Emma's Imagination
Encyclopedia
Emma Gillespie better known by her stage name
Emma's Imagination, is a Scottish singer
. She first came to prominence after winning the Sky1 TV talent contest Must Be the Music
. She has since been signed to Gary Barlow
's music label Future Records
. She has since released her debut solo album, Stand Still
in January 2011.
and grew up in Dumfries
where she attended St Joseph's College. She lived with her mother Sharon and stepfather. Gillespie was in the Andaman Islands
in India
at the time of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. She then went on to travel in Australia
, New Zealand
and Thailand
, with many of her ideas for music originating while travelling.
Gillespie took up playing guitar when aged 16. Before coming to public attention, she spent time busking
on the streets of Glasgow
, to which she had moved a year before her breakthrough. She also spent time honing her skills performing in New York
.
, Dizzee Rascal
, and Sharleen Spiteri
. The auditions took place in early August 2010 with musicians allowed to play their own compositions. The live finals were held at Wembley Arena
with a live audience behind the judges. During the finals, the public voted for their favourite act, which was Emma's Imagination.
After appearing on the show, her first single, This Day, was released for sale by download and debuted at number 10 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart
and number 2 on the Indie Chart
. The single also charted on the Irish Singles Chart
, where it reached number 9 and on the Scottish Singles Chart
, where it debuted at number 7.
Emma's Imagination won the final on Sunday 19 September 2010, and received a prize of £100,000.
at number 7, her second British Top 10 placing. The single also debuted at number 1 on the Indie Chart, number 8 in Ireland
and number 5 in Scotland
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Emma's Imagination, is a Scottish singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
. She first came to prominence after winning the Sky1 TV talent contest Must Be the Music
Must Be The Music (TV series)
Must Be the Music was a British television musical talent competition contested by aspiring singers and musicians drawn from public auditions. The show was a music competition and reality show that was broadcast in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Auditions were held in Edinburgh,...
. She has since been signed to Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
's music label Future Records
Future Records (Gary Barlow music label)
Future Records is an independent record label, based in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 2009 by singer, songwriter and producer Gary Barlow.-History:...
. She has since released her debut solo album, Stand Still
Stand Still
Stand Still is live album by The Stone Roses that was recorded in October 1989 in Tokyo. It is an unofficial, bootleg recording.-Track listing:*Intro - 01:51 *I Wanna Be Adored - 05:15 *Elephant Stone- 03:44 *Waterfall - 04:52...
in January 2011.
Early years
Emma Gillespie was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and grew up in Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
where she attended St Joseph's College. She lived with her mother Sharon and stepfather. Gillespie was in the Andaman Islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
in 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...
at the time of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. She then went on to travel in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, with many of her ideas for music originating while travelling.
Gillespie took up playing guitar when aged 16. Before coming to public attention, she spent time busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
on the streets of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, to which she had moved a year before her breakthrough. She also spent time honing her skills performing in 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...
.
2010-11: Must Be the Music
Emma's Imagination entered Must Be the Music, broadcast on Sky1 and Sky1 HD. In the initial televised audition phase, as well as the three semi-finals and final, contestants sang in front of the judges, Jamie CullumJamie Cullum
Jamie Cullum is an English pop and jazz-pop singer-songwriter. Though he is primarily a vocalist/pianist he also accompanies himself on other instruments including guitar and drums. Since April 2010, he has been presenting a weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2, broadcast on Tuesdays from 19:00.- Early...
, Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
, and Sharleen Spiteri
Sharleen Spiteri
Sharleen Spiteri is a Scottish recording artist and songwriter, best known as being the lead singer of Scottish rock/blues band Texas. Texas began their career in 1986, and shot to fame in 1989 with their UK Top Ten single, "I Don't Want a Lover" released from Southside...
. The auditions took place in early August 2010 with musicians allowed to play their own compositions. The live finals were held at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
with a live audience behind the judges. During the finals, the public voted for their favourite act, which was Emma's Imagination.
After appearing on the show, her first single, This Day, was released for sale by download and debuted at number 10 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and number 2 on the Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
. The single also charted on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, where it reached number 9 and on the Scottish Singles Chart
Scottish Singles and Albums Chart
The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions....
, where it debuted at number 7.
Emma's Imagination won the final on Sunday 19 September 2010, and received a prize of £100,000.
2011-present: Stand Still
Following victory on the show, Emma's Imagination's second single, Focus, debuted in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at number 7, her second British Top 10 placing. The single also debuted at number 1 on the Indie Chart, number 8 in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and number 5 in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
IRL Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
SCO Scottish Singles and Albums Chart The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions.... |
||||||||||||
| 2011 | Stand Still
|
14 | 48 | 2 | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
UK IND UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
IRL Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
SCO Scottish Singles and Albums Chart The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions.... |
|||||||||||
| 2010 | "This Day This Day This Day could refer to:Newspapers*Thisday, a Nigerian newspaper*This Day *This Day Music*A song from the album Porcelain by the Emil Bulls* This Day , a song by Emma's Imagination... " |
10 | 2 | 9 | 7 | Stand Still | ||||||||
| "Focus Focus Focus, FOCUS, or foci may refer to:In science, mathematics or computing:*Focus , selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things... " |
7 | 1 | 7 | 5 | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released | ||||||||||||||