A multi-instrumentalist and composer with five albums and three books to her name, Emily Maguire is an acclaimed British singer-songwriter who has toured with American legend Don McLean, performing at concert halls and theatres across the UK.
With a remarkable story to tell, she has been featured many times in interviews and playlists on BBC national radio, her thought-provoking lyrics, supremely expressive vocals and spellbinding live performances winning her fans across the globe.
Described as 'exhilarating and transformational' (RnR Magazine), Emily songs have the power to uplift, comfort and inspire in equal measure. Classically trained as a child on cello, piano, flute and recorder, Emily taught herself the guitar at 21 when she found herself disabled and stuck at home with fibromyalgia pain syndrome. She describes the illness as a blessing in disguise as it gave her the time and opportunity to discover she could write songs.
After releasing her first two critically acclaimed albums in Australia, Emily returned to the UK in 2007 and toured there constantly, playing a huge range of venues. In 2010, following yet another breakdown and with a single on national BBC radio, Emily decided to risk her music career and publish 'Start Over Again', a deeply intimate account of her struggles with bipolar disorder.
The book was launched on BBC Radio 2 and triggered a huge response from listeners. Stigma in the UK about mental illness was still rife and many people said that Emily was brave to be so open about her own experiences. But she says she didn't feel brave, she just felt liberated.
Since publishing 'Start Over Again', Emily has done many gigs for mental health hospitals and groups across the UK. With her constant aim of uplifting, inspiring and comforting the people who hear her songs, her work in mental health has been internationally recognised by the US-based International Society for Bipolar Disorders, who have awarded her the 2019 Mogens Schou Award for Public Service and Advocacy.
From concert halls including the Royal Albert Hall with Don McLean to regional theatres with Eric Bibb and Dr Hook, Emily has toured arts centres across the UK, most recently playing intimate acoustic gigs in bookshops and Buddhist centres to promote her third book 'Meditation Mind', a book of poetry inspired by her Buddhist practice.
Now based back in the Australian bush where she began her career, Emily is currently working on her sixth studio album as well as an album of contemporary classical music composed for cello, piano and string orchestra.
http://www.emilymaguire.com/