Just a couple months after she returned with her first new single since 2022, Emily Wurramara has swung around with another soon-to-be hit – this time getting deep with the emotionally raw and vulnerable Midnight Blues.
In a press release, the multi-hyphenate explained that she wrote Midnight Blues to reflect on a particularly dark period of her life: “If it wouldn’t be for [my mum] being there every step of the way, I don’t think I’d be here to be honest.”
It’s said the song first sparked in Wurramara’s mind at a music festival, right at the stroke of midnight, when she had “a chance encounter with a man wearing an octopus hat”. In it, she ruminates poignantly on her struggles with postpartum depression, alcohol abuse and suicide attempts.
Noting that she found it important to share her experiences, Wurramara continued in her statement: “It’s precious to show people why this life is beautiful and worth sticking around for; being vulnerable in itself has so much strength and staunchness. I want to help people to release, cry, and let it out – this is normal because we live in a fucked up society, of course we feel shit – I want Midnight Blues to be a safe space to feel.
“I look at [daughter] Kiki and think how can I make this place better, safe, and peaceful?
“When I wrote this song, I had just spent New Years watching Electric Fields with my mum, gagu Shellie Morris, Toni Childs, and a couple of other friends at Woodford Folk Festival [in 2017/18]. I got separated from the crew and ended up down at the lake.”
Wurramara went on to explain that 2017 was an intense year for her: “I had Kiki, I tried to commit twice that year, I drunk myself silly, I had bad postpartum and was trying to be a mum and a good person. I sat there [at the lake] and cried my eyes out.”
Then came the moment that set her off on a creative adventure: “There was this fulla who came up wearing this weird looking octopus hat and bright flowy clothes, he asked me if I was alright and I turned around and reckoned, ‘Oh you know brother, midnight blues.’ I went home, I was so sad, so lost, laid down these keys on GarageBand, just pressed record and sang whatever came out. The lyrics haven’t changed since then – they don’t make sense, but it’s a reflection on my life, my truth, my pain.
“The phrase ‘singing with me, perplexing me with this tune’ implies that the blues is both comforting and confusing at the same time; things are happening within you and around you, immersed in your emotions, perhaps finding solace in music, but also struggling to understand the source or meaning of your own feelings, how growing is uncomfortable but living your freedom is worth that.
“At the same time I was getting my tattoos done; the way this song was made was just as chaotic as my journey, but I’m still here, still a great mum, and look at all the things I’ve done.”
Midnight Blues was co-produced by Wurramara and Kuya James (aka James Mangohig, best known for his work with the likes of Daniel Johns and A.B. Original), and features backing vocals from a stack of the singer’s most talented friends – among them being Caiti Baker, Serina Pech, John Coulehan and Juran Adams.
Check out the accompanying lyric video for Midnight Blues:
