Singer Emily Drinker of Conshohocken has a storied pedigree in the Phila. region. Her ancestor, one of the founders of the international law firm Drinker Biddle & Reath, was a passionate musician hobbyist who helped the Von Trapp family (of The Sound of Music fame) navigate visa issues on Ellis Island. But as Gina Lizzo reported in Main Line Today, Emily Drinker is comfortable with the sound of her own music.

Drinker’s newest album (her tenth) is Starting to Feel. It was a project she started in 2019.

“My band went into the studio in Wyncote and pretty much recorded all seven songs in one day,” she said. “From there, it took the last few years to go in and finish. I redid some of my vocal takes, we added harmonies, we added percussion.”

The generational connection to the Von Trapps came through Henry Drinker. After smoothing their entry into the U.S., he hosted them at his home, long before Emily’s time.

But the familial past relates to her current project. Starting to Feel’s cover art is a photo of Drinker’s grandmother.

“We came across that photo after she died,” said Drinker. “I thought it was just so striking. Once I decided to use that image for the cover, I started to make a lot of connections between her life and some of the soul-searching lyrics throughout the album.

“My grandmother was a powerful person with a lot of strong convictions that she stood by. I hope to be that way as I work through the stuff in these songs,” she concluded.

Emily Drinker’s full interview is at Main Line Today.