Who is Emma Pask?
In short, I’m someone who feels very fortunate to be able to use my voice to create music, perform and entertain people. I love to sing, and I have a huge passion for Swinging Jazz. I’m addicted to ocean swimming, I’m a lover of dogs, and I dig exploring the world.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
When I was starting out my career in Music, I had also been passionately studying acting. At 19, I adored my year at NIDA as part of the Young Actors Studio. I often ponder ‘what if I’d followed both paths?’ Ohhh, heart pang!
Who inspires you and why?
I’m inspired by kind, compassionate people who listen, care, support and encourage each-other to move forward through life positively. The inspired then continue to inspire.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
Wow, what a question! We live on a huge planet where so many things need attention to create a difference for good in the world. It can become a little overwhelming at times. To strip it back to basics and follow on from the question above, be kind, honest, listen more, support those around you, help people in need, and ask for help if and when you require it.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
It’s often the most recent place I’ve explored. And currently that is Far North Queensland. It was incredibly beautiful. With Covid arriving to our shores and changing all of our lives in 2020, the chance to holiday wasn’t really on the radar for quite sometime. We appreciated being able to do this trip more than ever. Cape Tribulation and The Daintree region where the rainforest meets the beaches and coral reefs just blew my husband and I away. There was so much to discover and learn about the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest in the world. We drove through the Atherton Tablelands and got to explore so many amazing waterfalls and swimming holes. Visiting Mossman Gorge, to learn all about the land from Indigenous elders, is an experience we’ll never forget. Oh … and … Italy. Sicily … is ..breathtakingly beautiful.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
I live in Bondi Beach, and love showing visiting friends our incredible coast line and our amazing beaches.
What are you currently reading?
My lovely Mum reads more than any other human I know, and she has just dropped me off her copy of All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton, so I’m about to get stuck into that.
What are you currently listening to?
The record I have spinning on my player whilst I type the answers to this questionnaire is: Carmen McRae, Live and Wailing.
Happiness is?
A wonderful emotional state that I strive to arrive at daily.
What does the future hold for you?
There’s no way of me knowing what the future holds, therefore I like to take each day as it comes and try to be truly in the moment. I have a strong sense of optimism for what is ahead, whilst not focusing too heavily on it. Experiencing the death of loved ones really does pull everything back to the now. It’s all we have. Love.
Emma stars alongside Tania Doko and Prinnie Stevens in Hear Me Roar – Unplugged at the 2021 Adelaide Cabaret Festival: 25 & 26 June. For more information, visit: www.adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au for details.
Image: Emma Pask (supplied)