Great news for singer/songwriter Emily West, the torch singing, powerful-voiced standout on the most recent season of America’s Got Talent! According to a press release via Music Row, she has signed with Sony Music Masterworks’s Portrait imprint, and is set to release both a digital single on 12/2 and a full length debut album in spring 2015!
Check out the press release text here:
Sony Music Masterworks announces the signing of Emily West to the Portrait imprint. The powerhouse vocalist and songwriter was a finalist on Season 9 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
West will release a two-track digital single on December 2nd featuring her sultry cover of Sia’s “Chandelier” which brought the AGT audience to their feet, along with the Christmas favorite “Santa Baby.” Her debut full-length album will be released in Spring 2015.
“As America has already seen, Emily West is an exceptional talent with a bright career ahead of her,” says Chuck Mitchell, SVP, Sony Music Masterworks, U.S. “Her appearances on AGT have already defined her as an important new interpreter of great songs both new and classic, and she’s equally impressive on her own material. We’re delighted to be helping her launch this new phase of her recording career.”
West moved to Nashville at 18 with a dream to tell stories through song. A musical maverick in the masquerade of pin-up perfection, West dazzled audiences throughout the season transforming iconic hits like “Nights In White Satin” by the Moody Blues and “You Got It” by Roy Orbison into grand ballads, both of which will be included on the new album.
Emily joins fellow America’s Got Talent alum (and fellow runner-up) Jackie Evancho at the label – Evancho’s 5th studio album Awakening, released 9/23/2014, was her 1st with the Portrait imprint, and sold 21k copies 1st week to debut at #17 on the Billboard 200 (and #1 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart). Broadway veteran and Smash alum Megan Hilty also released an album via Sony Masterworks/Portrait, and it was a mix of covers and original material (including a Carrie Underwood cowrite). So odds are, especially with Emily’s talent and extensive work as a songwriter, that her debut album will also be a mix of covers (like the ones mentioned in the PR) and original material.
Evancho and Hilty both performed on PBS’s A Capitol Fourth in 2013. Evancho has made numerous other PBS appearances, and shot a new PBS special in August, set to air in December. So Emily’s new deal with Portrait seems likely to be a gateway to PBS, which should help her music reach an audience receptive to the throwback torchy style that became her signature on America’s Got Talent.
Emily had already started a successful PledgeMusic campaign to fund a new album, and is already at 227% of her initial goal. Her campaign is currently promising a new release in 63 days, but the signing with Sony Masterworks (and the access it will give Emily to more marketing opportunities) has presumably changed that.
As detailed here, Emily West has had a long, tough journey in music, and it’s great to see her get another chance. Congrats, Emily, and may this next chapter be a fulfilling one for you!
