“Love overrules everything”: Emily Wurramara on the healing heart of Adore Me
Emily Wurramara. Photo credit: Tony Mott
Jordan Royal (Sonic Alien 4ZZZ) caught up Emily Wurramara to chat about her latest single Adore Me, released July 8. The track is a powerful, vulnerable offering that continues the emotional thread woven through her 2023 album NARA. Emily discussed what adoration means to her both in the context of the song and in life, the importance of creating safe, intentional spaces through music, and the immersive sonic world built around the track; from medicine bowls to chimes. With her signature blend of raw honesty and spiritual depth, Emily shares the heart behind Adore Me and how love, healing, and self-compassion continue to shape her artistry.
Interview aired on Sonic Alien 4ZZZ 16 July 2025.
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Jordan: I'm joined by Emily Wurramara, an amazing musician, writer, producer, having a chat about her latest single, Adore Me. Thank you so much for hopping on the call. I really, really appreciate your time.
Emily: Oh, it's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.
Jordan: Of course, thank you. Adore Me is your first release since NARA, your second album, which released last year, which was such a profound, beautiful, vulnerable piece of work. And I know that this one came together on the tour for the album. I was wondering if there were any moments in that journey of creating NARA and touring the album that fed into the writing and shaped this track in any way?
Emily: I think it was just like this continuous thread of vulnerability and, you know, I feel like truth telling and storytelling in regards to feelings and being honest with yourself can sometimes be hard. So, I think there's a relatively beautiful connection between the album and this song in regards to the community and who was involved. There's just that thread of vulnerability that runs through it.
Jordan: That's amazing. I know that you've spoken about this before in the past, but how vulnerability is like such an amazing, powerful tool to let other people feel that vulnerability too. I think that's such an amazing, you know, connection to community and to other people. But you've spoken as well in the past about how artists are constantly changing, you know, their influences, their environments, what they draw on - that you can't stay in one creative space for too long, because the story keeps evolving. What shifted for you as a songwriter between NARA and Adore Me?
Emily: I think it was more so the big shift was that I was allowed to be vulnerable and I felt safe, like I created a safe space within my own space and my team, you know, I'm surrounded by a very beautiful, deadly team and community that look after me. And I know that they have my back and so I feel like that was like a kind of a big part because Adore Me is a huge, it's a huge kind of call out on the self and in the relationship. You know, there's lots of flaws and imperfections that can come with the pure idea of being loved, you know, and being in love. And so I feel like it was definitely setting the standard of what I wanted to say, but also it's just, I just feel safe, you know, I feel very safe to be able to speak about my feelings.
Jordan: That safeness comes across so well in your music. I mean, you're tackling some like quite big themes, and I think even listening to it, like you feel like held in a weird way or like embraced and it's just, it's so amazing to, yeah, just delve into all of your music, really. But the lyric, ‘You can look away / And tell me that you're sorry / Fight for me to stay / Just tell me you adore me,’ really stuck with me. There's like such an ache in it, but a wonderful like quiet self-worth that comes through too. I was wondering what adoration means to you in this song and in life more broadly?
Emily: I think adoration is when you're able to feel like, well, to me, from my experiences and perspective, it just means to be seen for who you are, instead of who you could be or who you want to be. It's like just accepting the person for now and loving the crap out of them. You know, it's like that adoration for who you are as a person and who you show up, that should be enough for someone, you know, just showing up and being you should be enough. You don't have to conform or change yourself to fit their ideologies or to fit their standard because you have a standard and maybe you should, you know, look inwards and set that for yourself before you expect others to step up to that. It's like, no, the way you treat yourself and the way you give your energy to you sets the tone and sets the standard for how others treat you.
Jordan: I love the aspect of loving someone like regardless of their imperfections or, you know, whatever, just loving them completely and truly. But you've also said that love songs are your superpower and this one isn't just about loving, like as you said, it's about the love that we deserve and there's sort of a vulnerability being powerful and opens the door for other people to feel too. Were there any kinds of conversations around love, self-worth or healing that you were hoping to spark with this track?
Emily: I just wanted, you know those songs that you hear or those moments that are so bittersweet, like for example, I don't know, Samson and Delilah, Romeo and Juliet, like there's moments where it's like you want them to be together but they just don't end up being together. So, I just want to, like, I don’t know. It’s hard because we live in a society where love can sometimes be overlooked, and it can be minimized in a certain way, where it’s like, that, well, that is powerful, you know? That is, actually, love is powerful. Love overrules everything. And when you walk with love, it’s like nothing can shake you. And I think that that’s what this kind of track is setting a standard. It’s saying to you: maybe you should love yourself first, eh, before you love other people. And it’s hard, that’s so hard, because it’s so easy to love other people, but it’s so hard to love yourself. Because you know, like, you know, you just know the stuff you’ve been through. You see yourself. It’s easy to forgive other people, but then it’s so hard to forgive yourself. And I think that’s where that’s what it’s about, you know? Starting with yourself.
Jordan: It is so true, it's so easy to forgive other people and you can be quite hard on yourself and quite relentless on yourself. Thank you so much for that answer and you sort of touched on this before a little bit in the interview too but something that I love about your songwriting and about your music is that you aim to create a safe space for people even when you're asking, you know, big complex questions. Is that creating a safe space something that you consciously, you know, set out when you're writing and you think about when you're writing?
Emily: I think I intentionally tried to create a safe space because I know I'm gonna walk out of the session crying so it has to be safe for me to create it, you know what I mean? So, I feel like we kind of set the intention and the energy already in there because it's such a, it's such a big yarn that you have to feel, you have to feel like you're doing it in a space where you feel held. So, I feel like, yeah, we put the intentions in there so hopefully people feel that.
Jordan: It definitely comes across in your music. I feel like I said this before but it definitely feels like a hug and like a warm space where you reflect, you know, and I think your lyrics even we touched on before definitely create a space where you can sort of think and reflect too. But you've also described your songwriting process as a ceremony like a spiritual connection beyond just the physical which is something that I love. It feels very considered and like in touch with every step of the process. I know that Adore Me began at 2am laying down chords and improvising. So, what did that ceremony look like for you with this track and how do you know if something is worth following when you're writing?
Emily: I think ceremony can come in different ways but, you know, the way you practice the self, you know, even if it's just by setting the intentions like I said before but or like having a big cry and having a release that's also considered very sacred, you know, because our tears are sacred. And I think when I was going into the song I was just in this headspace where I wanted to talk about something and I felt - I get so overwhelmed with feelings. I'm a very empathetic person and so I feel like I feel very bloody deeply and it's really hard. It's such a challenge to move through because you don't know if I'm laughing like if I'm crying because I'm laughing or if I'm crying because I'm, like, genuinely sad.
But look, it's just about being as authentic as we can during the process and I think when you're able to allow yourself time and understanding and space to sit in, of course, because I love those witchy hours. I love the witching hour, like past midnight, like come through. There's just something so special about that time and I feel like the whole, you know, the world, all my neighbours, like all the suburb, the communities asleep and so it's like this really special moment where everyone's like gone into the subconscious world and you're like you're up and it's just like you in this at this point in time creating and feeling.
And so I feel like I'd like to draw on elements like the moon, for example, the stars like they're always my inspiration. But yeah, I just try to go in with a safe, vulnerable feeling in knowing that this is going to create something that is also hopefully going to help others feel seen.
Jordan: I think that hour too, you know, when everyone's asleep and it feels like you're the only person in the world is a little bit magical with like the moon and the stars and everything. I totally understand what you're saying.
You also co-produced this track and it's full of gorgeous textures. There's medicine bowls, bells, chimes. It's very immersive. What draws you into particular sounds or instruments? Do you feel like they have their own voice or emotional tone?
Emily: I feel like instruments tell a story and, you know, the way you utilise instruments is also storytelling. And I feel like when you tap into a certain instrument or when you tap into the song and you realise, oh, maybe it needs like this, a chime or something. But yeah, look, I'm very considerate about what I put, what instrumentation goes into the songs because I want to feel like they do the job, not just physically, but also all the other beautiful layers that we can tap into, you know, in this existence and time that we're on. But yeah, I just feel like it's one of those things where if I hear it and it sounds good, I'll put it in. If it sounds like, you know, not deadly, take it out.
Emily Wurramara. Photo credit: Tony Mott
Jordan: I think in a lot of, I love instrumentation in songs where it feels like the instruments are having a conversation with each other, if that makes any sense. And it really comes in your music, like every sound is like interacting with each other and it's just beautiful. The last question that I have for you before I let you go is you're a multi-instrumentalist, producer, writer, we've touched on a little bit throughout the interview, but you're so deeply involved in every single step of your creative process. And I watched an older interview of yours, it was seven years ago, and you, I think you played eight instruments at that point. It's definitely grown by now. What part of that creative process brings you the most joy these days?
Emily: I think just being able to sit because it gets so busy and full on, you know, sometimes. And so to be able to just sit in a room, pick up the guitar and just play because I can play and not because I have to, you know, do something or whatever.
It's just having those little moments are really important because they remind you that, hey, you're actually here for the music. The music is what matters, you know, the music, the people. And then just like sitting there and playing, it's just so grounding, you know. So I just, I always try to find little moments to be able to gently remind myself throughout the day that the music, it's the music, man. It's so 70s, but it's all about the music.
Jordan: I mean, you've been writing music for such a long time that it must just be so nice to have, I guess, that touchstone, that grounding point that you can always come back to and let yourself feel those like overwhelming emotions and just pour it out in such a nice, creative way.
Emily: I feel like you have to, you know, it's the human, human experience, it's the existence. And when you allow yourself to open up like that, it allows yourself to just have compassion, you know. And we really need that in the world right now, just that compassion and empathy. Humanity, we need that. And music helps bring out the humanity in people. You know, that's so special.
Jordan: It is such a special connection with everyone. And thank you so much for your time and writing this song as well. It's such an amazing, beautiful song. So, thank you so much.
Emily: Thanks Jordan.
Listen to ‘Adore Me’ below.
