Emelia Failing doesn't fail

There's a young talent brewing in our hills and valleys.

Let me introduce you to 17-year-old Emelia Failing. She's been performing - quietly - in local coffee shops and festivals over the past two years, and I expect, if we're lucky, we'll be hearing a lot more from Emelia in the future.

I happened across Emelia because of her nomination as an Observer-Dispatch Teen All-Star - a recognition the newspaper gives to outstanding local teens. Failing is outstanding in many ways - a 98 G.P.A., a scholar athlete, a regular volunteer in her community. But it's her music that stands out to me.

With a voice comparable to popular pop/folk artists, such as Colbie Caillat and Regina Spektor, it's not surprising that Emelia has a strong online following. What is surprising is her mature grasp of songwriting and ability to create emotion-filled pieces that seem beyond her age. Emelia says the songs currently on her MySpace profile are older and less sophisticated writings and she expects to post newer pieces in the coming months, that she says offer a much more complex sound.

Even more impressive is Emelia's ability to recognize and utilize the wealth of talent around her. She performs and learns from her veteran musical counterparts as often as possible and says she thinks of the talent that surrounds her as "special." Let's hope Emelia sticks around to be a part of that landscape, too.

In the meantime, check her out at www.myspace.com/emeliafailing.