Woman of Rock: Emma Cook Opens Up About the Female Artists Who Shape Her Sound

Emma Cook, known for her expressive vocal range, jazz-inflected chord choices, and folk-rooted storytelling, writes about both the grand and the intimate moments that define a full life. In her latest release, “Thirteen Moons,” Emma delivers a lush blend of seasonal reflection, healing, and dreamy folk-pop textures.

A shimmering folk-pop journey, the single boasts instrumentation that is lush and expressive: acoustic guitar, layered harmonies, trumpet and trombone swell behind Cook’s evocative lyricism. The result is both grounded and ethereal, what Cook playfully calls “Carole King and Dua Lipa co-writing a song about the moons.”

Written during a transformative chapter, turning 30 at the onset of the global pandemic, becoming a mother, and navigating a rapidly shifting world, these songs capture what she calls her “delightfully melancholic experience of being human.” Weaving themes of moon cycles, forbidden fruit, motherhood, climate anxiety, and the quiet beauty in between, Of the Morning, her upcoming indie-folk album, is, in Emma’s words, “a tender chronicle about growing the f** up.”

With velvet-smooth vocals and warm, organic production, her recent track offers a stirring meditation on the power of returning to oneself, guided by nature’s rhythms. In this Women of Rock feature, Emma opens up about the influences that shaped her as a songwriter, at the piano and beyond.

Cover art for “Thirteen Moons” by Emma Cook

1. Sue Wood

“My mom is an incredible piano player who does it for love. She is the only person I know who delights in sight reading Bach. When we went to Barcelona together for her 70th birthday a few years ago, I remember holding her as she got overwhelmed with happiness because we found a music store that had all the sheet music she had been searching for, in one place, in person. Her practice ethic and musicianship is something I deeply admire. As I’ve gotten older I even more deeply admire her consistent dedication to the piano over 60 years of playing, and she really inspires me to continue my own practice!”

2. Carole King

“Carole King. What an inspiration to me, she continues to hone her craft and connect with her creativity after so many years doing it! As a songwriter and storyteller she is unmatched. When I first started exploring chords (vs. classical music at the piano) my mom gave me Tapestry. And that was it! For my first solo performance in a variety show ever I played “It’s Too Late” (ahead of my years) while singing.”

3. Norah Jones

“The album, Come Away With Me came out when I was a teenager and was on heavy rotation. Norah Jones is such an exceptional musician all around, unique and compelling and I just adored that album as a a young songwriter and piano player.”

4. Nina Simone

“Enough said? Her artistry and performance energy and intensity is incredible. Have you heard her version of “I Shall Be Released?” She did it best. She took any song and made it her own in a way that truly inspires me.”

5. Etta James.

“Remember those mail in CD things in the 90s where you could get CDs for like 6 cents? Well I got At Last and just the quality of her voice, singing along to that album felt so freeing, and powerful.”

6. Regina Spektor

“Regina Spektor was doing something different than I had ever heard when I first started listening to her in the early aughts. Her songwriting, chord choices, and her baroque pop gave so many of us permission to experiment and find our voice in a unique way.”

7. Alicia Keys.

“Songs in A Minor, I wore that CD out walking with my Discman. I remember that my family moved when I was 10, and at the time it was devastating to leave my whole behind, and I just listened to her music, and it healed and inspired something in me. I wasn’t even writing at the piano yet, but listening to her laid the foundation for me. Her authenticity as an artist and creator is something that continually inspires me.”