Emma Dilemma: musician

🌱 Early Life and First Steps into Performance

Emma Cameron grew up in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, where performing became part of her identity almost as soon as she could walk. She began dancing at age five, training intensively until her late teens. By 15, she had shifted her focus to music, singing and playing guitar in local bands.

Her first notable project was Taking Back Thursday, an emo‑covers band that played weekly shows — often with her father accompanying her because she was underage. That early grind taught her stagecraft, confidence, and the thrill of connecting with an audience.

🎸 Ashei → Decades: The Rock Band Years

Cameron’s first original band, Ashei, evolved into Decades, a four‑piece Christchurch rock act that eventually signed with Warner Music New Zealand. Their debut album, The Truth and Other People (2017), marked her arrival as a national‑level performer.

Decades toured widely and built a loyal following, but as bandmates began starting families, Cameron found herself writing more independently and traveling to Melbourne to collaborate with producers Alex Markwell and Harley Webster (Le Sauvage). The shift in creative energy made the next step inevitable: the birth of her solo persona.

⚡ Becoming Emma Dilemma

The name “Emma Dilemma” came from her partner, Moses Robbins — a playful rhyme that captured her chaotic humour and self‑aware theatricality.

As a solo artist, Cameron embraced a new creative philosophy:

• Absurdist storytelling
• Genre‑blending (90s grunge, bubblegum pop, hip hop, dance)
• Radical self‑acceptance
• High‑concept, DIY music videos

She describes herself as the “patron saint of self‑sabotage,” using humour and exaggeration to explore anxiety, identity, and the messy parts of being human.

Her debut single, “We Should Give a Shit” (2021), set the tone: loud, cheeky, and cathartic — a party anthem about regret and rebellion. It launched a national tour where fans helped film the music video, reflecting her commitment to community‑driven creativity.

🎤 The SPIT Era: Breakthrough as a Solo Artist

Throughout 2021–2022, Emma released a steady stream of singles and videos, culminating in her debut album SPIT (2022). The album debuted at #3 on the Official New Zealand Album Charts, earning critical praise for its emotional honesty, genre fluidity, and theatrical flair.

Songs like “New Attraction,” “I Want It,” “Bed All Day,” “Other Girls,” and “Alright” showcased her ability to pivot from disco‑pop to punk‑rock to introspective ballads — often within the same project. Her videos, frequently made on shoestring budgets with director Amber Beaton, became known for their creativity, humour, and maximalist aesthetic.

🎭 Artistic Identity

Emma Dilemma’s work is defined by:

• Fearless experimentation
• A comedic, meme‑friendly sensibility
• A deep commitment to storytelling
• A willingness to expose vulnerability beneath the chaos

She refuses to be boxed into a single genre or persona. Instead, she treats music as a playground — a place to explore identity, celebrate imperfection, and connect with audiences through shared emotional extremes.

🌏 Legacy and Ongoing Influence

Though still early in her solo career, Emma Dilemma has become one of New Zealand’s most distinctive modern artists — a performer who blends theatricality with sincerity, humour with heartbreak, and pop hooks with punk attitude.

Her journey from teenage cover bands to a nationally charting solo act reflects not only her talent, but her resilience, adaptability, and relentless creative drive.

Emma Dilemma isn’t just making songs — she’s building a world, one chaotic, colourful, deeply human piece at a time.

Using DNA it appears we’re related through my paternal grandmothers Crawford side of the family. So far I’ve located three common DNA matches all from that side of the family.

Emma just keeps releasing more and more music, a very busy woman! She currently has a limited edition 12″ yellow vinyl edition album available. I have received my signed copy which also included a very nice note.