Making her name on social media as a K-pop cover artist, Emily Dimes also records her own original music. She’s just come to my attention through her latest solo release, Make You Proud.

By Graeme Smith

Make You Proud is the Suffolk-based artist’s second single, following on from her debut, Till It Fades Away. About the loss of a loved one, it’s a pop-rock ballad that opens stripped-back and piano-led before developing into an emotional wonder. Driving percussion underpins Emily’s beautifully compelling vocal before things become powerfully cathartic in the chorus.

It’s a track that brings to mind the big pop-rock ballads of the ’00s, in particular coming from the likes of Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, and Taylor Swift. Yet, it doesn’t feel out of place in 2025 either. In many ways, I suppose, it’s a sound that never really goes out of fashion.

Emily has been musical since the age of nine when she took up classical singing classic and piano lessons. She made her musical theatre debut as Sharpay in High School Musical the same year. At thirteen, she featured on screen for the first time, then began to grow her online presence in 2016 through “English ballad” covers of K-pop hits.

An upcoming EP is on its way. In the meantime, Make You Proud is out now and you can stream it below.