barefoot vegan sept_oct issue.pdf

Photography by Binne Gestaltung
Click here to
listen to a
sample of
Emaline’s
beautiful work
Tell us about yourself…
My name is Emaline Delapaix and I am an Australian
singer/songwriter/musician living in Berlin and living
full time as a musician for just over four years now.
How/why did you become vegan and
what impact has that had on your life?
I became vegan after being vegetarian for a few years.
For a long time something inside me told me it was
wrong to eat animal products so it was only a matter
of time before I made changes as I grew up with many
animals around the house. I remember the big change
happened in a place called Ithaca, New York in a coop
when I was reading about a dairy cow with two
broken legs and the farmer left her like that and her
leg was dragging on the ground. It just broke my heart
and opened the door to veganism.
How would you describe your music?
Alternative folk-pop is the simplest description, I am
not sure. What do you think? :)
I know that in some of your song lyrics,
you focus on nature. How important is
nature to you as a source of inspiration/
creative influence?
Nature is so important to me for inspiration and
creative influence but also to me as a human being
who suffers from depression. I enjoy being in the city
but start to get a bit anxious if I don't get out into
nature and peace at least once a month. Ideally I
would prefer to live on the edges of Berlin in a little
village so I can grow vegetables and walk my cat safely
-he is a very free spirit :) - but I still haven't found the
right place yet. Fingers crossed for 2016.
You suffer from depression and credit
your vegan lifestyle and becoming
a musician as things that help you to deal
with it. How important do you
feel authenticity is in helping to lead a
happy life?
Depression is a lifelong illness but I definitely eased
the pain when it comes to dealing with it every day.
Years ago I was given many pills including antidepressants
and anti-psychotics which made me put on a
lot of weight and made my brain very fuzzy. In the end I
decided to take on my illness head-on and to do all I could
to make my life more manageable, which included reading
a lot of books and educating myself about my illness. I
found that eating a healthy, raw heavy diet and my
environment was so important to me. I began getting rid
of the negative, toxic people in my life and tried to do the
same with the thoughts in my head, changing the way I
think to become more positive. Becoming vegan also
helped because naturally I turned to more fresh fruit and
veg but also it felt more ethical and right for me. But I'm
not done yet, still lots of work to do on myself and I am
working on that every day.
You promote yourself as a vegan singer/
songwriter. What opportunities or barriers
does that present to what you’re doing?
I thought that it would present barriers at the start but
decided if it put people off then it was probably for the
best anyway as they probably wouldn't get a good chunk of
my music or where I am coming from. Being a vegan
songwriter is great. I get invited to veggie events and meet
amazing people who have inspired and enriched my life so
for that I am grateful.
You get to travel a lot when touring. What do
you enjoy most about being on the road?
I find traveling expands my heart and mind and I find
myself even more on those big open highways. Meeting
people and making new friends and bringing my music to
them of course is also wonderful.
What’s your best advice for other travelling
vegans?
Do a little research before you travel and carry back up
snacks like nuts, protein bars, fruit and veg.
16 | BarefootVegan