ifitbeyourwill S06E23 • Emily Yacina

Snow hushes the streets; songs do the same to the head. We open on a coast-to-coast weather check and drift into a story that starts in Philly basements and only really clicks once Emily Yacina loosens her grip. Confidence, she says, was something the scene lent her early on—small rooms, big hearts. Most songs still arrive as a fragment: a phrase, a melodic flicker. Writing becomes a place to set feelings down when there’s nowhere else to put them.

There’s a pivot here—from hardline DIY to letting collaborators leave fingerprints. Control gives way to trust. A pianist widens the frame, a violinist pulls a thread, a great engineer sharpens the picture. Emily talks about the awe of unfamiliar studios and the humbling realization that audio engineering is its own deep craft, not just a means to an end. Then comes release-day whiplash: years of work suddenly gone, the quiet after the drop, the itch to check a feed for proof of life. She’s honest about the pressure to “go viral,” and how she learned to measure success by connection instead of metrics.

Touring again—after time away—reset the temperature. Nightly rooms, real conversations, and a sense of abundance replaced scarcity. Move your body, move your ideas. Momentum follows motion. She’s carrying that energy into 2026: more sessions, more collaborators, and a steady aim to make songs feel as alive as the feelings that sparked them.

If you’re into indie folk with DIY roots, the mechanics of songwriting, and the quiet courage it takes to share something personal, this conversation sketches a practical map for sustainable creativity.

If it hits home, follow the show, pass it to a friend who lives for singer-songwriters, and leave a review—so the right ears can find it.

Chapters

• 0:00 Coast-To-Coast Hello
• 3:20 Choosing Music Amid Fear
• 9:10 Philly DIY Beginnings
• 15:30 First Shows And Finding Confidence
• 22:00 Songwriting As Emotional Processing
• 28:10 Sharing Personal Lyrics Publicly
• 33:30 Evolving From DIY To Collaboration

Transcript

colleyc: 0:50

We are rolling. So let's do it. Yeah. Um, here we are, another episode, ifitbeyourwill Podcast Season Six. And right now we're here. And I believe I have Emily Yacina coming in from Long Beach, California. Yes. Yeah. Thanks. Emily, we're on opposite uh coast, so we're covered in snow, and you must be covered in beautiful sun.

Emily Yacina: 1:22

Yeah, it's been the past couple days, it's been gorgeous. So there was lots of like really um crazing rain, probably a week ago, which was really uncommon, but we're back in the sunshine.

colleyc: 1:34

And you're you're you're familiar with these crazy east coast uh temperate uh yeah from Philly originally.

Emily Yacina: 1:44

Yeah, I'm from outside of Philadelphia. Um, so I do miss the intensity of like the seasonal changes on the East Coast. I feel like it was really helpful for me to like I don't know, um bark memory and um yeah, just the sensory intensity of it of it all while the season's changing. I miss kind of, yeah.

colleyc: 2:09

The only real part I really love when the snow first comes is the silence. Yes, there's no bugs, there's no birds, most of them have taken off. They're like the hell with this snow, we're out of here. Yes, and we're left with this quiet, silence, pillowy, white stage that's left.

Emily Yacina: 2:28

It's uh yeah, it is magical. I do miss that. Yeah.

colleyc: 2:34

Just for a while, though.

Emily Yacina: 2:35

Just for a while, yeah. I'll take it once and then you start. Then you're over it, yeah.

colleyc: 2:42

So Emily's uh a singer-songwriter, she is very into doing it herself. They it's a DIY um uh well music that she's been creating now since 2011, which is where I mean, uh if you want to go feast on a bandcamp page, go to Emily's bandcamp page because it is just full of amazing songs and releases, uh, LPs, ZPs, you name it, and all the lyrics mostly are there. So I always love listening to the lyrics, following them as you sing along. Yeah, and it's a really nice, dreamy, folky, indie um palette that you've created, Emily. Um where did it all start? Like I I'm aware I've been kind of looking into your past a little bit, and I do know that you went to school with Alex G way back. Yeah. But how about we rewind even further back than that? Like, when was it that music for you was who you were gonna be? Like, did you have a sense of that at a very young age that music was just gonna be a part of who you were?

Emily Yacina: 3:47

Oh my gosh. I actually it took me a really long time to um accept, I guess, that it would be my main thing. And I think there was a lot of uh fear, um sort of, you know, I I've always done it for fun, and it's always been this like really special, uh sort of like precious part of my life and how I process things that happen in my life. And um yeah, I think uh when I look back on it, um, I think I did feel some reluctance to sort of like embrace music as my full-time thing. And I think I was, you know, nervous, like, okay, if I do go on this path um and it doesn't work for whatever reason, you know, just like a lot a lot of anxiety and fear, like that would be devastating. So it it's it was almost better for me to keep it as this like semi-casual thing that I had in my life, and that was a way for me to kind of like protect my relationship with it. Um, so I I feel like I'm still honestly catching up to the reality that now I do get to do this most of my time, and um, which is so amazing. It's like totally uh, you know, it's a mind, a mind F for sure. Um I feel really thankful, but no, I did not think like when I first started that this would be my main thing, and I I'm so grateful that it is. But yeah, I went to school for like environmental studies, so a lot different. Yeah.

colleyc: 5:32

I mean, not to not to to I found a video of you like when I don't know 12 years ago, 13 years ago, looked at a house party.

Emily Yacina: 5:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

colleyc: 5:42

Like though those were the beginning kind of buds that started to circulate for when you like as your music kind of started up.

Emily Yacina: 5:52

Yeah, I feel so lucky, like just where I was physically. I was right outside of Philadelphia when I was in high school. And yeah, I met Alex when I was a freshman in high school, and through him met a bunch of other musicians. Um and so it was really like this very formative, uh mind-opening time for me. And because of where I was physically, um, there was always shows happening in Philly, um, lots of house shows around like Temple University. And um yeah, I don't know. I just like jumped into once I sort of like discovered that this was a thing and this was a whole world, and I feel really lucky because I don't know, as like a young like 15, 14-year-old girl to like have the experiences of like playing at a show and having everyone's attention, um, I think was really good for me and sort of like encouraged me to just keep doing it no matter what the you know context was. Um totally.

colleyc: 7:08

So yeah. I mean, I think like at 1314, I remember where I was at. And I mean, I don't think I would have had the courage or the bravery to pen a song and then like, here, let me play it for you. Like, I know I would have never been able to do that.

Emily Yacina: 7:24

I think a lot of that, like the confidence was like a lot of those they at the time it was like older kids, like to me who I really looked up to, um, who yeah, sort of just were in her and it was almost like I couldn't say no because I like wanted to be a part of it and be a part of their world so badly. Um so yeah, I like it's it's kind of like I didn't even think about it. I was just like, I'm gonna do this, and uh it ended up being really great for me.

colleyc: 7:56

Yeah, it's amazing when you put your mind to it and you're like, even if you have all you these perceived barriers in front of you, like, oh, I can't because of this, and oh, what if that happens? Or like eventually those have to be in the past, and you have to just keep looking forward. And I think that you were able to connect with that super young, like, yeah, yeah. Um, can you kind of paint us like how those beginning um years were with when you were writing music and putting it out and putting yourself up on stage and singing in front of people? Like, what what were some of the struggles and also some of the amazing times? Because I'm sure it wasn't all easy. Um, yeah, what were some of those walls that maybe you hit and then overcoming them?

Emily Yacina: 8:40

Um, that's a great question. I well, the first memory that sort of comes to mind is um I have a friend Abby who is still in the Philadelphia area, and they were very um helpful, just like a kind of like a guide into this world. They were also a little bit older than me. Um, and I think the first time that I performed, um, it was with them, and and they had their own songs that they were playing, and then I had a few that I had written, and we would switch um and sing harmonies on each other's songs. Um, and so they ended up booking a show at this place called the Maggot House, which is no longer around, but that was like outside of a temple area. Um, and I do remember being really nervous, but I also remember feeling like, oh, I'm with Addy, so it's gonna be fine. Um, and they had done that before. So um I but I I do have a really vivid memory of uh using their roommate's bike and and biking with them to the show and then back to their apartment after and feeling really um I don't yeah, just the whole experience really affected me. I remember feeling like um just really excited about about playing music and and going to more shows and um meeting more people.

colleyc: 10:05

So do you find that at that time that like that feeling after that show was like, I gotta do this again, I gotta find another one. I gotta like it.

Emily Yacina: 10:14

Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. Yeah, I loved it. And um yeah, I felt so encouraged by you know, just like having people's attention and and um yeah, wanted to keep wanted to keep playing for sure. And at the time, I don't r I haven't been to Philly in a in a while or spent a significant amount of time there. But um yeah, at that time it was such a like hub for music and shows. And each night of the week you could pick, you know, between like five different shows to go to at all of these different DIY venues. So I think just getting that little entry into that world um was so exciting and led to a bunch of other different experiences and and cool shows and meeting people who I still talk to. Yeah. I met Greta um from Frankie Cosmos. She had a show uh when I was in high school at this DIY venue in West Philly called uh the Golden Tea House. And I don't know if we talked um during that show, but I remember that was like the first night that I heard her music and I became a big fan. And she had just put out Xentropy, which was like her first studio record. Um, and I was super inspired. But yeah, we since then became friends and we went on a tour together recently. And so there are all of these sort of seeds that were planted during that time that I'm still sort of like getting the fruits of now, like years later, which is cool.

colleyc: 11:57

Yeah. I mean, all that time invested in those relationships built. Yeah. I mean, they they do pay off down the road eventually. They do. You might not see it immediately, but yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I agree. And Emily, what how do you come about writing? Like, what's your what's your songwriting process that you go through? Do you have a routine that you follow, or like how do your songs begin? Will it be a a phrase that you just get caught in your head or a melody, maybe?

Emily Yacina: 12:25

Yeah, either one of those, sure, sure. I will sometimes have ideas for phrases and will be writing those down as I just like go about my day. Um, sometimes it is a melody, um, just like a really small line that I'll put on my phone and my voice memos. Um, so yeah, I would say it's it's mostly it starts with just a tiny piece and then I build around it. But usually they're all like from you know, inspired by personal experience. And um yeah, it's kind of my way of processing relationships and emotions. And I often feel like a song comes to be when there's like sort of nothing else to do with the feeling, um, and the feeling feels really big, and it's like, what have what do I do with this? Um so I feel really lucky that I have songwriting as sort of a tool to um, you know, explore, explore those really big feelings. Yeah.

colleyc: 13:26

Yeah. And do those come out as well in times of joy and love and happiness and etc.

Emily Yacina: 13:34

I think so, but I I do find that it's more common that it the it happens when there it's like a stuck sort of feeling, maybe like more sadness or grief or um, yeah, I think the whole idea of like not knowing what to do with this uncomfortable emotion will that will often a song will come from that. Uh rather and then if I'm feeling good and and happy, then I just sort of want to like live my life. But if I'm feeling like if I'm feeling like in a you know a dark headspace, that is sort of like where songwriting comes in. Exactly, exactly. So yeah.

colleyc: 14:16

That's interesting. That's interesting.

Emily Yacina: 14:18

Yeah.

colleyc: 14:18

And when you go about like we we're talking a little bit at the start of this of like just putting yourself out there, and with it when you're putting yourself out there musically and lyrically, like you're kind of opening, you know, somebody referred to it as um you know, opening in my journal and just saying, here, you can have a read if you want. It becomes a very like I had to deal with this, get it out, put it in a box, I put it in a song, and now I'm gonna let you guys listen to it. Right. How do you deal with that? You know, the the wanting to get it out, but still that kind of like this, I don't know. It's so personal.

Emily Yacina: 14:59

Totally. Yeah. No, I can't. I do definitely uh always feel some trepidation before putting music out because it is very personal. But I guess my hope is that uh even though it's from like my own experiences, that people will be able to relate to whatever it is. Um so yeah, I guess that's I'm hoping that whatever specific feeling inspired a song, other people have felt that before in their own relationships or their own lives. And um yeah, I think that's like kind of the power of music and songwriting is it doesn't have to be about you uh directly, but if it inspires you, it feels like it speaks to you and and and your own experience, which I think is really cool. Yeah.

colleyc: 15:51

I love that. I mean, in in in the end too, we we feel similar things in life. Um exactly.

Emily Yacina: 15:59

You know, and it's it's it's good when somebody can put it to words and to what you're like, yes, that's yes, exactly.

colleyc: 16:07

I think you do a lot of I think singer-songwriters do a tremendous amount of work for the rest of us to kind of manage things at time. Um so that you're not feeling like you're all alone feeling these things when it's when it when these feelings tend to be quite universal.

Emily Yacina: 16:24

Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

colleyc: 16:27

And how have you found that you've matured with your music over time? Now, you you've always been kind of a do-it-yourself um musician, right? You like that um I don't want to say control, but you like to navigate your way, right? Like you have your sound. How has that evolved over time? Like your first record you put out in 2011, you just put one out in 2025, so there's a nice gap of space there. How how have you felt your evolution has happened over this last decade?

Emily Yacina: 17:00

Well, I do feel like in the beginning, I love to have control over I didn't really like to have anyone else touch any of the songs. Um, and I think just uh getting to a point I this is another example. It's like, okay, it was that sort of fear-based or like from a from, you know, like a true place of I think it's probably both. Um, but I think I got to a point where I was making this record, like I had my demos, and I sort of was like feeling, you know, like this fear of letting other people in, which is funny because like I feel like that's thematically like what a lot of the record is about. Um and then I think I just surrendered or got to a point where I was like, I want these songs to be bigger and to involve more people and musicians. And I sort of let go of that control a little bit, which ended up being a very freeing um experience and was really, really helpful to me, like getting into the mindset, like, okay, I might not be able to add like this classical piano part on top of this song, but I know of someone who can, and um just sort of like letting people in so it becomes bigger than what I just myself could have done. So I think that was a real like learning experience for me in the way of surrender and um just sort of like the beauty of yeah, letting other people in and why why not? So there it felt like I got over a lot of um fear, I guess, when I worked on this record, which makes me made me really excited about just the future and yeah, the possibilities for songs, like anything that I could imagine, like I just need to think of someone who you know can play violin and ask them if they're available. And like it's really just as simple as as that. So that was very exciting to me. Yeah.

colleyc: 19:08

And I guess all those seeds that you threw out throughout this last decade, yeah, you can call upon nowadays. Exactly. Yeah.

Emily Yacina: 19:17

Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. So my friend Johnny, who um really helped me see it through to the end, I remember having such a clear realization, like I need someone to like be with me to help me see it through. And it it yeah, just the giving up of control was like very scary to me, but um, it ended up being so fruitful. And Johnny, I had met on like one of my first tours. He plays in the band Florist. Um I think we went on tour in like 2015 or something, and yeah, so just these people that I've met along the way who I feel, you know, akin to. And um it ended up being really fun too. Which I think is always sort of my like guiding light. Like, will this feel good? Will this will this be fun? And we had a great time.

colleyc: 20:08

So And were there things that you learned from just the recording process with this latest record that that again kind of shocked you or like Yeah.

Emily Yacina: 20:21

I think like a lot of this the different studios that we worked in were d definitely new territory for me. And just sort of realizing like, oh, there are people who do like the technological side of production and audio engineering, and that's really their expertise, and it's sort of like a black hole of knowledge. Like there's always more to learn. And I I think I sort of that that was really clear to me uh working on this record and working with the different audio engineers and feeling a lot of gratitude for being in the same spaces as them. And yeah, I I I feel like a lot of the technological elements were definitely new to me. Um, and it was cool just to like witness that and be a part of the notes, maybe for next kind of solo.

colleyc: 21:11

Okay, I'm gonna go back and do take all these lessons.

Emily Yacina: 21:15

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah. Yeah.

colleyc: 21:18

And and we kind of looking back, like so the record came out um Vale Fall in uh September on in September on the 26th. So you've had a little bit of distance here. You've put this out, you've been out on the road as well, you've been doing some touring with how is it being received in your in your mind? And is it is it hitting the mark that you wanted to hit? I mean, I guess it's hard to I like answering I like asking this question, but I know it's a hard one to answer because how could you read people's brains, but sure just kind of reacting to when you go up and and are doing shows and meeting people during the concerts and yeah. How how how's been the response in your opinion?

Emily Yacina: 22:02

It's been really awesome, and I feel like a lot of people have um been super receptive to it. It's funny, like I worked on this record for a really long time. It took me years to sort of get it to the point where I wanted to put it out there. Um so and it had also been my goalpost, like just in my life for a really long time. Like whenever I would ask myself, like, what am I doing? I'd be like, Oh, I'm doing this record. You know, like I and then when it comes out, uh it's just I think a lot of like artists could relate to this, but um, just releasing something that you've been working on something for uh on for so long uh can feel sort of disorienting and um realizing, okay, like now it's out in the world, it has been sort of like my marker for so long. Uh now what? You know, and so I I remember feeling excited, like so excited to put it out, but also that first week feeling really like sort of destabilized and like like this ground that I had underneath me for a really long time where I kept it to myself and it was very precious was kind of like taken out from under me. And then yeah, just sort of surrendering. I remember like having this feeling, I think on the fourth day, like after it had come out, like I don't have control over how it's received and at after this point, you know, and sort of like relinquishing that control a little bit and just just reminding myself like you know, I've done what I can do, and now it is out there and I have to like let go. And um yeah, exactly.

colleyc: 23:52

Yeah, I've heard from a ton of musicians that exactly like all the work, the meticulous aspects of putting a record out, you know, just from the mixing to the instrumentation to the lyrics to the packaging to the artwork, like there's so much, and it becomes kind of like a a child almost, right? And then release date, you're off, you're going to college, bye, you're kidding me.

Emily Yacina: 24:17

Exactly. Yeah, what now? It was like what now, yeah, for real. So yeah, I I almost could like foresee that feeling too, like before ahead of of ahead of releasing it. And um, yeah, it was just a funny thing. I was like, oh, this here we are, like in this sort of freaky, like nebulous.

colleyc: 24:41

One artist told me this story of like, so you know, and he worked on this for years, this record. And the day of the release, he's just like kind of waiting around thinking people are gonna like reach out or call or like something big's gonna happen. He just sat there all day, like release day.

Emily Yacina: 24:59

Yeah.

colleyc: 24:59

Right.

Emily Yacina: 25:02

Yeah, exactly.

colleyc: 25:04

Yeah, I know. I don't know, like I know.

Emily Yacina: 25:09

I had to like remind myself, you know, because I feel like the way that music is like ingested these days, like it's all a lot of it uh, you know, because of social media or whatever. Like I could tell I was like hope I hoping for like a song or like a couple of them to like go viral or something. And I remember like just being like, I really just want like something from like the record to like blow up and sort of had to remind myself like that's not the point. Like that's it's and it's kind of freaky that at this point, just how music is put out uh into the world that has so much emphasis like on how it's received on something like TikTok or a social media platform, and it that that yeah, just really having to remind myself like that is not the point of why I do this, you know.

colleyc: 26:06

It's a really tough business, eh? I mean it's it seems like it's getting tougher and tougher, more obstacles, less opportunities. I mean, it just seems like that is a flow of you know, the all these streaming services, less shows happening, less bars open, kid people not going out anymore, like all of these like structural changes are going on. How do you how do you keep yourself going, Emily? Like, how do you keep yourself with your eye on the prize that this is something I need to do? I know it's super tough to do. Like, how do you keep pushing yourself forward every day or every year or every decade? You know, like how does it work?

Emily Yacina: 26:47

Yeah, yeah. Well, I think um the the what came to mind when you asked for that was uh this tour that I went on uh in October. It was the first time that I toured since I think like 2019, since pre-COVID. Um, and I was really nervous about like just it going okay and um like you know, just hoping that everything would be fine. And there were like the usual hiccups, but I think mostly uh I was reminded like wait, this is so doable, and I'm like very capable of doing this. And and with that came a feeling of like I don't know, like the abundance, like I was just like listening to music every night and talking to different people about music, and I I remember like I I went home from the tour and sort of still feel this, which is like I can just keep making things, like there's no shortage of um you know, like time or space or there's no uh little amount of of gas. Um that you know, like it's all it's all there. Like I can just keep it's a stream, it's a steady stream, and like I can keep I can keep doing it. Um yeah, yeah. So I do feel that sort of like optimism right now, um, which is just like I can just keep doing it, and that's great, you know? Yeah.

colleyc: 28:17

Like continuously firing finding the inspiration and the will to do it, right?

Emily Yacina: 28:22

Exactly.

colleyc: 28:23

You gotta have the will or just kind of like, well, yeah, start baking or whatever. Yeah. Um, this has been fascinating. It's such a great chat with you. I really appreciate your time.

Emily Yacina: 28:36

Thanks.

colleyc: 28:37

Maybe just to wrap things, is we're talking about the future here. Like, what what can you tell us about what to what's coming down the pipe for 2026 with uh with your music?

Emily Yacina: 28:48

Yeah, I have a few more tours um that are being planned right now, which I'm super stoked about. And yeah, I think I am carrying sort of that optimism from the last tour into this year, which is just to keep making things. And um so yeah, who knows what will come of those things, but I yeah, feel really inspired at the moment and just wanna keep scheduling time at studios and um getting more people involved. So I feel very uh yeah uh excited about the future and and just the different songs that are gonna come.

colleyc: 29:32

Amazing. Well, if you're excited, then all of your fans out there are very excited to hear this that you know the boat's gonna chug down that stream no matter what.

Emily Yacina: 29:43

Exactly.

colleyc: 29:44

Yeah, the flow and um I'm really happy that you put this record out. I know it it probably was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but yes, having it out in the world is um we're all the better for it. I really love your lyrics and how you assemble songs. Uh people go check out Emily if she's in a town near you, buy a ticket, go get an album, go say hello, get a shirt, support these indie artists. They they need your support more than ever right now so that they can keep doing what they do in creation. So I hope that you um have all the best in 2026. I'm I'm rooting for you, Emily. Um, I'm really happy to have this record as vestiges of a past and your whole band camp page. There's so many records I'm gonna revisit. Um but thanks so much for your time and um your thoughtful answers to the questions. It's been really a big pleasure.

Emily Yacina: 30:43

Thank you so much.