Dickinson College
Graduate Story: Emily Keating '14
With a liberal-arts education, focusing my study in philosophy, literature, anthropology and dance education, I had a world of material to pull from and inform my music.—Emily Keating '14
English and theatre arts major Emily Keating '14 found her passion for music while exploring all mediums of art at Dickinson. Using the college's facilities to write and compose, she jump-started her career as a singer-songwriter, performing, recording and composing in the NYC area and embarking on an upcoming tour of the East Coast.
Tell us a little about your career.
I'm a singer-songwriter and performer based in NYC, where I was born and raised. I released my acclaimed EP Heart in 2020, composed of songs I've written and co-written with other musicians. I perform every two weeks in the city and upstate New York, and I'm gearing up for my first tour for spring 2024 of the entire East Coast. I'm currently working with the brilliant producer Eric Sanderson out in Redhook, Brooklyn, on my upcoming record No Drama Club, which will be released at the beginning of 2024. I have an extremely exciting co-write with a master songwriter/new single that came out in January. My goal is to constantly tour the records I will put out every year of my long career, and my long-term goal is to tour internationally and, of course, always be writing new songs.
What was your Dickinson experience like?
I focused extremely hard on my studies at Dickinson. I was a double major in English and theatre. At Dickinson, I first started to discover who I really was as an artist, who I am as a creator. I had the privilege (which a college experience is, if you take advantage of it) to explore all mediums of art, including choreography, theatre, voice, performance art, costumes, and props and dance. I grew up with two photojournalist parents who encouraged me to explore all mediums even if it seemed scattered. At the end of my junior year, I knew music was truly my calling, and every medium I studied tremendously informed who I was as a musician, specifically how to take up space and command my body as a performer on stage.
How did Dickinson help prepare you for where you are today?
It's truly remarkable, the facilities I had access to at Dickinson for writing and composing to start my deep dive into who I am as a singer and songwriter. With a liberal-arts education, focusing my study in philosophy, literature, anthropology and dance education, I had a world of material to pull from and inform my music. My spiritual journey started in Argentina when I went abroad, which is hand in hand with being an artist. With the solace of time and space to write my music on campus, I had a beautiful jump-start into being a real music artist in the world.
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Published February 16, 2024