Emily West: "I Don't Care If I Hit the Note — I'd Rather Feel It"

Emily West — the Capitol Records singer-songwriter who recorded "Blue Sky" with Keith Urban and won $25,000 for charity on Celebrity Apprentice — spoke with Premier Guide Miami's Daedrian McNaughton at the Country Throwdown Tour in West Palm Beach about her Patsy Cline obsession, her debut album, and why emotional authenticity matters more to her than vocal perfection.. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.

Emily West is a lucky girl — and she knows it. She refers to herself as the psychotic funny pants, but no psycho gets the opportunity to record with Keith Urban. West is an emerging singer-songwriter with a promising future, recently signed to Capitol Records. She has made several television appearances including Celebrity Apprentice and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, where she won $25,000 for charity. Premier Guide Miami's Daedrian McNaughton caught up with her at the Country Throwdown Tour in West Palm Beach.

PGM: You had a Patsy Cline obsession when you were a child. Have you grown out of that?

Emily West: Absolutely not. I still worship her. I still listen to her for inspiration — that's how I learned how to sing. I still have the cassette tapes I learned from over at my mom's. I warm up to Patsy.

PGM: Was Patsy your inspiration for your music?

Emily West: I love old school country music — my heart yearns for it. The great thing about the Throwdown tour is that we have old school country and then we have the rock and roll kind of country. I've always felt drawn to that real raw side of country where you hide nothing. Patsy has such an ache in her voice, and I think that's one thing that's lacking today. A lot of people try to be perfect in their vocals, but emotionally, my whole thing is that I don't care if I hit the note. I'd rather feel it and sing it and have the audience feel it.

PGM: Tell us about your new album.

Emily West: "Blue Sky" featuring Keith Urban is available for download on the Celebrity Apprentice. This was a long record to make — it's my in-my-20s record. I started working on it when I was 23. It's basically about having your heart broken and then getting back on your feet. It's a quirky, fun record. "Blue Sky" has affected a lot of people who have gone through break-ups, divorce, and separation. There is something to say about walking away from a conflicted relationship and saying, "I am not going to audition in front of you anymore. I am walking away."

PGM: Tell us about the collaboration with Keith Urban.

Emily West: He is not here to get money and get famous — he is here to make music. That is why he sticks around; he is never going to go away. He is going to continue to make great music for his fans. I emailed him, MP3'd him, and gave him a copy of the "Blue Sky" demo. Thirty minutes later he said, "I would love to sing with you on this exquisite song." He was up in New York and he put amazing guitar sounds on it and just made the song so beautiful. I am so thankful.

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