Emma Elisabeth Introduces Haunting “Tray Full of Ash”

Berlin, Germany-based artist Emma Elisabeth, aka Emma Elisabeth Dittrich, unveils her new single/music video, “Tray Full of Ash,” a track lifted from her forthcoming album, Some Kind Of Paradise.

Once upon a time from Sweden, where she grew up immersed in music, playing in bands, later studying voice at the prestigious Kulturama in Stockholm, Emma in due course left home, traveling and making music in London, Paris, and the U.S., as well as performing in Japan.

Now in Berlin, Emma finds inspiration for her music.

Emma explains, “Being a traveling musician, you can pack your gear and you can practically work everywhere. One day I got introduced to a publishing company that I ended up signing with, and that was based in Berlin. And I stayed.”

Talking about her forthcoming album, Emma says, “Even if something is broken you can create something out of it, something that feels like some kind of paradise. Or take nature, for example, and how much new life may bloom from a wildfire. It can be extremely difficult when you write about something that’s very personal, but it’s also a relief in a way. It’s like therapy.”

Speaking to the genesis of “Tray Full of Ash,” Emma shares, “When I recorded the vocals for ‘Tray Full of Ash,’ in my mind I was in some abandoned chalet with dust flying in the air. (Reality check, I was actually in my tiny Berlin apartment during lockdown, trying to get the cat to not be loud during takes..) And I had this ‘80s flea market-painting on the wall with the faces of a woman and a cat floating in a pink sky with the wind in their hair, which was VERY inspiring at the moment. In the production, I wanted to give it a classic open and dreamlike sound with pads, keys, and guitar. And the drums and bass give it a running feeling, to contrast all the floaty stuff on top, which all came together with the help of my collaborators and bandmates.”

Casting light on the song’s lyrics, she reveals, “The lyrics deal with holding on to the past for too long, so much that it prevents living in the present. How people from the past turn into ‘ghosts’ in my own head and heart because I can’t let go, turning into nothing but dust and old memories.”

Opening on creamy, glistening tones, “Tray Full of Ash” flows into a dream-pop-flavored melody rippling with layers of delicious oozing colors. The feel and mood of the song is wistful and haunting. Emma’s sumptuous voice imbues the lyrics with lingering melancholy suffused with cashmere timbres.

Shimmering waves and glowing textures, along with the oh-so-evocative voice of Emma Elisabeth, offer gorgeously plush music.

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