After telling other people’s stories through dance and theatre in front of audiences throughout the world, EMPRESS is now writing her own. The debut of this multi-talented singer/songwriter found her voice after spending over a decade as a classically trained professional ballerina with San Francisco Ballet (SFB) and playing the lead in the Broadway production of the TONY Award-winning An American In Paris. In her inaugural song, “Lovely I Am”, EMPRESS’ soulful vocals spin tales of pain, pleasure, and perseverance, as she delivers one clear message to her audience – you are the beautiful ruler of your universe and the creator of your success.
Just as inviting as EMPRESS’ elegance on stage, “Lovely I Am” instantly embraces you with her soft yet intriguing electropop melody, that instantly relaxes you in with her soulful vocals and thought-provoking lyrics. Producer Bart Schoudel, who’s Grammy noms stem from his work with Beyoncé and Justin Bieber, has fitted EMPRESS’s debut song like a hipster orchestra that intertwines jazz and electronic beats with sweeping synth, organ, and backing vocals. The original songwriter and singer, EMPRESS, is the star on her own new stage, and her singing is as purposeful – and beautiful – as her dancing.
Given EMPRESS’s background, it’d have been a terrible letdown if she hadn’t taken to the ballet floor in her muisc video for “Lovely I Am”. Luckily for us, EMPRESS is not the sort who disappoints. This dynamic video is a testimonial to the magnificence of a once thought of questionable marriage of pop music and ballet, by reuniting influences of EMPRESS’ former SFB colleagues, Luke Willis, director, Benjamin Freemantle, choreographer, and several other members of SFB. The steps range from breathtaking classical ballet technique to modern dance, and it includes performances through the direction of colored light and shifting backdrops. Each one of the dancers move boldly – and that’s in keeping with the theme of the song, “Lovely I Am”. The video showcases EMPRESS’s versatility as a dancer while using her own voice to tell this self-actualization tale. We know you will enjoy this video, as it warmly motivates you to the safe and caring space of inner beauty that everyone possesses.
