Moss was born in Hong Kong to an English father and a Chinese mother and was into music from a young age. She emigrated with her family to London at the age of 12.
Moss started performing in 2005 and her first release was the Secret Circus EP the following year.
In 2007 Moss performed with Lightspeed Champion, alongside Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine) . She has also played with Noah and the Whale. She has not been a permanent member of either line up.
After a series of further singles and EPs, Moss' début full album First Love (Close Harbour) was released in February 2009. The album was ranked by The New York Times at #7 in their list of "Best Albums of the Year 2009."
Moss' band has included Euan Hinshelwood (of Younghusband) and Tom Rogerson (of Three Trapped Tigers).
Moss' second album, Virtue, was released on 13 June 2011. It started out as a third person project, however, the religious conversion of her fiancé and their subsequent break-up inspired her to take a personal approach towards her song-writing.
Mía
Emmy the Great Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took out a car in the rain
Is the day you forgot how to
Brake and see
How quickly the picture will change
Filled with fingers and voices and teeth
I still remember holding my hand
Against your face just before it was sprayed
As it played
And you and me
Are still but the scenery moves
Well why would it stop just 'cause
Suddenly
There's one where there used to be two
And everything's quiet but yo
Looks like the speaker lived through the blow
Still playing some compilation you made
Feels like a lifetime sitting alone
So I start humming along to the tape
I always liked this singer
I remember how you were the one who told me that her name
Was either mia
Or m.i.a.
And I am thinking
How many hours till I'm home
How long do I stay in this place
Who's going to wash all the blood from my clothes
Who's gonna cancel my date
Who's gonna cancel my date
And I think
I always liked this singer
I remember how you were the one who told me that her name
Was either mia
And I think
I always liked this singer
I remember how you were the one who told me that her name
Was either mia
Or m.i.a.
And the day that we
Took out a car in the wet
I thought to myself that the sky was blue
As I've ever seen it but yet
Still tinted with red
In Emmy the Great's song "MIA," the singer reflects on a traumatic event that occurred during a car ride with a now-dissolved partner. The day was rainy and the two were in the car when the singer's partner suddenly forgot how to brake, causing them to ultimately crash. The singer recounts the aftermath of the collision, describing the scattering of fingers, voices, and teeth. Despite the chaos, however, the singer remembers tender moments before the accident, such as holding their partner's face in their hand. The scene is further set by the playing of a tape on the car's radio.
As the singer reflects on the past, they lament how everything has changed since the accident. They describe themselves and their partner as scenery that remains the same while the world around them moves. The singer is left to ponder what to do next as their partner is nowhere to be found, the room is quiet, and the tape continues to play on the radio. The singer even questions who will cancel their date and who will wash the blood from their clothes, suggesting that they may have caused harm to someone else as a result of their own trauma.
Throughout "MIA," the singer reminisces on the past, thinking back to their partner's influence over their musical tastes and remembering a possible connection to "MIA" or M.I.A., the stage name of British rapper and songwriter Mathangi Arulpragasam. The singer notes the irony of the bright blue sky, still tinted with the red of the accident. Overall, "MIA" is a complex and haunting reflection on trauma and the ways it can shape our memories.
Line by Line Meaning
The day that we Took out a car in the rain
The day that we drove the car in the pouring rain
Is the day you forgot how to Brake and see
That's the day you forgot how to brake and realize the harsh reality
How quickly the picture will change
How fast things can turn topsy-turvy
Filled with fingers and voices and teeth
My memories are filled with you and your touch, your voice, and your smile
I still remember holding my hand Against your face just before it was sprayed
I remember holding my hand against your face before you spat blood on it
Across the radio As it played
You spitting blood all over the radio as the music played
And you and me Are still but the scenery moves
We are still the same, but everything around us is constantly changing and moving forward
Well why would it stop just 'cause Suddenly There's one where there used to be two
The world doesn't pause just because one person is gone
And everything's quiet but yo Looks like the speaker lived through the blow
Everything is silent, but it appears that the artist survived despite the damage caused
Still playing some compilation you made
The radio still plays the mixtape you made
Feels like a lifetime sitting alone So I start humming along to the tape
Sitting here alone feels like forever, so I hum along to the songs on the mixtape
I always liked this singer I remember how you were the one who told me that her name Was either mia Or m.i.a.
I always loved this singer, and I remember you were the one who told me her name was either Mia or M.I.A.
And I am thinking How many hours till I'm home How long do I stay in this place Who's going to wash all the blood from my clothes Who's gonna cancel my date Who's gonna cancel my date
I'm wondering how many hours it'll take to get back home, how long I have to stay here, who will clean my clothes soaked in blood, and who will cancel my date
And the day that we Took out a car in the wet I thought to myself that the sky was blue As I've ever seen it but yet Still tinted with red
And the day we drove in the wet, I thought the sky was so blue, but it was still tinted with red from the blood and the realization that our relationship was ending.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMMA MOSS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind