A PRESTONPANS singer who has thrown herself “in the deep end” has told of her excitement after receiving a great response to her debut release.

Emma Walker, who uses the stage name Blue Walker, was blown away by the support from her home town following her debut Hollow on May 28.

The former Preston Lodge High School pupil studied vocals at the famous BIMM Institute in Manchester before settling down in that same city.

The vocalist, 23, said she struggled being so far from home during the coronavirus lockdown, but the difficulties spurred the most creative period of her life, inspiring her to write Hollow with a friend in late January.

Emma said: “I had a massive epiphany and said to myself, ‘Emma you want to do this.’ I am still new to the song-writing journey.

“I have always written things here and there, but I never followed through. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my vocals, how things look and how it sounds. I will re-do my music until it is right.”

The song, which has surpassed 1,000 listens on Spotify and several thousand on combined streaming sites, features the bridge “see no more, hear no more, feel no more, crushed by your waves but now I break away”.

Emma said she has received a wave of supportive messages and shares from friends, family and strangers across East Lothian, but said the lyrics in her song are not as straightforward as people may think.

Blue Walker debuted her new single Hollow on May 28

Blue Walker debuted her new single Hollow on May 28

She said: “The song is not about an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend.

“Hollow is inspired by a family situation I dealt with for many years, not being treated the way I should have been by the people who should have been protecting me and it was about how that made me feel and the process of cutting that person off because I should not have allowed someone so toxic to treat me like that.”

Emma, who began singing at a young age, was introduced to musical theatre by her parents.

She attended Stagecoach Performing Arts classes and the Edinburgh Playhouse Stage Experience in 2009, before turning to music as a form of therapy after the death of her mother when she was 13 years old.

She said: “My mum died when I was in second year of high school, so it is sad that she is not around, but I know she is there. My mum and dad played such a huge part in my musical life; they introduced me to music at a young age, and my mum would be the one to take me to auditions and watch me in shows.

“It would have been cool if she had been around to see where this could hopefully go but I am fortunate to have the family I do, my dad is so proud, my family are so proud and that is a really rewarding experience for me.”

Emma’s dad James, who lives in Prestonpans, played a hand in the creation of her stage name, Blue Walker.

She said: “Blue is my favourite colour.

“Myself, my dad and my brother all have blue eyes – and we are like three best friends – so that’s how Blue Walker came about.”

The 23-year-old singer says music is her therapy following the death of her mother when Emma was 13

The 23-year-old singer says music is her therapy following the death of her mother when Emma was 13

And she added: “Growing up and losing a parent, and then my dad being unwell, I didn’t process it properly because I was focused on being okay for other people.

“When I moved away to university, it all just hit me at once.

“It has been a long journey but we have got there. I am still freaking out but I have thrown myself in the deep end.

“My music means one thing to me but other people can listen to it and it means something else.”

The singer described her style as soulful pop.

She said: “My absolute icons musically are Adele, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, they all write and release music that is true to them and tells their story and it inspires me so much when writing.”

Emma still visits East Lothian regularly to see her beloved dad.

She added: “I miss my dad the most about East Lothian.

“He is my whole world and I’m grateful to still have him around and have him push me to be the best person I can be both personally and physically.

“I also miss living by the sea. I find living by the sea really calms my anxiety so whenever I come home to visit it’s always one of the first things I do. Being in a city can be so suffocating sometimes so coming home kind of helps me reset mentally.”

After the release of the single on May 28, Emma’s comment sections across social media were flooded with support from East Lothian fans.

One said: “This is amazing Emma – I just listened and I have shivers.”

Emma plans to release an EP of her work in the future.

A music video for Hollow is expected in the coming weeks.

To keep up with Emma and her music journey, search Blue Walker on Instagram and Facebook.

Hollow is available to stream now on Amazon Music, Apple Music and also Spotify.