Portia Emare

Portia Emare was born in Manchester, via Ireland, Nigeria and the planet Vintage Soul Glamour. Portia’s career has taken her all around the world. She made her professional debut at the age of 7, and has performed in some unlikely places. In hot air balloons and on the Great Wall of China. From the deserts of the Middle East to underground Soho clubs. On high wires in West End theatres and secret beaches on the island of Ibiza. Dressed as a giant paintbrush, busking on the streets of Covent Garden, or serenading the infamous jazz haunts of New York City, Portia is an old soul in a 25 year old body. A smooth vocal, a cheekily joyous vibe and the ability to soar and roar, it’s in the live arena that Portia comes alive. A head turning style and a wardrobe of strictly vintage, nurtured by a Mother with a flair for the über-cool. Portia grooves, rocks, bops and beats, and she does it decked in Vivienne Westwood couture. Portia has always written. An early love for the great poets saw poems and prose turn to lyrics and melodies. The word ‘poem’ inadvertently became a life mantra, standing for ‘power over emotional mask’. “We all hide behind a mask at some point in our lives. Often it’s for protection, and sometimes when we least expect it, that mask can be ripped away. Whether it’s to do with insecurity, health, abuse or sexuality, at some point we have to face our fears to become our true selves. It’s when we’ve come through tough times that we feel our most powerful and most grateful that we went through those struggles. We feel connected to who we are and ready to take on the world. Through the power of emotional mask we can truly face our fears and grow as individuals. No emotion should be masked, and your power should be released!”. In her early twenties, Portia spent some time living in the Saint Germaine district of Paris, which sparked a writing frenzy and cemented an already burning passion for songwriting. Upon returning to London, Portia connected with her now Creative Director and close friend Paul Spicer, and a new chapter started. Portia has been working with a number of producers including OD Hunte, KosmetiQ, Dave Rose & DJ Krystal Roxx. She regularly writes and performs with the Los Charly’s Orchestra having recently appeared with them at the Royal Festival Hall, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Cafe and the infamous Blue Marlin on the island of Ibiza. In 2012 Portia sang at the legendary Ministry of Sound for the capital’s Love Box Festival. She was also the winner of a national competition launched by Urban Development and Puma which saw her writing an original track with established British DJ Yasmin. Portia scored her first No.1 in the Dutch dance charts featuring on ‘Happiness’ by producer / DJ Ferre Santos and at the end of 2012 she made her New York debut at the infamous Birdland Jazz Cafe and The Living Room. Last summer Portia performed a solo acoustic set at Ibiza Rocks House (Pikes) debuting her own original material, and was reviewed by ibiza.com as 2013‘s ‘one to watch’. Portia has recently collaborated with British music producer OD Hunte. The fruits of their labour is her debut EP ‘Locket’, featuring 4 brand new, original tracks. ‘Locket’ was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York by Tom Coyne, who recently gave us Adele’s multi-platinum selling ’21’, and ‘Red’ by Taylor Swift. The accompanying video was shot in early March on location in Hoxton and Soho. Official page for British singer / songwriter Portia Emare Debut EP 'Locket' available on iTunes! http://ow.ly/lTjlE #teamPOEM