Emma Ogier – drops new single ‘Rocksteady/HeavyMetal’

Emma Ogier teams up with fellow rising Nashville-based singer/songwriter Eden Joel on “Rocksteady/HeavyMetal,” a PBF (post-breakup-friendship) anthem about choosing friendship and realizing that love can be different things at different times. The song, produced by David Baron (The Lumineers, The Felice Brothers), began as a bedroom demo in summer 2024, born of Ogier’s reckoning with the loneliness and excitement of pursuing artistry. Listen HERE.

“I made a quick demo of what is now the intro of this song, and brought it to one of my favorite collaborators, Eden Joel, to make a song of it,” Emma Ogier recalls. “Our relationship is special and complicated and has always possessed a serious-feeling of depth. What started as an undeniable connection and incessant belief in each other, in terms of us both being two young songwriters – vulnerable, on the internet and trying to make real careers of it – turned romantic, yes, but also taught us something about the weight of love – how even when its median shifts, real love is when you still hope for the others success and joy.”

Eden Joel adds, “When Emma played me the original idea for ‘Rocksteady/HeavyMetal,’ I was immediately hooked. We got straight to work on it, stringing together melodies and words with the sole intention of making each other laugh. It was an effortless process, devoid of self-criticism. I never expected anything more would come of it, so I was surprised (and initially slightly hesitant) when Emma called me about recording it. Our relationship has ebbed and changed through the years, but the bottom line has always remained that our support, love and respect for each other is paramount.” Shot in Nashville with director/producer Joey Brodnax, the accompanying video similarly flows with a natural rhythm, blending easygoing moments of summer fun with kinetic performance footage.

She recently performed with Bright Eyes at three shows celebrating the 21^st anniversary of their back-to-back albums I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. Taking on the Emmylou Harris harmony role on songs including “Land Locked Blues,” she had fans and critics alike asking, “who is that vocalist up there with Conor Oberst?” Americana Highwayscalled Ogier “the highlight” of the I’m Wide Awake set, writing that “crowd buzz between sets (and my own ears) pegged her as a stand-out. She’s one to watch.” When the Forest Hills Stadium show got rained out mid-set, they took over a local bar to finish out the performance, as Brooklyn Vegan reported HERE.

Currently at work on her debut album, Ogier discovered her proclivity for writing songs during the pandemic, a time of unceasing isolation for the Houston teenager. Her songs strive to embody the best of what art is capable of doing: reimagining the familiar with the kind of irreverence that gives life to something new. As The Spotlight noted, “[Emma Ogier’s] sound is unlike any other, blending country and alternative indie pop with addictive hooks.” “Rocksteady/HeavyMetal” follows her recent singles “Believing” – which was singled out in New Music Friday coverage by Ones To Watch,Country Central, Prime Time Country, Max Meets Music City and others – and “Baby Don’t Hurt Me.” Ones To Watch recently captured a day in the life of Ogier HERE.

Cover artwork by Will Shaw