Emily Richards
Best known as the most downloaded indie pop/rock artist on MP3.com, Emily Richards is a prolific singer/songwriter based in San Diego. She’s released 10 albums on her own record label, Rillriver Records, that reflect on her personal journey of deeper understanding. In early 2005, Emily was named President of MP3tunes (the new MP3.com!) and is starting a movement for Indie music on an entirely new level.
Emily’s road schedule has included 4 national tours and many highlights. Among the brightest were opening for Martina McBride during the Olympic Torch Across America celebration in Salt Lake City and being selected from 70,000 independent artists to headline the 50-city Club MP3.com Summer 2000 Tour sponsored by House of Blues. Summer ‘03, Hard Rock Café & RADD supported her west regional tour that included drunk driving presentations to high schools and colleges. And for all '04, Emily toured with Rock the Vote and AWAKE Community using her music as voice of freedom and education as well as entertainment.
More important to Emily than all of her successes is her message. During the final leg of her MP3.com tour, Emily’s 19-year-old sister, Annie, lost her life to a drunk driver near her home in Utah. This tragedy reshaped Emily’s music and led her to form nonprofit AWAKE Community (www.awakecommunity.org) with guitarist Jason Brock to focus on educating youth and spreading the “don’t drink and drive” message, among other human issues.
Emily’s songs can be heard on commercial radio stations from her childhood home of Salt Lake City, Utah, to as far away as Dublin, Ireland and Bordeaux, France as well as on College Radio Stations across the US. Her CD’s are available for purchase at Amazon.com and CDBaby.com or download via MP3tunes.com and iTunes.com.
Emily is currently in the studio with her newly formed band, Freedom People. In early '06, anticipate a new record reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell and Audioslave.