This interview with Emma Engel is one that reassures us old heads (like this writer) that the Asbury Park music scene will be good hands in the coming years. Her honesty, her openness and her optimism – combined with the fact she’s a pretty compelling musician – are the hallmark signs of someone who’s going to kill it for years and years in this scene (and beyond).
Recently, we spoke with Engel about her new song “Michigan,” new music on the horizon, what 2025 meant to her and what 2026 has in store and more as she gets ready to perform at Telegraph Hill Records’ What a Wonderful Year Festival on Sunday December 28 at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
You dropped the song “Michigan” this year. Tell us about how this song stands out sonically and lyrically from your previous work?
Listening to my first EP, which came out in 2021, I always say, “Wow, I sound so young.” I think there’s a bit more maturity in the sound of “Michigan” – maybe it’s the amount of years that have gone by, maybe it’s the amount of therapy visits I’ve had since then. Michigan was written off of a prompt project I was doing, and the prompt was “trip.” Some prompts take longer than others or are more of a challenge. I remember sitting down in my basement with a notebook and writing just three stanzas in about 10 minutes. It’s an honest, true recounting of a trip I went on near the end of my time in undergrad.
There’s really no secrets, I didn’t feel like I needed to be clever or hide anything. I could hear what each verse sounded like as I wrote it; I could hear the instrumentation I wanted. I do think it’s the fastest I’ve ever written a song and been that proud of it without any additional workshopping lyrically. I also think my first EP has a lot of lyricism that is almost a tool to convince myself that how I think and feel is valid. Like, “It’s ok, you can feel this way!” and giving myself permission. “Michigan” already has that trust – I looked back and went, “Yeah, I felt like this the whole time. And I know it was valid.” No convincing needed.
I also am grateful to have access to incredible musicians and a space to record my music. I did have that for my first EP, but we did a lot of tracking for that virtually or going back and forth via email and text. I knew I wanted to record “Michigan” live; I had tried to do layering, but it just didn’t have the feeling I wanted behind it. It didn’t have the natural ebb and flow or growth musically throughout the story that I wanted. We did record it live, and having the resources to do so in my partner’s basement was a massive privilege.
I think the song came out so wonderfully because I could trust the folks I asked to play and produce to understand what I wanted and perform with that kind of emotion. I showed them a demo of me and guitar, and they took it from there. Personnel wise, Evan Rudenjak was our engineer and mixed the song, Jacob D. Moore on bass, Gabe Carvalho on Rhodes, CJ Miller on pedal steel, and Zack Moore on percussion. And I was freezing in the back room playing acoustic guitar and singing. Having these folks in my corner made recording this song so much easier, and I do think that made all the difference sonically.
Also, is the style and substance of “Michigan” what we can expect from your next album/EP?
Yes! At least I hope so. Having a full-time job as a music teacher and an after school marching band job, it can take a lot longer to make music, even when you set the time aside. I have tossed around the idea of recording all of the songs I’ve been playing over the last two years live, just like Michigan. If I can make that happen, it would be a dream. I’m hoping to put something out in early 2026, just in time for the five-year anniversary of my first release.
The name of the concert is “What a Wonderful Year” — so take us through your musical 2025?
2025 was incredibly different from 2024 for me – I had a lot of things happen in my personal life that meant taking a step back from performing as much as I did in 2024. I played and attended some really great shows all over NJ, some of my favorites put on by Burnout Presents – which was co-created by my friend Jacob Tremont and Gracie Giglio.
Though I did take a bit of a step back from playing shows as often, I did get the chance to host monthly shows at The Asbury Hotel, which I called Safe & Loved Saturdays. I booked friends and bands and met new folks at other places too, like Toms River Brewing. I also have to give a shoutout to Meghan Feeley, who made so many awesome posters for these events! With so much focus on trying to make content to promote art in its many forms, as well as the consistent growth and threat of AI-generated material being pushed out, I think it was so eye opening and rewarding to take a step back and give other artists a place to showcase their talent and build real, genuine community.
We need to really ask ourselves – what if I spent the time on my phone going to shows or organizing shows or places to showcase art in my community? I’m still working on holding myself accountable too – trying to take care of myself and my peace while supporting my friends and artists as much as I can. It’s a hard thing to balance, but I’m getting closer and closer to working it out!
What are five things you’re excited for, creatively, in 2026?
Community, collaboration, finishing my next project (I promise, finally, hopefully, maybe!), hosting shows and helping artists in my local community, and – my day job – helping my students trust their musical experiences and prepare for their first two concerts!
Talk about Telegraph Hill Records and your relationship with them, and how they’ve helped you in your musical journey?
Telegraph Hill actually helped me gain some really awesome community connections that I otherwise wouldn’t have found. I remember signing up for an Open Mic last year, and I met so many cool artists and people there that I wound up later being able to book on my own showcases or just keep in touch with. Fern has been such a great advocate for local music and shows – I really appreciate him. How he ran Sushi with Fern kind of inspired my showcases at the hotel – giving local folks a place to play, paying them for their effort and time, and supporting their music. All the folks at Telegraph Hill and their relationship with the greater Asbury community, as well as how they give back through large events, including WAWY, is admirable. That’s what music and artistry is all about!
