Emily Armstrong is urgent and unapologetic

One day coming back from Hollywood, my wife and I heard this song on the radio called ‘Lemon Scent’. We immediately were like, What the fuck is this? The sound was so powerful and melodic at the same time, we literally pulled over to Shazam it and find out who it was. We found out it was Emily Armstrong from a band called Dead Sara. As soon as I got home, I DMed her and said, Look, you’re absolutely amazing — I haven’t heard anything like this on the radio or any other platform in a long time; if you ever need any photos, I’ve got your back. The next day we were on the phone already scheduling our first shoot. After that we became family, supporting every step of her journey, which has led us to where she is now: the lead singer of Linkin Park.

We knew the band was looking for a new singer, but I had no idea they were recording Emily — until she told my wife, Shea. After the world knew Emily was going to be the new singer, they asked her who the first person she told was. “Momma Shea,” she replied. The band was looking at a couple different singers for the part, but Mike [Shinoda, Linkin Park’s co-lead vocalist] said that every time Emily came into the studio, it just felt right. I agreed. It was a seamless fit. After, I asked Emily, Are you nervous? You’re gonna be playing in front of hundreds of thousands of people. She looked at me with a straight face and said: I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life — seen it in my mind a million times. So, nervous? No. Excited? Yes. I got this shit. Emily‘s attitude is impeccable. She’s the hardest worker I’ve ever met. Her voice and her writing are definitely a gift, which helps, but I think the root of what makes Emily, Emily is her desire, her heart and her work ethic. Those are the things that can’t be taught and I think that’s why she is where she is today.

Shooting her for HUNGER was absolutely amazing. I knew I wanted to do it kind of ‘down and dirty’, old-school style — not a lot of planning, just a bunch of good people together, creating. I called some friends and asked if they would be down. Everyone jumped at the chance. Shea and I produced it ourselves, so it was a family affair. I thought it would be cool to shoot in Agoura Hills because that’s where Linkin Park started. We didn’t really have a plan — just jumped in a car and drove around and found cool spots. We also set up a studio in my backyard for the second half of the shoot. Emily was so chill and down with everything, even putting on a dress (as we all know, Emily is pretty badass and you rarely see her in a dress). I love how she added to the story, like just grabbing a skateboard and off she went. I wanted to show another side of Emily that the world doesn’t get to see. She’s that girl that will do anything for you if she can. Even after we did twelve shots she was like, Is that all you need? I absolutely love what we all created.