With a 70’s troubadour’s allegiance to telling the cold, hard truth, Emily Lloyd’s style can be best described as thoughtful indie pop with a folk sensibility. A cross between Julia Michaels and Kacey Musgraves with shades of Phoebe Bridgers, Lloyd found her love of music from an early age, writing songs with her friends for fun and then on her own as a way to work through life’s trials, triumphs, and everything in between. Lloyd’s ability to craft deeply honest lyrics are reminders of her musical influences, such as Coldplay, Noah Gunderson, Holly Humberstone, boy genius, and John Denver.

Originally from South Dakota and currently residing in Alabama, Emily Lloyd spent five years in Nashville studying music at Lipscomb University. In 2022 as a fifth-year senior, she released her first full project, Fifth Year, which was born from a song co-written with friends, and later recorded, after being inspired by a physics project: “Gravity (You Keep Me Spinnin’ Round)”. It is in keeping with her personal style of always seeking to learn from her peers and community.

Of the John Cirillo Songwriting Scholarship, Emily says, “I’m genuinely excited for the opportunity to meet more people to create with and grow my community. Although Nashville is the place to be, it can feel overwhelming to step out sometimes. For someone like me who it doesn’t come super naturally to, this scholarship has given me a lot of opportunity to do it in a more comfortable way.”