Like someone coming over the horizon and into your heart, Emily Kinney‘s “Walkin’ Round Your Dreams” starts off in the distance, traversing the metaphorical miles in the first few seconds of the song. The track – Emily’s first in quite some time – arrived on May 4, a magnificent alt-pop bop that sees Emily’s voice playfully dart along the dreamy production, all while a funky bassline saunters about, cooly and confidently. “The lyrics and chords came first,” Emily tells HollywoodLife when discussing the new song, “and Ben Greenspan, the producer, helped to shape that opening bass line. When asked about the song’s inspiration, she credits “a love affair!”
“The man I was seeing would tell me he would often see me in his dreams!” she adds. The song ends on the intriguing line: When are you coming back for more?” More is what Emily’s fans have been waiting for. While most may know her critically acclaimed work on The Walking Dead, Masters of Sex, The Flash, and Conviction, there is a solid fanbase of those who have been waiting patiently for Emily’s follow-up to 2021’s The Supporting Character.
“I’m always writing, but it always feels great when you feel like something you’ve been working on can be shared,” she tells HL about returning to her music career. “I go through periods of needing to be more quiet and to myself and periods where I’m ready to be out and about more, and I like both waves for different reasons.”
“It is always a balance of priorities,” she adds when asked about balancing her acting side and her music side. “I’m always itching to act and literally think about it and pray about it every single day. I love being on set and in a different world, but songwriting is a bit more of a loyal friend to me than acting.”
The Nebraska native first dipped her toes into acting and music while in college. While enjoying some success on the stage, she experienced her small-screen breakthrough in 2011 when she landed the role of Emily on The Big C. That same year, she debuted on The Walking Death, playing Beth Greene over 42 episodes of the critically-acclaimed series. That was also the same year she released her first EP. Her debut album, This Is War, arrived in 2015, with Oh Jonathan arriving three years later.
“Walkin’ Round Your Dreams” is the lead single from Emily’s forthcoming album, Swimteam. It’s currently set for a fall release, and includes themes about grappling with the end of a relationship, the conflict between her acting and musical pursuits, and the general struggle that is called life. “My last record I was certain was my last, everything was very precious, but with this record I realized I will probably be writing little songs forever,” she tells HL about the growth between this project and Supporting Character. Emily says she feels “less pressure” when it comes to music now.
“I feel like I lean into a little more of the low blows in my writing with this record,” she says.
Fans will not have to wait long for new music. “My goal in 2023 is to release my album,” she says, “and for it to find as many people who want it and need it as possible.” Fans can help Emily help them by signing up for her mailing list to learn about new music, pre-orders, and potential tour dates.