While fans may still know her best from her TV and stage work, Emily Kinney's career as a musician has always run parallel to her career as an actress. When listening to her expansive discography, from early releases such as Blue Toothbrush to 2018's Oh Jonathan, Kinney's growth as a songwriter and artist is clearly evident. Her new album, The Supporting Character, continues in this vein, highlighting her maturity as a musician while also shining a light on the aspects of her life that she is still learning to navigate.
Living in LA, for example, has always come with its own set of challenges. "It's tempting to compare my progress to others, especially in a city like LA where so many people are doing so many cool things," she says. "When The Midnight Fireworks Start" delves into this tendency to compare and sees Kinney evaluate her own creative practice as well. "That song really explores the fact that I know that I work and develop slowly," she continues. "I tend to chip away at things bit by bit, but I still have a feeling that I'm on the right path and something special is going to happen with my creative endeavours in the future."
Other noteworthy songs on The Supporting Character include "Omaha Hotel," the album's title track and "Genetic Makeup," a trio of songs that touch on family history and the importance of maintaining a strong connection to the people who know her best. "'The Supporting Character', for example, was written after a weekend with my dad in San Diego, pre-COVID," she says. "I drove home on the 5 and remembered thinking that I was a part of something much bigger than myself. Life is really magical and goes by so fast and I realized that I want to spend more time with my family and friends and less time chasing my career."
In addition to songs related to family ties and grief, Kinney also includes a brutally honest track about her struggle with body image and the pressure that women-especially women in the public eye-face to be thin. "Obviously being an actor, I'm constantly aware of my size and how I look and some days I regret the amount of time I spend thinking about it," she says of the song "Skinny." "The chorus talks about how I used to think that when you're smaller you're doing better, but I've realized that I'm my skinniest when I'm doing the worst, emotionally."
With several albums under her belt and with more songs always on the way, Kinney is a prolific writer and an unstoppable force. Her heartfelt lyrics and arresting melodies are on full display on The Supporting Character-a captivating album from an artist who shows no signs of slowing down.
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Photo Credit: Davy Greenberg
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