Emily Kinney | CREDITS: L’AGENCE dress, LUISA BECCARIA blouse, CL BY LAUNDRY shoes, and CRAP sunglasses.
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Emily Kinney knows a radiant character when she comes across one, and since her departure from the hit series, _The Walking Dead_ in 2015 it seems that she has found a few to keep her busy. Her character Nora Everett on Showtimes’ Golden Globe Award-nominated series, _Masters of Sex,_ is a prime example. Kinney has also kept busy exploring her identity through music. And more recently, the actress and songwriter is tackling new projects.
We just had to get a hold of Kinney to chat about these upcoming works, like her mystery show, _Ten Days in the Valley_ (starring Kyra Sedgwick), and the new music she is currently working on.
Kinney is bursting with energy as she begins telling me a little bit about _Ten Days in the Valley_. “It’s a very fast-moving, mystery, ‘Who did it?’ ‘Who took the girl?’ or ‘Where is she?’ \[show\],” she says.
I wonder if it was this mystery aspect that attracted her to the script. “I’m really attracted to roles that feel really grounded in reality. Sometimes there’s a fantasy element or like with _Walking Dead_ there’s zombies or things like that. But there’s something about it where the characters feel really grounded in reality and that’s kind of the thing I love so much about _Ten Days in the Valley_; I felt like I knew who these characters were.”
SNOW XUE GAO jacket, Vintage VERSACE top and skirt, H&M tights, and CL BY LAUNDRY shoes.
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She continues by telling me a little bit about Casey, her character on the show. “The thing that I loved so much about Casey when I signed on to work on this project and before I agreed to be a part of it is that she had so many layers and it felt like someone I knew. Also, I feel that Casey is trying so hard that she almost causes more--I don't know how to describe it--but almost like more issues. So I felt like they were real characters and that’s what attracted me to the show.”
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Kinney is well-known for her acting credentials. However, she is also no stranger to the music industry, and in the past she has stated that she began singing first. Kinney’s first EP, _Blue Toothbrush_, was released just as she got cast as Beth Greene in _Walking Dead_ in 2011. _Expired Love,_ followed in 2013, _This is War,_ her first full length album, followed in 2015, and _Back on Love_ in 2016. These collections of songs have a sweet, inviting sound to them, although Kinney did not back down when it came to the lyrics.
I ask Kinney about the new music she has been working on and what we could expect. The artist can't hide her excitement. “I have quite a bit of new music!" she reveals. "But one of the things I’ve been wanting to do is take a little more time since my last release and really experiment and work with different producers. I am going to be releasing in October. I’ll release one of the songs that sort of sets up the vibe for the whole next album. We actually made a video that I'll release in October, too.
SNOW XUE GAO jacket, Vintage VERSACE top and skirt, H&M tights, and CL BY LAUNDRY shoes.
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There’s like a sense of isolation in the video a little bit. That’s kind of like a theme for me. Even when you’re in a relationship, you’re still finding your own identity. The next album is pretty much about one specific relationship that sort of came up over and over again within the course of the past few years of my life. This first song is about kind of feeling isolated in a relationship being ready to sort of be your own person. It’s called ‘Mermaid Song,’ so you kind of get the theme of, 'Oh, I'm a mermaid. I’ll totally be different than these otherworldly people.’
Fans can expect a bit more of a digitally-influenced sound this go around, too. "There’s a lot more synths and programed drum type sounds, a lot more keys. In the past my stuff’s been more guitar-based.
Emily Kinney may be a mystical mermaid-like creature, but this she's refreshingly down to earth and super sweet. ABC’s _Ten Days in the Valley_ premieres October 1.
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Written by Evelyn Mateos
Photographer: Nick Green
Stylist: Britton Litow
Hair: Preston Wada at OPUS
Makeup: Molly Greenwald at The Wall Group
Photography Assistant: Noah Wilson
Styling Assistant: Leonard Murray
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