Anh Le and her long-time collaborator, Charlie Kurata, utilized remote production sessions long before it became one of music’s only options. With Kurata in Paris and Le in Brooklyn, they’ve been able to delve into the pop world together to create unique content for Le’s project, ÊMIA.

When they first began working on music for ÊMIA’s upcoming two-part EP, VIDEO CALL:AM and VIDEO CALL:PM, they originally were writing songs with the intention of releasing them as an anonymous pop duo. As they realized how much of an undertaking that project could be, and how much more Le was connected to the songs, they decided that Le should just release them herself.

“A lot of these songs were made with this guise of no one's going to know it was me,” she said. “I think it really made me feel pretty bold in that sense; being able to say whatever I wanted.”

VIDEO CALL:AM is hopeful - Le is very much a morning person, and sees this tracklist as songs to get someone through their morning commute. VIDEO CALL:PM is energetic - it has a much more party-all-night, still-awake-at-3-in-the-morning vibes.

The first song she released, “fake scenarios”, was the first song she and Kurata wrote together for the project.

“I think that the idea of being the kind of person that lives in your own head and makes up these fake plots and daydreams a lot - I think that's something that Charlie and I have a lot in common and something that is a big part of our friendship. I think that it's just this hopeful spirit that kicks off the project in a really cute and meaningful way because I think it's part of who we both are at this point in our lives.”

The second song she released, “being single”, touches on that feeling of constantly needing to be in a relationship but how that feeling is more harmful than helpful. The diary entry-turned-song stemmed from many conversations Le and Kurata had about disastrous first dates, hookups and situationships, and a snippet of one of those conversations even makes it into the final version.

As she gears up to release her next single, “blink twice if she’s holding you hostage”, she recognizes that sometimes songs just need to be an episode of a soap opera, and that is exactly what her next single is.

“I think me and Charlie have an understanding of sometimes you just have to say the wild, stupid thing and prevent yourself from doing the stupid thing, but also just to have it exist,” she said. “I love making space for an ugly, weird feeling so I think that's part of our mission too in making all these songs.”
Le hopes that her music as ÊMIA can attest to how much fun she is having while proving that she is working tirelessly to create music she is proud of. With Kurata by her side, the release of VIDEO CALL:AM and VIDEO CALL:PM is going to be memorable.