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To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ve released a video for Emily’s seminal song ‘I’d Rather Be’, written after her diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Originally a Radio 2 single from her third album ‘Believer’, Emily recorded this piano version of ‘I’d Rather Be’ for her latest album ‘A Bit Of Blue’. Read her blog about why she wrote the song.

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It’s Mental Health Awareness Week. To celebrate, we’ve made a new video for my song ‘I’d Rather Be’.

I wrote ‘I’d Rather Be’ about a year after my first psychosis when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  I’d gone through all the stages of being at first completely terrified and then chronically depressed, and I was starting to feel a bit stronger.

I was starting to realise that all this energy in my head could be something precious, it could be something I could transform into creativity if I chose to.  And I was thinking when I was writing this song, we all have choices in life, and these are some of mine…

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Emily did a live session on Radio 2 on Clare Balding’s show ‘Good Morning Sunday’ today.

With husband Christian Dunham on double-bass, she performed her new single ‘For Free’ plus an old favourite ‘Start Over Again’ from her third album ‘Believer’.

Clare interviewed Emily about her music, her mental health and the story behind her new album ‘A Bit Of Blue’.

Clare chose Emily’s session as her ‘Sunday Best‘ podcast which is available to download over the next 28 days. You can listen again to the whole session here over the next 28 days (scroll to 01:30).

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I really enjoyed my live session on Radio 2 today with the super-lovely Clare Balding. Christian played double-bass, I had my guitar and sang ‘For Free’ from my new album ‘A Bit of Blue’ and at the end, ‘Start Over Again’ from my album ‘Believer’. We talked about music, mental health and Buddhism. You can listen again here (scroll to 01:29).

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Emily chooses her ten favourite tracks in an interview in the April issue of The Bath Magazine.  Here they are:

Eva Cassidy – Fields of Gold

One of the most beautiful recordings of a song I think I have ever heard. It makes me sad every time to think that she died so young but she left such a treasure behind.

Tracy Chapman – Baby Can I Hold You

Her album Fast Car is one of my all-time favourites. I always loved singing along and making up harmonies. So many songs to choose from but this one is just gorgeous.

Bob Marley – Misty Morning

I was obsessed with Bob Marley as a teenager and when I got a guitar for my 21st birthday I taught myself to play it from his songbooks. The first song I ever learnt was Time Will Tell as it only has two chords.

Suzanne Vega – Gypsy

I used to sing this song all the time when I was 16 and working in France as a chambermaid. I’m an incurable romantic and it made me go all wistful thinking of far-off places. Years later I went to one of her gigs and sat there in floods of tears while she sang this song.

J S Bach – Mass in B Minor, Agnus Dei

I grew up with classical music at home and I still listen to it a lot. Although I’ve never liked opera, I love choral music. Bach and Bob Marley strangely have the same effect on my mind, making me feel all is well with the world.

Tom Waits – Martha

His album ‘Closing Time’, from which this song is taken, is another all-time favourite. He writes such beautiful melodies all sung with that unique, fabulous voice.

Joni Mitchell – River

I have to confess that I’m not that into her other records but her album ‘Blue’ is absolutely stunning and this song is one of my favourites. Again I get that lovely feeling of wistful longing when I listen to it.

Ben Powell – Farewell Ladakh

Ben is a superb guitarist and composer I met when he was busking in Bath. I love acoustic guitar music and both his albums are just brilliant.

Alanis Morissette – Thank U

I loved her album Jagged Little Pill and this huge song from the follow-up is fantastic. She always writes from the heart, as do I. I love her words, her voice and her kickass attitude.

Fauré – Élégie

I was classically trained as a cellist and I played this piece as a teenager at a masterclass with the world-famous cellist Paul Tortelier just before he died. It was an amazing moment meeting him and playing this incredibly passionate piece with my sister on piano.

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Today is World Bipolar Day. I was 23 when I was diagnosed. Here is the most direct song I’ve ever written about my experiences of being bipolar. It’s from my album ‘Bird Inside A Cage’ and it’s called ‘Over The Waterfall’. You can download it from iTunes.