After a five-year hiatus from recording and releasing her own music – including a stint as a full-time member of Before Breakfast – Emily Stancer returns on her own terms with Baby, a bold new solo project. She sends Baby kicking and screaming into the world today (Friday 26 September) with the first of four unapologetically pop-driven singles, each showcasing a different side of her creativity.
“I hadn’t written a song in years,” Emily admits. “When Before Breakfast ended, I knew I wanted to start writing again – but it felt really scary.”
Thankfully, Emily quickly got over that fear, and reached out to former bandmate Molly Clark, asking if she fancied trying to write something together. “It just came so naturally. We wrote a song in an afternoon.”
That track, Main Character Syndrome, has become the first single under her new Baby pseudonym. “It’s super poppy – proper catchy,” she says. “But each of the tracks is totally different. I was going to do an EP, but they didn’t sit together. They’re like my brain: all over the place, but in a good way.”
While Main Character Syndrome lands with bright, self-assured pop hooks, upcoming tracks like My Tummy Hurts take a very different route. “That one’s angry. It’s still pop, but in an ugly way. Shouty and raw. I don’t even know what genre it is,” she laughs. “And then there’s an acoustic track, but still pop – and then one that sounds like Confidence Man that literally started off as a joke between me and Gina [Walters – a founding Before Breakfast member]. Now it’s just become this daft, infectious track called Funny, Funky, Cheeky.”
Though Baby is firmly her solo project, Emily is quick to credit Molly’s influence and input across the board. “Molly’s recorded, produced, played on it, sung on it. It’s all been really collaborative in the studio,” she explains. “I don’t know much music theory, so I just say things out loud – and Molly somehow translates it into proper production. She’s so clever.”
That safe space to experiment has transformed the way Emily approaches making music. “I used to be intimidated in the studio. I’d just let people produce my stuff without saying much. But with Molly, I’ve been able to be daft, try stuff, not feel self-conscious. It’s changed everything.”
The Baby sound is a deliberate move away from her previous acoustic singer-songwriter roots – a genre she never truly identified with. “I never wanted to be an acoustic artist,” she says. “It was just the easiest way to perform at the time. But now I’m writing songs that really feel like me.”
Despite the tongue-in-cheek name, Baby isn’t a persona – it’s an extension of herself. “It’s not even an alter ego, it’s just… my ego,” she says, grinning. “It’s very me.”
She’s embraced every part of the creative process this time round. From branding and art direction to filming a brilliantly absurd music video for Main Character Syndrome (which goes live 6pm today), Emily has had full control. “I’ve got proper contacts and experience as a designer now. I used to be a baby graphic designer, but now people have been messaging saying how slick everything looks – and that’s because I’ve done it. I’ve loved every single part.”
The lyrics across the four singles are direct, occasionally hilarious and often deeply cathartic. Main Character Syndrome, for instance, is a reclamation of self-worth after being dismissed by an ex. “Everyone thinks it’s about them,” she says, raising an eyebrow. “But it’s about this guy who once said, ‘Because of the age gap, you’ll always be the supporting actor in my life.’ Like, wow! So, the song’s me reclaiming that. I’m the main character now.”
Then there’s My Tummy Hurts, which she describes as “just about everything that’s wrong with the world,” as well as a softer track – the only ‘nice love song’ she’s ever written – which has ended up dedicated to someone who didn’t quite deserve it. “But it’s catchy. So I kept it,” she shrugs.
For now, the plan is to release the four singles separately – starting today with Main Character Syndrome – before looking at gigs and bigger plans for the new year. There’s even talk of forming a live band featuring other Sheffield musicians. “I do want to gig eventually,” she says. “But Molly’s moving to New Zealand, so we had a deadline to finish everything before she goes. That’s part of why I’ve been so productive.”
There’s a quiet confidence to how Emily talks about this phase of her career. “I’ve not done this just to drop four songs and then forget about it. I want to gig, get slick, write more, maybe an album. But the ambition at the start? It was just to write a song again. And now, I’m like… I’m an artist again.”
It’s an evolution that’s not only fuelled by new sounds, but by new perspective too. “When I was younger, I was like, I’m going to be a pop star,” she laughs. “Now I’m just enjoying it. Seeing people like Rebecca Taylor smash it in her thirties is so inspiring. It reminds me it’s not too late, that it’s not embarrassing to still want this.”
Baby – Main Character Syndrome is out now on all streaming platforms now and you can follow on Insta here.
