Emily Woodhull Is Home, But the Road the Success Is Challenging
"I try not to avoid the difficult conversations. Especially about mental health," local musician says.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Music has always come easily for Emily Woodhull, who grew up in the shadows of the U.S. Capitol Building in D.C. She started playing piano at 5. She took up guitar at 11. “Music,” she said, “is something I always just got.”
Now 24 years old, that natural ease with music is beginning to translate into the first tastes of success. Her song “Virginia, I’m Home” was released in January and is now available across a range of platforms. And a second song, “Blame It on the Moonshine,” is coming out later in April.
Woodhull has learned along the way thus far, however, that nothing comes easy in life, or in the music business.
A Quick Hit
Instagram was an early outlet for Woodhull. She launched an account in the 8th grade posting videos of her singing songs and playing guitar — all the things she loves to do.
In March of 2021, a scout found her there and, with her parents, began negotiating with her to work with people who would move her to a higher level.
She ended up signing with a group in Nashville that works with young talent to launch their careers. The journey has been no carpet ride.
“I started by doing vocal trainings,” she told the Advance, “and sending 30 song titles every two weeks.” The vocal training in particular was challenging, but productive, as Woodhull’s voice has changed considerably over the past several years.
The big break came, however, when in the fall of 2022 the group booked her for a writer’s event.
“I went in February 2023 to Nashville,” she said. There she spent a week working with writers. In April she returned to Nashville to record the song that was just released this January, “Virginia, I’m Home,” and the soon-to-be-released “Blame It on the Moonshine.”
It seemed like a quick ascent for such a young artist. But the near two-year gap between the recording in Nashville and the songs’ release proved a difficult period. The real work was just setting in, and Woodhull wasn’t ready.
Social Media, Broken Hearts
Though the two songs were recorded in April 2023, the company she worked with wanted her to grow her social media presence before doing the release. Her job was simple — start posting.
“Social media has such a big role in the music industry,” Woodhull said. “They wanted a small following on social media before they felt it’s time to release” my songs.
Success didn’t come easily.
“It’s really competitive,” she said. “I have friends who post videos trying to do what I’m doing,” and she sees the struggles that they face.
It also wasn’t something she was immediately comfortable with. She said she tried to force things when recording, instead of just being in the moment and being herself.
Her then-boyfriend was her biggest supporter. He went so far in late 2023 as to encourage her to quit her job and dedicate herself full time to pursuing her dream.
But following the success in Nashville, Woodhull slowed down, spending more time at home with her dog.
“I was in a rut for a while,” she told the Advance, and I was “just doing the bare minimum for my career.”
That proved a breaking point for her then-boyfriend, who saw the potential and was making sacrifices of his own so she could pursue her dreams.
One day, he asked her point blank: “Are you doing everything you can for your career?”
Woodhull knew she wasn’t. “I had lost the passion.”
In April 2024 the two broke up — amicably and by mutual agreement.
“The breakup wrecked me,” Woodhull said. “He was my biggest supporter. He understood it was going to take time. And I just got comfortable. I regret it. He couldn’t do it anymore. I disappointed him.”
Sometimes, however, bad events can shock a person into getting back on track. That’s what happened to Woodhull.
The first step was to quit drinking, going sober in June. And then she “went crazy about bookings.” Where she was playing three-to-five shows a month, she’s now playing three-to-five shows a week.
And she got serious about social media.
She had to run all her videos by her team in Nashville before posting. Early on, they’d offer feedback and she didn’t take it as constructive criticism. After June, she started listening.
“I try and do different stuff,” she said. “I’ve been going around the town doing video…. I did a video about Skyline Drive. Did a video by Maggie’s.”
The videos began to take. The secret? Woodhull started being herself, as opposed to forcing it trying to be something she wasn’t.
It worked, and now she is posting videos that sometimes attract views in the hundreds of thousands.
Taking Nothing for Granted
Though Woodhull is getting the first tastes of success, she knows that she faces a long road ahead.
“When I started writing,” she told the Advance, “I didn’t think people would resonate with my music.” Now, she said, “I thank god every morning. That’s been the goal, for people to like my songs and the way I came across.”
And if they don’t? She’s OK with that, too. “Not everyone is going to like my music,” and that’s OK, she said.
Since the breakup with her then-boyfriend, Woodhull has “just been doing the music and being who I wanted to be,” she said. And in the process, she said, “I became the person I should have been 6 months ago.”
“I want people to know me,” Woodhull says. “I like that I’m open. I try not to avoid the difficult conversations. Especially about mental health.”
Woodhull has struggled with issues around her own mental health since high school. It took attending a conference in Nashville that had a panel on musicians and mental health that helped her to not be afraid to face it head on, and to be honest about it.
“I don’t want people to be scared of being open,” she said. “It’s difficult being vulnerable, but it’s worth the risk.”
That honesty shines through in Woodhull’s music. As well as her love for the state that adopted her — Virginia.
Woodhull’s newest single, “Blame It on the Moonshine,” is coming out in April. Tickets for the launch event go on sale March 25 on Eventbrite. Find them by searching her name at EventBrite.com.
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