Emily Haines
Encyclopedia
Emily Haines is a Canadian indie rock
singer-songwriter. She is the lead singer and keyboardist
of the band Metric
and a member of Broken Social Scene
. As a solo artist, she performed with her own name and under the alias
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. Her voice is contralto
.
, India
, and raised in Canada
. She is the daughter of Canadian poet Paul Haines
. Her sister is the Canadian television journalist Avery Haines
and her brother is Tim Haines, owner of Bluestreak Records in Peterborough, Ontario
, Canada
.
After settling in Peterborough at the age of three, she grew up in a house rich with experimental art and musical expression. Paul would often make cassettes of rare and eclectic music for his daughter to listen to and her early influences included Carla Bley
, Robert Wyatt
, and later PJ Harvey
. By her teens she followed her parents' footsteps by attending the Etobicoke School of the Arts
(ESA) to study drama. There she met Amy Millan
and Kevin Drew
, with whom she would later collaborate in hHead
. Emily also briefly dated Kevin Drew.
Haines and Millan formed their first band around 1990 while at ESA, and with songs later written and recorded while at the University of British Columbia
in Vancouver in 1992–1993, at Toronto in 1995, and at Concordia University in Montreal in 1995–1996. The result was Cut in Half and Also Double
distributed in 1996 with a limited number of copies. The song "Carpet" bears a resemblance to a song later recorded by Metric, "Too Little Too Late".
Emily Haines met James Shaw
in Toronto, and the two of them began dating and making music. They took the name Metric
in 1999 after a synthesizer beat that Shaw used on his sampler and as a reference to their musical precision. The two moved to New York
, where they recruited their rhythm section and began recording. In 2001, the bassist Joshua Winstead and the drummer Jules Scott-Key joined the band. Metric released four studio albums so far: Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
in 2003, Live It Out
in 2005, Grow Up and Blow Away
in 2007 (but recorded in 2001) and Fantasies
in 2009.
In 2004, Metric appeared in the 2004 drama film Clean. Emily Haines and the rest of the band, appearing as themselves, performed their song "Dead Disco" and then went backstage for a small speaking role. "Dead Disco" also featured on Clean Original Soundtrack.
In 2006, she released the studio album Knives Don't Have Your Back
under the moniker Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. The songs "Our Hell" and "Dr. Blind" were issued as singles. Knives Don't Have Your Back was followed in 2007 by the EP
What Is Free to a Good Home?
. These recordings were inspired by the death of her father, poet Paul Haines.
Her solo work is typically more mellow and piano-based than her work with Metric. She occasionally plays a limited number of solo shows, often with Amy Millan
as the opening act.
Currently her band Metric
is working on their fifth studio album.
EPs
Singles
EPs
DVDs
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
singer-songwriter. She is the lead singer and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
of the band Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
and a member of Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
. As a solo artist, she performed with her own name and under the alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. Her voice is contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
.
Biography
Emily Haines was born in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and raised in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. She is the daughter of Canadian poet Paul Haines
Paul Haines (poet)
Paul Haines was a poet and jazz lyricist. Born in Vassar, Michigan, Haines eventually settled in Canada, after spending time in Europe, India, New York City, as well as a long stint as a French Teacher at Fenelon Falls Secondary School, in Ontario, Canada.Haines's best-known work is Escalator over...
. Her sister is the Canadian television journalist Avery Haines
Avery Haines
Avery Haines is a Canadian television journalist.-Career:Haines began her career as a reporter for CFRB in Toronto. In late 1999, she began to work as a fill-in anchor for CTV Newsnet....
and her brother is Tim Haines, owner of Bluestreak Records in Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
After settling in Peterborough at the age of three, she grew up in a house rich with experimental art and musical expression. Paul would often make cassettes of rare and eclectic music for his daughter to listen to and her early influences included Carla Bley
Carla Bley
Carla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
, Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
, and later PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
. By her teens she followed her parents' footsteps by attending the Etobicoke School of the Arts
Etobicoke School of the Arts
The Etobicoke School of the Arts is a specialized public arts-academic high school located in Etobicoke area of Toronto, Canada. Founded on September 8, 1981, the Etobicoke School of the Arts has the distinction of being the oldest, free standing arts focused high school in Canada...
(ESA) to study drama. There she met Amy Millan
Amy Millan
Amy Millan is a Canadian indie rock singer and guitarist. She records and performs with the bands Stars and Broken Social Scene as well as having a successful solo career. Her second solo album, Masters of the Burial, was released by Arts & Crafts Records in September 2009.- Early life :Amy Millan...
and Kevin Drew
Kevin Drew
Kevin Drew is a Canadian musician and songwriter who, together with Brendan Canning, founded the expansive Toronto baroque-pop collective Broken Social Scene...
, with whom she would later collaborate in hHead
HHead
hHead were a Canadian alternative rock band in the 1990s. The band consisted of Noah Mintz, Brendan Canning and a succession of drummers. They were originally known as Head, but added the second h after discovering that another band was already recording as Head.The band's first album, Fireman, was...
. Emily also briefly dated Kevin Drew.
Haines and Millan formed their first band around 1990 while at ESA, and with songs later written and recorded while at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in Vancouver in 1992–1993, at Toronto in 1995, and at Concordia University in Montreal in 1995–1996. The result was Cut in Half and Also Double
Cut In Half and Also Double
Cut In Half and Also Double is an extremely rare album by Canadian artist Emily Haines that she self-released in 1996. The song "Carpet" contains similar lyrics and vocal melodies to those in "Too Little Too Late," which she recorded a decade later with her band Metric...
distributed in 1996 with a limited number of copies. The song "Carpet" bears a resemblance to a song later recorded by Metric, "Too Little Too Late".
Emily Haines met James Shaw
James Shaw (musician)
James Shaw is the lead guitarist of the popular Canadian indie rock band Metric, and also a member of Broken Social Scene. He was born in London, England and raised in Bellevue, Ontario....
in Toronto, and the two of them began dating and making music. They took the name Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1999 after a synthesizer beat that Shaw used on his sampler and as a reference to their musical precision. The two moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where they recruited their rhythm section and began recording. In 2001, the bassist Joshua Winstead and the drummer Jules Scott-Key joined the band. Metric released four studio albums so far: Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? is a 2003 album by Canadian indie rock band Metric. This album has gone gold in Canada.-Track listing:All songs written by Metric.#"IOU" – 4:22#"Hustle Rose" – 5:33#"Succexy" – 3:05#"Combat Baby" – 3:29...
in 2003, Live It Out
Live It Out
Live It Out is the second album released by the Canadian indie rock band Metric. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005, the 38th best album of 2006 by NME, and it was shortlisted for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize...
in 2005, Grow Up and Blow Away
Grow up and Blow Away
Grow Up and Blow Away was the first recorded album by indie rock band Metric. The album was recorded in 2001, but delayed for years by their record label...
in 2007 (but recorded in 2001) and Fantasies
Fantasies (album)
- Singles :* "Help, I'm Alive" * "Front Row" * "Gimme Sympathy" * "Sick Muse" * "Gold Guns Girls"...
in 2009.
In 2004, Metric appeared in the 2004 drama film Clean. Emily Haines and the rest of the band, appearing as themselves, performed their song "Dead Disco" and then went backstage for a small speaking role. "Dead Disco" also featured on Clean Original Soundtrack.
In 2006, she released the studio album Knives Don't Have Your Back
Knives Don't Have Your Back
Knives Don't Have Your Back is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Emily Haines . The album was released in September 2006 on Last Gang Records. It debuted at 28 in Canada and has sold 20,000 copies there...
under the moniker Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. The songs "Our Hell" and "Dr. Blind" were issued as singles. Knives Don't Have Your Back was followed in 2007 by the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
What Is Free to a Good Home?
What Is Free to a Good Home?
What is Free to a Good Home? is the first extended play by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. The EP consists of five new songs and a remix, including previously unreleased tracks from the sessions of Knives Don't Have Your Back. It was released July 24, 2007 in Canada and the United States on Last...
. These recordings were inspired by the death of her father, poet Paul Haines.
Her solo work is typically more mellow and piano-based than her work with Metric. She occasionally plays a limited number of solo shows, often with Amy Millan
Amy Millan
Amy Millan is a Canadian indie rock singer and guitarist. She records and performs with the bands Stars and Broken Social Scene as well as having a successful solo career. Her second solo album, Masters of the Burial, was released by Arts & Crafts Records in September 2009.- Early life :Amy Millan...
as the opening act.
Currently her band Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
is working on their fifth studio album.
Guest appearances
- Emily Haines made a cameo appearanceCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
on the k-osK-osKevin Brereton , better known by his stage name k-os , is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer...
music video, "Man I Used to BeJoyful RebellionJoyful Rebellion is the second album of alternative hip hop artist k-os, released 13 August 2004 in Canada by EMI and 21 September 2004 in the United States by Virgin Records...
". - She can also be seen on The StillsThe StillsThe Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000. The band consists of Tim Fletcher , Dave Hamelin , Olivier Corbeil , and Liam O'Neil , Gregory Paquet .-History:The band members have known each other since the age of...
music video for "Love and Death" playing a secretary. - Haines stars in Julian Plenti'sPaul BanksPaul Julian Banks is an English American musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and guitarist of the rock band Interpol. He is also a solo artist under the name Julian Plenti. As a singer, Banks' voice lies in the baritone range.-Early life:Banks was born in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
music video for the song "Games For Days". - Metric also contributed an unreleased track called "Black Sheep" to the soundtrack for the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the WorldScott Pilgrim vs. the WorldScott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim , a young Canadian musician, meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers , an American delivery girl...
. - A new song, entitled "Eclipse (All Yours)", was the theme of the film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
- "Crowd Surf Off a Cliff" could be heard in the first season of Rookie Blue.
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
Albums- Knives Don't Have Your BackKnives Don't Have Your BackKnives Don't Have Your Back is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Emily Haines . The album was released in September 2006 on Last Gang Records. It debuted at 28 in Canada and has sold 20,000 copies there...
(2006, #28 in Canada)
EPs
- What Is Free to a Good Home?What Is Free to a Good Home?What is Free to a Good Home? is the first extended play by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. The EP consists of five new songs and a remix, including previously unreleased tracks from the sessions of Knives Don't Have Your Back. It was released July 24, 2007 in Canada and the United States on Last...
(2007)
Singles
- "Dr. Blind"
- "Our Hell"
Metric
Albums- Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? is a 2003 album by Canadian indie rock band Metric. This album has gone gold in Canada.-Track listing:All songs written by Metric.#"IOU" – 4:22#"Hustle Rose" – 5:33#"Succexy" – 3:05#"Combat Baby" – 3:29...
(2003) - Live It OutLive It OutLive It Out is the second album released by the Canadian indie rock band Metric. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005, the 38th best album of 2006 by NME, and it was shortlisted for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize...
(2005) - Grow Up and Blow AwayGrow up and Blow AwayGrow Up and Blow Away was the first recorded album by indie rock band Metric. The album was recorded in 2001, but delayed for years by their record label...
(2007, recorded in 2001) - FantasiesFantasies (album)- Singles :* "Help, I'm Alive" * "Front Row" * "Gimme Sympathy" * "Sick Muse" * "Gold Guns Girls"...
(2009)
EPs
- Mainstream EPMainstream EPMainstream is an early demo EP from Canadian indie rock band Metric. The album is currently not available in stores, although it is circulated widely on the internet...
(1998) - Static AnonymityStatic AnonymityStatic Anonymity is an EP released by the Canadian band Metric in 2001. The back cover of the album states that "This handmade collection of rare songs is only available at Metric performances or at www.ilovemetric.com and is not intended for retail sale". Though it states that one can buy the...
(2001) - Live at Metropolis (2007)
- Plug In Plug OutPlug In Plug OutPlug In, Plug Out is an acoustic EP released by Canadian indie rock band Metric on October 27, 2009. It was first released exclusively on Amazon.com, and was released on iTunes on December 1, 2009 for residents of the US and UK. It became available worldwide on the band's website in early 2010...
(2009) - iTunes Session EP (2011)
DVDs
- Live at Metropolis (2008)
Collaborations
The following songs are credited with Emily Haines on either lead or backing vocals:- Broken Social SceneBroken Social SceneBroken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
– "Looks Just Like the Sun", "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl", "Backyards", "Her Disappearing Theme", "Swimmers", "Bandwitch", "Superconnected", "Windsurfing Nation", "Sentimental X's" - DeleriumDeleriumDelerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly...
— "Stopwatch Hearts" (from Chimera) - Jason CollettJason CollettJason Collett is a Toronto based singer-songwriter. He has released four solo albums, and is a member of Broken Social Scene. His latest album, Rat a Tat Tat, was released in March, 2010.-Early life:...
— "Fire", "Hangover Days" (Emily is actually in the video edit of the song "Fire". The album version credits the female backing vocals to Amy Millan.) - KC AccidentalKC AccidentalK.C. Accidental was a Canadian post-rock band formed in 1998 from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This band was the original basis for Broken Social Scene.-History:...
— "Them (Pop Song #3333)" - MSTRKRFTMSTRKRFTMSTRKRFT is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto, Ontario. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P formerly of the Mississauga, Ontario electropop group Girlsareshort...
— "She's Good For Business" - Stars — "Going, Going, Gone", "On Peak Hill"
- The StillsThe StillsThe Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000. The band consists of Tim Fletcher , Dave Hamelin , Olivier Corbeil , and Liam O'Neil , Gregory Paquet .-History:The band members have known each other since the age of...
— "Baby Blues" - k-osK-osKevin Brereton , better known by his stage name k-os , is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer...
— "Uptown Girl" - TiëstoTiëstoTijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
— "Knock You Out" (from KaleidoscopeKaleidoscope (Tiësto album)Kaleidoscope is the fourth studio album by Dutch trance artist Tiësto, released on 6 October 2009 on Musical Freedom, Tiësto's new label in association with PIAS Recordings...
) - The Crystal MethodThe Crystal MethodThe Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method's music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. The most prominent is the US television...
— "Come Back Clean" (from Divided by NightDivided by NightDivided by Night is electronic duo The Crystal Method's fourth studio album. The album was released on May 12, 2009. The first single, "Drown in the Now", which features vocals by Matisyahu, was released to the iTunes store on April 14, 2009, and the second single, "Black Rainbows" was released to...
) - Todor KobakovTodor KobakovTodor Kobakov is a Canadian-Bulgarian composer, producer, arranger and pianist based in Toronto, Ontario. He is best known for his solo piano album Pop Music, his commercial and film scores and for his collaborations within Toronto's indie music scene.- Early life :Kobakov was born in Sofia,...
— "Carpe Diem" - Wavin' FlagWavin' Flag"Wavin' Flag" is a song by Somali-Canadian artist K'naan from his album Troubadour. The song was a global hit, reaching the top ten in 19 charts around the world and was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, hosted by South Africa. The English version was released as...
— Young Artists for HaitiYoung Artists for HaitiYoung Artists for Haiti is a movement to engage Canada's young musicians to continue to inspire an ongoing effort and contribution to Canadian charities for their work to help the people of Haiti overcome the devastation from the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked the country on January 12, 2010...
Filmography
- Clean (2004, as herself)
- This Movie is BrokenThis Movie Is BrokenThis Movie Is Broken is a film by Canadian director Bruce McDonald, released in 2010. A cross between a romantic comedy and a concert film, the film stars Greg Calderone as Bruno, a young man hoping to convince his longtime crush Caroline to become his girlfriend by taking her to a Broken Social...
(2010, performing with Broken Social Scene)