At just 21 years old, Ministry of Sound artist Emily Nash is blazing new trails for the next generation of ravers and club enthusiasts in the UK and abroad.
The rising dance music phenomenon Emily Nash is making serious moves in solidifying herself as one of the UK club scene and festival circuit’s brightest, youngest, and most promising stars.
Hailing from Worcestershire, Nash first became infatuated with making house and dance-pop heaters after missing the mark in her maths course, which by chance landed her in a music production class at her local college. The obsession grew quickly, and with her knack for it ever apparent, a 4×4 beat laid out a new path in life for the dance floor upstart.
It wasn’t before long that Nash’s first track, “Pressure,” was signed by Stress Records, with more exhilarating singles like “Mind” and “Falling” to follow (the latter of which comes paired with an unruly D&B mix, showing off the artist’s versatility). Teaching herself how to DJ via YouTube tutorials, she soon found herself opening for veteran acts at iconic venues like EGG London, Werkhaus, Tobacco Dock, Printworks, and more. At age 20, Emily Nash signed to the legendary UK dance music institution Ministry of Sound with her hit single “Garden” — a track that dominated the British airwaves with its inviting vocals and sharp synth work.
As a member of the Beatport Next Class of 2022, we caught up with Nash to learn more about her biggest musical influences, her festival season highlights, and her latest single on Ministry of Sound, “Chemical Embrace.”
Hey Emily! Thanks for joining us. How has your Summer been so far?
Hey, thanks for having me! Summer has been amazing so far; been busy DJing in and out of the UK and also making new tunes.
Regarding your earliest musical influences, who would you say are the three DJ/producers who have had the most significant impact on your sound and your love of dance music?
I’d have to say Gorgon City, MK, and John Summit.
You might notice a similar vibe to Gorgon City in my next single. I’ve always loved Gorgon City and their album Sirens is one of my favourites. MK Is also a big inspiration he just brings out a whole new level for dance and house music and getting people to dance to his tunes which inspires me a lot to also do that. John Summit is another one of my inspirations if you listen back to my last single, “Garden” you might hear some elements of John Summit in there.
Your journey into music production happened thanks to bad maths grades and a music production course at your local college. Can you bring us through that story? At what moment did your knack for music production first come into focus?
So I was supposed to go to sixth form, but when I received my results, I didn’t get a high enough Maths GCSE to even get onto the courses I’d chosen. So a few weeks later, I went to my local college, and they asked what I liked to do, and I mentioned music. They put me into a music production class, and I completely fell in love with it. Within a few weeks, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do.
How did you get linked up with Stress Recordings before signing to Ministry Of Sound? Can you bring us back to how you felt when MOS decided to sign you on as an artist?
So I sent Stress some demos, and someone from the team liked what I had but passed on them. I then had another email a few weeks later from their A&R guy Luke, and he absolutely loved the demos and wanted to sign some of the tracks. It was my first label release, so I was over the moon.
Ministry contacted me shortly after asking for demos as well, I sent them a few which they loved, but the one that got their attention the most was “Garden” when they wanted to sign me, I couldn’t believe it. I grew up listening to Ministry Of Sound CDs, and my parents loved raving as well, so they used to talk about Ministry. I’d wake up some days thinking, “is this actually real!?”
You started producing before moving into DJing. How comfortable are you feeling on the decks now? At what point were you confident enough to go out and perform your first gig?
I use to watch YouTube videos every day, and that’s how I learned the decks. I’m ever so confident and comfortable now, and I absolutely love it! My first gig was EGG London which I didn’t expect at all. I thought I’d be nervous, but there were no nerves at all, and I had so much fun.
Tell us about your latest release on Ministry of Sound.
My latest release is called “Chemical Embrace” I’d like to describe it as an emotional dance track. It has vocals from the lovely Olivia Sebastianelli and a deep catchy bassline that you won’t forget. It’s a dark dance track, but it’s also very uplifting. I’m so pleased that it’s finally out in the world.
What are your thoughts on being one of the youngest DJs in the UK club and festival circuit? Does it have its perks? Any drawbacks?
It feels unreal. Doing all of this at age 21 is insane, and I feel incredibly lucky. There have been no drawbacks at the moment, and everyone I’ve met seems very welcoming and lovely. I get treated the same as anybody else, which makes it more comfortable.
What key lessons have you learned since you’ve started performing across the UK and abroad?
Take multiple USBs! You never know if you might lose one or forget one. One great piece of advice I was told is to just sleep at any point you can because sometimes, it can get extremely tiring with all the travel.
How does it feel to be a part of the Beatport Next Class of 2022?
It feels great, I feel very lucky to have been chosen, and it also gives me a lot of hope because people believe in me!
What are you most looking forward to this Summer?
Having my new single out there, the sunshine, the festivals. Meeting loads more people and just getting on the decks and playing to everyone anywhere around the world/country. Going to be a fun rest of the year!
Cameron Holbrook is Beatportal’s North American Editor. Find him on Twitter or Instagram.
