Emma Donovan’s 2014 debut album represented a meeting of cultures and musical minds. Having been raised singing gospel music in church and country music with her family band The Donovans, Emma met and forged a relationship with Melbourne funk-soul combo The Putbacks while working in the Indigenous music ensemble The Black Arm Band. Together they started writing a collection of songs that combined their love of US soul with Indigenous protest music. “There wasn’t really much thought of the kind of album that we wanted to make,” she tells Apple Music. “At the time it was just a little snapshot of where we were at.” Critics and fans alike responded to the classic soul and funk of Dawn, which was augmented by Emma’s powerful vocals and heartfelt, at times confronting lyrics—to the point where it caught the band off guard. “We were surprised,” says the singer, who’s also worked with Indigenous artists such as Archie Roach and Dan Sultan. “We didn’t have any touring plans, we were just kind of working it out as we went.” Here, Emma reflects on each track on her debut album. “Black Woman” “Lyrically it was inspired by some of the tunes I heard in my younger time that I probably didn’t really understand until now. They were songs like Ruby Hunter’s ‘A Change Gonna Come’. Ruby never had a worry about putting some hard, dark messages out that she thought would inspire the next person. ‘Black Woman’ is about some heavy domestic violence that I experienced years ago. Coming from a community where some of that stuff is not talked about or not brought up, it still happens. So that was me being vocal as an Aboriginal woman and not being silent.” “My Goodness” “This was actually a collaboration—most of the guitar parts came from Tommy Martin, who’s a part of The Putbacks. He sent me those really beautiful grooves and the hook. I love singing ‘My Goodness’. I always put it in the set list because its important message is that when someone or some things in life are taking too much toll or taking too much from you, it’s about leaving some of the good stuff for yourself.” “Dawn” “We played ‘Dawn’ [in 2021] at a gig and I got a little bit emotional. It was that reflection of a breakup or loss of a relationship, but finding yourself in the sweet dawn. Meaning that there’s always that next day. I love singing it.” “Mother” “‘Mother’ is a song about wearing different hats. There’s a part in the song where I sing about just wanting to be the lover or the woman in the relationship, not having to wear so many hats. Not wanting to look after somebody as a mother or a sister. Just gain that respect as a woman.” “Daddy” “It’s pretty crazy, a little bit cheeky. I don’t know if I want to talk too much about it, it’s just a cheeky song about feeling free-spirited.” “Keep Me in Your Reach” “I love ‘Keep Me in Your Reach’. It reminds me of a good friend that I have in my life, that I’ve actually been with for a lot of years. Back again to some of these messages I have for my sisters and my sisterhood, the song’s about reaching out and never judging anyone, keeping your door open.” “Come Back to Me” “Probably one of the saddest love songs you’ll hear on the album. It was a heartbreaker for me. It was about someone important in my life leaving and walking out the door. And me kind of begging them to come back. I think some of these hard songs are some of the easiest ones to write, they just slip out. I know exactly what I want to say.” “Voodoo” “I love the groove of it. It came from The Putbacks; I think it was one of their demos. Sometimes they’ll have solid songs or grooves that they ask if I want to be a part of, and then my thing is to feel that vibe. That song is a cheeky little song about a relationship.” “Over Under Away” “I love this song. It’s a song that always feels the same and has the same strong feelings for me when I sing it. It’s about waiting for somebody to come back in their life. The person at the time was detained, so I didn’t know if they were ever going to come back or return home. It’s about waiting. How long am I going to wait for that person?”