Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Emma Anne Johnson, the mastermind behind Emmannuel and The Unlimited Consciousness fearlessly explores creativity and a profound appreciation for the concept of a glitch. Pushing boundaries and redefining artistic expression, Emma Anne’s work is scheduled to be hosted by The Wassaic Project in New York this October and at SoWa x MassArt in Boston in January 2024.
With their second single since debut earlier this year, Emmannuel and The Unlimited Consciousness have release ‘DAYDREAM’, a track that showcases the experimental and cross-genre style that they intend to embrace. Building in heavily distorted guitars, nostalgic synth design and swirling orchestral melodies, Emma Anne is able to manifest an atmosphere that is hauntingly beautiful. Forcing the listener to keep track of a truly eclectic soundscape ushers in a sense of unease, but, within the moments of chaos there is a graceful peace amongst the instrumentation, something that is bewitching and cinematic. It’s a very strong single.
Emma Anne Johnson shares, “Daydream or nightmare? This song serves as my visceral metaphor for gender dysphoria. I am constantly struggling with the many masks the world expects me to put on. More specifically, gender roles are required of me in order to have a job, be a ‘daughter’ or just be a something someone understands. The journey of the song is symbolic to my relationship with my struggles of how being ‘a woman’ have led me to suicidal tendencies. “No I’m not your beautiful daydream” is my response to all the people in my life who don’t see anything besides the surface.
The end of the song calms down and becomes lighter, introducing hope and possibility for loving myself, even the weeds and the webs and ugly stuff. My sensitivities and oddities that once moved me to anger earlier in the tune, turn into softer, sweeter and more compassionate words. A quote from the writer and philosopher Andre Gilde is the last phrase in the final verse: “To love the Rose, Respect the Thorn." Maybe I don’t have to be pretty all the time or even constantly hold myself to the standard of being a “woman” at all? Maybe I am a woman one day and the next I am a man and most days I’m just a human? On a primal level, we are all just animals and all have it all- the good the bad and the ugly. No matter what is shown on the outside, we all have struggles.
From finding a stable living situation to finding myself- none of my struggles related to gender have felt justified until the process of creating this song and video: This is an abstracted vision of me conquering my animalistic suicidal tendencies assigned at birth. No I am not your beautiful daydream, I have just as much ugly as anyone else.”