after the attack to the support of formerThe Smiths guitaristJohnny Marr.[22]
On September 15, 2017, Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton released the albumChoir of the Mind; it was recorded a year earlier in Toronto and released byLast Gang Records and eOne (Entertainment One).[5][23][24] The album's lead single, "Fatal Gift", was released on 9 June 2017.[25] In support of the album, Haines toured North America in late 2017.[26]
When performing with Metric, Haines plays two synthesizers. Her primary synthesizer is aSequential Circuits Pro-One, which she has played since the band's early years.[27] As secondary synthesizer, she played aKawai MP9000,[28] which was replaced byE-mu's PK-6 Proteus Keys in 2003, and was followed by theClavia Nord Wave in 2012. She also plays thetambourine, electric guitar, piano and harmonica.[29][30]
In August 2013, Haines became involved with FLEET4HEARme, a collaboration with Fleet Jewelry and HearMe, an organization that aims to increase children's access to music programs in public schools.[31] In September 2015, the Canadian outerwear brand Rudsak unveiled a leather jacket customized by Haines.[32] The jacket is a classic black motor-cycle style with lyrics from Metric song "The Governess" on the back.
Metric is active in the international advocacy organizationGlobal Citizen, and Haines is involved with its girls and women issues campaign #SheDecides.[33] In 2017, Haines partnered with House of Matriarch High Perfumery to create her own fragrance, "Siren".[34]
Albums
Albums
EPs
Singles
Music videos
Albums
The following songs are credited with Emily Haines on either lead or backing vocals:
| Artist | Song | Album and Year |
|---|---|---|
| Broken Social Scene | "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl" | You Forgot It in People (2002) |
| "Looks Just Like the Sun" | ||
| "Backyards" | Bee Hives (2004) | |
| "Windsurfing Nation" | Broken Social Scene (2005) | |
| "Swimmers" | ||
| "Superconnected" | ||
| "Bandwitch" | ||
| "Her Disappearing Theme" | To Be You and Me EP (2005) | |
| "Sentimental X's" | Forgiveness Rock Record (2010) | |
| "Protest Song" | Hug of Thunder (2017) | |
| "Vanity Pail Kids" | ||
| Delerium | "Stopwatch Hearts" | Chimera (2003) |
| "Glimmer" | Rarities & B-Sides (2015) | |
| GoldieBlox | "Lightning Strikes" | |
| Jason Collett | "Hangover Days" | Idols of Exile (2005) |
| k-os | "Uptown Girl" | Yes! (2009) |
| KC Accidental | "Them (Pop Song No. 3333)" | Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills (2000) |
| Rezz | "Paper Walls" | Spiral (2021) |
| Stars | "Going, Going, Gone" | Nightsongs (2001) |
| "On Peak Hill" | ||
| The Crystal Method | "Come Back Clean" | Divided by Night (2009) |
| The Stills | "Baby Blues" | Without Feathers (2006) |
| Tiësto | "Knock You Out" | Kaleidoscope (2009) |
| Todor Kobakov | "Carpe Diem" | Pop Music (2009) |
| Young Artists for Haiti | "Wavin' Flag" |
| International | |
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| National | |
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