Take Two: Emily O'Neal

In our Take Two series, Playlists & Polaroids checks back in with our past Spotlight features after a few months to years. If our original coverage on Emily O'Neal inspired you to start following her career, you'd know it's been quite the journey for her! Back in 2023, she had just graduated from MTSU as she introduced us to the soft, watercolor-toned world of Bird’s Eye View. Since then, she's traded dreamy indie-rock textures for shimmering synth-pop production, while embracing a more direct, unfiltered writing style. The result is a body of work that feels simultaneously more playful and more emotionally transparent than ever before.

Emily just announced her next project, an EP titled Overachiever coming out July 9th, and showed fans what's to come through her newest single "Body Double." This song explores themes of anxiety, self-perception, and avoidance through sharp lyricism and infectious melodic choices, proving just how much her artistry has evolved since P&P's last conversation with her. Following the release of “Body Double,” we had the privilege of catching up with Emily O’Neal once again to talk about artistic growth, navigating self-perception through songwriting, and the stories behind her latest music. Keep reading for another insightful interview with the rising star!

Image credit: Bree Marie Fish, graphic created by Karly Ramnani

YOU’LL LOVE EMILY O’NEAL IF YOU LISTEN TO: Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, MUNA, Madison Beer, Audrey Hobert, Baby Queen

Hi Emily! It’s been almost three years since your last P&P feature, which we did around the release of “Watercolor.” In what ways would you say you’ve grown artistically since then?

I definitely feel like I’ve explored more sonically over the past few years, and I also think I’ve become more specific with my songwriting. Back when I was writing “Watercolor,” I leaned a lot more into metaphor and poetic imagery. That song especially feels very abstract and reflective to me now. At this point, I’m trying to be more direct with my lyrics and more honest about how things actually are. I still love storytelling and emotional imagery, but I think my newer music is a little less focused on hiding behind metaphors and more focused on saying exactly what I mean.

How does the sonic direction of the music you’re putting out now differ from the songs that appeared on Bird’s Eye View?

Bird’s Eye View was definitely a much rockier project overall. I used mostly live instruments throughout the album, and even a lot of the synth parts were played live. That sound felt really important to me at the time because it matched the emotional weight of those songs.

With the music I’m making now, I kind of decided to fully embrace my pop side. A lot of these newer songs are much more electronic and synth-driven, with way less emphasis on live instrumentation. There might still be little bits of guitar here and there, but overall it’s a much more playful and fun sound. I think the newer music takes itself a little less seriously, which has been really exciting creatively.

We’re also curious about “Watercolor (Reimagined)”! What inspired you to revisit the song in this way, and what do you hope listeners take away from this version compared to the original?

I originally made “Watercolor” before I started working with my producer, Jeb. The original version was mostly produced by me and my friend Brady, so it already existed before Jeb became part of the picture. Later on, Jeb was doing a project for school where he had to record artists in the college studios, and I chose “Watercolor” as one of the songs we worked on that day. After we recorded that version, I remember thinking, “Wait, this is actually really good.” We also recorded two other songs during that session, and honestly, that whole experience ended up leading to us working together on the rest of Bird’s Eye View. Since I had already planned to release the original version of “Watercolor,” I didn’t want to completely replace it, so releasing the reimagined version later felt like the best option. It has a much more organic feel to it, and I think it offers listeners a different experience depending on what kind of production they connect with more.

Image credit: Bree Marie Fish

Besides releasing Bird’s Eye View, what have been some of your biggest highlights or proudest moments between 2023 and now?

Honestly, one of the biggest things I’m proud of is simply that I kept going. There was definitely a period where I seriously considered quitting music, so the fact that I pushed through that and continued pursuing this dream means a lot to me. I also just feel really proud of how much I’ve grown as a songwriter during that time. I think I understand myself more creatively now, and I feel a lot more confident in the kind of music I want to make and the stories I want to tell.

Tell us about your latest release, “Body Double.” How did the idea of being replaced or mirrored shape the story behind the song?

I remember first coming up with the idea after a really specific experience I had while I was in London last summer. I was thinking about the flight home because I absolutely hate flying, and I was also replaying this date I had gone on while I was there. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, the phrase “body double” just popped into my head. When I got home, I brought the idea into a writing session, and the concept kind of evolved naturally from there. The song became this exploration of identity, comparison, and the strange feeling of wondering how someone else sees you versus how you see yourself.

Why was it important for you to explore themes of identity and perception through music?

I think a lot of it just happens naturally because I’m usually writing about my own life and experiences. Songwriting has always been a way for me to process things and figure out how I actually feel about them. Sometimes I don’t fully understand something until I write it down. I don’t necessarily go into songs with the intention of exploring identity or perception specifically, but those themes tend to come up because they’re such a big part of navigating everyday life. A lot of my music ends up reflecting those internal thoughts without me even really planning for it to.

Image credit: Bree Marie Fish

When you first wrote “Body Double,” was it more inspired by the way you saw yourself or by the way you felt perceived by others?

I think it was definitely more inspired by how I saw myself. I was thinking about a few different experiences where I just really didn’t want to be somewhere or do something, and I remember wishing I had a literal body double who could handle it for me while I stayed home and avoided all the anxiety. That feeling especially comes up in situations like networking events, job interviews, or anything where you have to put yourself out there socially. Sometimes you just wish someone else could step in and do it for you. That idea ended up becoming the emotional core of the song.

Has your relationship with the lyrics of this song changed at all since then?

A little bit, yeah. I think now the phrase “body double” pops into my head all the time whenever I’m in a situation I don’t want to deal with. I’ll catch myself thinking, “I need a body double for this.” What’s funny is that it’s started happening with my friends too. They’ll text me or bring up the song and say something reminded them of it because they were in an awkward or stressful situation. I think it’s really fun when lyrics start taking on a life outside of the song itself and become part of everyday conversation like that.

Did the production evolve alongside the lyrics, or did you already have a clear sonic direction in mind from the beginning?

I actually came into the session with a pretty clear vision for how I wanted the song to sound. The producer I worked with on it, Jonathan Beard, is amazing at taking ideas and translating them into exactly what you’re imagining sonically. While he was building the track, my friend Julia and I were off to the side writing lyrics at the same time, so the production and songwriting were kind of developing together in real time. I knew I wanted the song to feel really poppy and bouncy, and I specifically wanted piano to play a role in the production too. It all came together pretty naturally once we got started.

Image credit: Bree Marie Fish

Now that “Body Double” is out in the world, what excites you most about where your music is heading next?

I have three more songs coming out that are part of Overachiever, and I’m honestly just really excited for people to hear them. I feel like this is the first project where I genuinely love every single song equally, which is a really special feeling. All of the songs still live within the same sonic world as “Body Double,” so it feels like a really cohesive era for me creatively. I’m just excited to keep building on this direction and finally share the rest of the project because I’ve been sitting with these songs for a while now.

Finally, the Playlists & Polaroids classic! What’s a lyric from “Body Double” that really stands out to you? Walk us through the process of writing it and how it speaks to you personally.

Probably the entire second verse honestly. We wrote the first verse and chorus during one session, and then before we came back to finish the song, I got into a car accident. When we returned to writing, I was like, “Well… I guess we’re putting that into the song now." There’s also a lyric about being forty minutes late to work, which unfortunately is very real too. I think I wanted this song to feel especially honest and specific, even if some of those details make me sound a little chaotic. My hope was that someone else would hear it and think, “Okay, wait, I’ve absolutely been there too.”

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Emily’s newest music reflects both artistic experimentation and personal growth. After navigating moments of uncertainty surrounding her future in music, she’s returned with a stronger sense of self and a clearer understanding of the artist she wants to become. She's evidently grown not just as a songwriter, but more importantly as a person learning to navigate anxiety, identity, and creative uncertainty in real time. Emily is no longer just observing her emotions, but actively reshaping them into something bold, honest, and deeply resonant. We’re excited to see where this next era takes her, and even more excited for what comes next. Here's a playlist we've curated to capture her vibe!