Remain true to your heart in every moment. The longer you delay what you know to be your truth, the more constriction you will find. There will never be a perfect moment, but instead, the moment is when you decide. It is all about your northern star.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Thorner.
Emily Thorner, known simply as Emily, is an American singer, speaker and advocate whose genre-defying vocals heal, inspire and empower audiences worldwide.
Hailed as the “Ultrasoprano” and “The Human Singing Bowl”, Emily is celebrated for her unparalleled vocal range and her ability to blend pop, rock, opera and musical theater influences into a singularly captivating sound.
Emily’s supersonic voice is not only a musical marvel but a vehicle for healing and consciousness-raising.
Through her TEDx Talk, The Power of the Voice, and her experiential healing tour, State of Being, Emily explores how sound can shift energy and activate our highest potential.
A passionate advocate for climate action and social justice, she uses her artistry to promote sustainability, unity and peace. Her keynote speech and performance at the Climate Change Forum at COP28 underscore her unwavering commitment to creating a better world.
Born in Boston, MA, Emily began her career on the operatic mainstage in productions such as The Tempest and Hamlet, showcasing her technical mastery. Her gifts have landed her on prestigious stages worldwide, including the Muziegebouw and the Gaudeamus Festival 2023, where she performed as the solo soprano in Uma so divina Linha.
From her powerful performances to her visionary message, Emily is redefining the boundaries of music and advocacy, one song at a time.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
Thank you for having me! My story began in classical music, through both modern opera and contemporary classical ensembles and as a soloist with orchestras. I did have small beginnings in the choral music world and music theatre, but it was within contemporary classical music that I found my first niche musically, so you’d often find me singing that which either another vocalist dropped out of because it was “too high” or “too difficult” or — more often — I had a lot of world premieres written for my voice, both because of how high I can sing but also because my voice is somewhat more like an instrument.
In 2018, I began a separate business called MoonRising LLC which began a whole new chapter devoted to inner-healing and helping others to end repeat patterns for a truly free and liberated life. This business began as a passion and flourished into my own inner transformation alongside my clients, and in 2020–2022, my work in healing shifted into a pathway of merging the idea of healing and sound together. While running a popular program of mine online with 64 clients on a zoom call, I found myself accidentally singing the class and clients had a strong, very positive reaction. It was soon after that I was in Dubai and my first (very unplanned!) experience of combining singing and active “healing” work, and the reaction of people who came up to me was too impossible to ignore.
Two years later, the concept took the next step musically. What happens if you combine the voice, healing, exactly what I want to say in the world, and bring it into as many people as possible? That is where we are now. It’s a truly special time — it’s the first time that the music originates from my soul, and my ideas. I have two phenomenal collaborators in songwriting and orchestration: Michelle Hord and Erin Billings — a true dream team. The purpose of the music? To inspire healing, peace, unity, empowerment, while blending pop, rock, opera, and musical theater influences into a singularly unique sound. This marks an exciting new chapter, a new brand, and what marks the next stage and evolution of my career.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
In previous music theatre days, I was playing Rapunzel in Into the Woods. Long hair is pretty essential to this character… However, I didn’t fully check my wig before going out, nor did I have anyone else double check it. In the middle of my scene, my wig became detached and half of my wig went across the floor on stage (NOT in a time this was meant to happen!) …I kept singing and managed to fit this into the scene and it was my first experience with improvisation to “make it work!” The lesson: the show will go on and be ready for anything! In addition, always triple check your costume details and that your wig is secure if you have a wig. 😂
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Don’t try to follow a plan to get to one specific place. This will pretty much never work. I have actually had a past colleague in my inbox ask me “what are the exact steps you took to be where you are now?” I replied: “inner work and the individual journey.” Needless to say, this person didn’t write again, but it’s true! I would advise someone to be daring enough to create your own path. To dare to be rejected and stop waiting for a “perfect time.” Be daring. I believe the inner work is essential because otherwise we just see the same lessons and repeat patterns with different names. If we just follow our heart one step at a time, your unique one-of-a-kind road will open for you in just the right way.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
Dr. Kathleen Arecchi. She was my voice teacher from age 14 through the end of my Undergraduate degree at Plymouth State University. We worked together off and on after this and even after I graduated from Florida State University, and maintained a very close relationship until she passed away in February of 2016. She was so much more than a voice teacher — she was like a second mother to me, my greatest guide in life. She was the one who first helped me believe in my voice and showed me what it was truly capable of. She also encouraged me to explore life across the UK and Europe, years before I finally took the leap. I am forever grateful to this woman, and I miss her all the time. I still carry with me a piece of paper from an old essay I wrote about “why I want to marry music” in college. It has her handwriting, her guidance, and that paper will go with me wherever I go. I can only imagine what she would say about right now, but I’d like to think she would be proud.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
All of my music is dedicated to a greater cause: raising the vibration of humanity. It’s about healing, bringing light, and ending separation by uniting us — all in the pursuit of world peace. My music also aims to raise awareness of the need for change, especially in the face of climate change. Ultimately, I want my listeners to feel empowered, inspired, and uplifted. While everyone experiences music differently, my hope is that when you hear my work, it brings about a genuinely positive shift in your life and perspective.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
It is so much larger than a single story because it is my entire purpose: to bring light into darkness through my voice. There are countless stories, both my own, and that of clients I have worked with through MoonRising LLC which lead me here, but 2017 was the start of a monumental shift in my life, which some people might call an “awakening.” At this time my health was challenging, the loss of my dearest friendship of 14 years to mental illness, and a relationship with a man who could never let love in after his divorce abruptly closed, and this all led me to a huge question: why? Where do these things come from? How do people get to there and, can it change? What is the root of it? The farther I went, the more I realized it wasn’t about my story but about service, the collective, and all of us. That realization marked a profound shift in consciousness — an understanding I could only reach through deep inner work and embodiment. It brought me here: as an advocate, service-led and determined to contribute to positive global change, because we are one — we are not separate. Lastly, I believe the time to make global changes is very much now more than ever.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
A lot of people I’ve worked with have gone on to create greater impact. Many have opened within them capacity to heal others in their own individual ways, but I remember a friend of mine who once said: “I get it now, your work helps people to become better versions of themselves.” …Something like that. There are hundreds of individual stories I hold very dear to my heart that have been shared with me. I hope, someday, that it’s millions–both directly and indirectly who may benefit from my cause and my music.
Are there three things individuals can do to support you in this effort?
- Treat everyone you meet with loving kindness, no matter who they are.
- Prioritize healing. The higher your “frequency” is, the higher it is for the collective.
- For us all to be more aware of earth, our treatment of nature, and to see what happens when you shift the mentality of us vs. them into humanity all on one team.
Why do you think music in particular has the power to create social change and create a positive impact on humanity?
It is our one shared universal language. When 100,000 people together share the same message from the same song and the same frequency, it’s amplified. If that message and the energy can be one of light, one of peace, one of seeing the kind of world we want to see together, imagine what’s possible…
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”?
- Your dreams will evolve as you do. Within.
- Remain true to your heart in every moment. The longer you delay what you know to be your truth, the more constriction you will find. There will never be a perfect moment, but instead, the moment is when you decide. It is all about your northern star.
- Magic is real.
- If a path doesn’t exist, create your own.
- The power of sound is so much more profound than a shift in your mood. Different frequencies can shift us on a cellular level. We have the capacity within us to create monumental change in others through raising our own frequency.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
To believe in the power of you. Your voice. Your magic in this world. When we all are truly living in our purpose, together, we will have everything we could ever need.
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
“You have to leave the ground to learn to fly” — this has been my favorite quote since I was around 15. It comes from a band called Zox, who I used to listen to all the time as a teenager and haven’t since, but this quote absolutely stuck with me. I read this as: if you want to make changes and “fly” in life you have to take a risk, get out of your comfort zone and fear zone and GO for it.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Mackenzie Scott would be at the top. She’s done an incredible amount of good with her wealth and I highly, highly respect that and think it would be a beautiful conversation of bringing more good into the world and where. I think of her as the most incredible example of a true philanthropist, someone who has facilitated tremendous change in areas such as racial equality, LGBTQ+ equality, democracy, and climate change and beyond. I think she has a good heart. Musically? I could see a phenomenal collaboration with Jacob Collier and I think it would be quite the endless conversation over brunch. Lady Gaga for being an individualist, and Lindsay Stirling for her endless creative mastery.
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Emily Thorner Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.