Emma's Imagination | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Emma Gillespie |
| Born | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Genres | Pop,alternative |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Future Records (2010–12) |
Emma Gillespie (born inEdinburgh, Scotland), better known by her stage nameEmma's Imagination, is a Scottish singer. She came to prominence after winning theSky 1 TV talent contestMust Be the Music. She was signed toGary Barlow's music labelFuture Records.[1] She released her debut solo album,Stand Still in January 2011.
Emma Gillespie was born inEdinburgh and grew up inDumfries where she attendedSt Joseph's College.[2] She lived with her mother Sharon and stepfather.[citation needed] Gillespie was in theAndaman Islands in India at the time of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.[citation needed] She then went on to travel in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, with many of her ideas for music originating while travelling.[citation needed]
Gillespie took up playing guitar when aged 16. Before coming to public attention, she spent timebusking on the streets ofGlasgow, to which she had moved a year before her breakthrough. She also spent time honing her skills performing in New York.[3] Gillespie released her debut single, "Stamp Your Feet", in September 2009, on independent label Up Next Records, based in Glasgow.
Emma's Imagination enteredMust Be the Music, broadcast onSky1 andSky 1 HD. In the initial televised audition phase, as well as the three semi-finals and final, contestants sang in front of the judges,Jamie Cullum,Dizzee Rascal, andSharleen Spiteri. The auditions took place in early August 2010 with musicians allowed to play their own compositions. The live finals were held atWembley Arena with a live audience behind the judges. During the finals, the public voted for their favourite act, which was Emma's Imagination.
After appearing on the show, her first single, "This Day", was released for sale by download and debuted at number 10 on theUnited Kingdom Singles Chart and number 2 on theIndie Chart.[3] The single also charted on theIrish Singles Chart, where it reached number 9 and on theScottish Singles Chart, where it debuted at number 7.
Emma's Imagination won the final on Sunday 19 September 2010, and received a prize of £100,000.[4]
Following victory on the show, Emma's Imagination's second single, "Focus", debuted in the United Kingdom at number 7,[5] her second British Top 10 placing. The single also debuted at number 1 on the Indie Chart, number 8 in Ireland and number 5 inScotland. Her debut albumStand Still was released in January 2011 and peaked at number 14 in theUK Albums Chart.
In 2012,Gary Barlow announced that he was closing his record label.[6]
In 2013, Emma's Imagination released independently a 6-song EP,Underway, produced byYouth. This would be Emma's last release under the name Emma's Imagination, and she has used her birth name for subsequent releases.
Gillespie released her second full-length album,Pier Siamese, in April 2016.
Emma's singing gained a wider audience when it featured inCBeebies Bedtime Hour seriesHushabye Lullabye in 2020.[7]
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRL | SCO | ||||||||||||
| 2011 | Stand Still
| 14 | 48 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 2016 | Pier Siamese
| — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRL | SCO | ||||||||||||
| 2013 | Underway
| — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 2013 | Acoustic
| — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [11] | UK IND | IRL | SCO | |||||||||||
| 2009 | "Stamp Your Feet"1 | 65 | 15 | - | 46 | N/A | ||||||||
| 2010 | "This Day" | 10 | 2 | 9 | 7 | Stand Still | ||||||||
| "Focus" | 7 | 1 | 7 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 2011 | "Brighter Greener" | - | - | - | - | |||||||||
| 2016 | "Mercury" | - | - | - | - | Pier Siamese | ||||||||
| "Your House" | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released | ||||||||||||||
