Toronto singer/songwriter Emma-Lee

Toronto-based singer/songwriter Emma-Lee has been recording music for nearly a decade, and just released a new full-length album, Backseat Heroine. Over the years, while her songs have slipped into genres from jazz and pop to country and soul, her unmistakable and remarkable voice has stayed strong -- even through a couple vocal cord surgeries that put her singing future in doubt. Emma-Lee chatted with Paul Little over the phone on the day of her album's release (also her birthday!) about the recording process for the new album, the difficulties of pushing through the endless stream of music out there today, balancing music with a photography career, and why having a diverse sound might not always be a positive in the music industry.