-Editorial
Emmie Bonesi’s music career is beginning to gain momentum, with her debut single, “My Own Voice,” hitting the airwaves on radio stations across California, including locally in the Imperial Valley. The exposure is giving the 13-year-old singer an early platform as her talent gains recognition and she begins building what could become a promising career in music.
A student at Frank Wright Middle School, Bonesi said her passion for singing and music began when she was young and has continued to grow over the years.
“I’ve discovered my love for music ever since I was small,” Bonesi said. “It impacted me so much. It helped me improve my singing and dedication and completely changed my perspective on music and taught me to appreciate the art better.”
Her interest in creating original music began taking shape in fourth grade when she participated in her school chorus.
“What inspired me to start making my own music was way back in fourth grade when I was doing chorus for school,” she said. “I had gotten into a phase with Michael Jackson, then that’s when the idea of making music started coming along.”
That early interest eventually led to “My Own Voice,” her first original single, released in August 2026.
For Bonesi, the song represents more than simply her introduction as a recording artist. She said it reflects a personal decision to become more confident and express herself without holding back.
“‘My Own Voice’ is a really special song to me,” she said. “It talks about how I’m not holding back anymore and showing the world who I am and finally acknowledging that myself.”
One of the significant opportunities in Bonesi’s developing career came when she traveled to Los Angeles to record her first song with a professional music team.
She described the experience as something she once would not have imagined, crediting producer Skyy Worldwide, engineer Drew Chavez, and singing coach Deedee Foster for helping her develop as an artist.
“An amazing opportunity to record my first song in L.A. with an amazing producer, Skyy Worldwide, engineer Drew Chavez, and that I was going to be working with Deedee Foster as my singing coach — I would have never believed it,” Bonesi said.
The Los Angeles experience is part of Bonesi’s effort to build a professional foundation while remaining an independent artist. She is not currently signed to a record label and continues working with producers, engineers and vocal professionals as she develops new material.
“Right now, independently, but I am working with producers, engineers, and professional singers, as well as my singing coach in L.A.,” Bonesi said. “We’re trying to get some songs together so we can introduce myself as an artist.”
Bonesi is already working on her next song, which she described as having an R&B style.
“As of right now, I’m working on a new song that’s an R&B style, and I hope everyone will enjoy it,” she said.
Her ambitions extend well beyond her first release.
“I really hope I will make more music for people around the world to hear and appreciate and also to become a bigger artist to make my dad, mom, family and the Valley proud,” she said.
Family support has been central to Bonesi’s musical development.
“My family has been my number one support since I started singing, especially my dad,” she said. “He is always by my side and goes above and beyond to get me everything I need for my singing.”
She said that support has continued through competitions and performances.
“Through all my competitions and performances, my whole family has supported me,” Bonesi said.
The support has also extended throughout the Imperial Valley. Bonesi recently participated in a fundraiser to raise money for equipment that will allow her to begin performing live.
“We just had a big fundraiser for me to raise money to buy equipment so I can start performing live, and the whole community came and supported me,” she said. “It was so crazy to have such support.”
Bonesi said the encouragement she has received from her family and community has helped her continue pursuing music at a young age.
She also has a message for other young people in the Imperial Valley who dream of pursuing music or the arts.
“Don’t let others bring you down,” she said. “Other people’s opinions won’t matter.”
Her debut single, “My Own Voice,” is available on major streaming and music platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Vevo. A music video for the song has also been released.
