To understand the artist Lowen is to understand transformation - one that has been slow, beautiful, and a little bit rough around the edges, in more ways than one. Said transformation ultimately led Lowen to value the importance of soul care and self-acceptance. Ultimately, Lowen, the stage name for Emily Kopp, is about how dynamic moments in the past decade have shaped who she is as an artist, partner, daughter and friend.    The story of Lowen begins while attending college in Central Florida. Quickly realizing she was meant to pursue the touring life of a singer-songwriter, the blue-eyed-soul coffeehouse artist crisscrossed throughout the Southeast touring relentlessly and garnering hordes of new fans. With each successive DIY tour, she began to experience quick burn out in her professional life, while also loosing the pulse in her personal life, as the feelings of her longtime relationship began to crumble.   An 8 year relationship for anyone comes with its ups and downs, wading through the different seasons as both parties grow into young adults. For some that also means growing out of love. Then, after being home in Orlando and playing a show for a fundraiser, Lowen met a “gracious, magnetic, kind, beautiful and cool as hell” woman that sparked something in her she hadn’t felt in a long time.   Eventually, her longtime relationship ended painfully and full of heartbreak, but a new and bright one was just beginning. They decided they would travel the world together, skip out of Orlando on a plane, boat and train. They sold their belongings, all but Emily’s guitars back in storage, and headed for adventure to find the true meaning of life and hopefully some catharsis. The end result — a year between Hawaii, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Bali, Israel, and Argentina, mending a broken heart and finding purpose again; And Lowen’s ability to finally know and speak her truth as an artist.   Upon returning to the states the couple moved from Orlando to Nashville, got married and started a new life together as one. Not too soon after, the days of bliss turned dark again when Lowen’s pervious longtime partner tragically passed away. Thus, the growth from the past year abroad, finding herself and her truth as an artist was put to the test. The lead single “Morning, Mourning” from her new EP Only In My Dreams was born.   While "Morning, Mourning" presently serves as the face of Lowen, she admits she has an arsenal of songs at the ready, having gathered notes on her phone while traveling abroad, during the process of grief, and while immersed in deep love. Melding blues, pop and DIY grit, Lowen's debut EP Only In My Dreams is kaleidoscopic in its range. A true collection of music inviting the listener directly into the mind of who Lowen is and what her world looks like, almost as if living in a dream.   This is the story of Lowen, a new creative leap that starts where her globe-trotting journey of transformation finds a new life and meaning.

When Marisa Maino was in the third grade, she snuck onto her friend’s laptop and said the word “bitch” on a blog with all her classmates. Her mother found out and subsequently banned her from the internet until she was in highschool. Some would argue it should have stayed that way, but since then, she’s been doing her best. Writing songs that share her intimate thoughts and feelings while turning traditional pop lyrics upside down and inside out, Nashville-based pop artist Marisa Maino has developed a sound that’s perfectly encapsulated her persona: quirky (and often humorous), upbeat and youthful. Unlike most, Maino paved her own path, landing in the pop genre after years of dabbling in other art forms. “I started with a Russian ballet company - it was a lot like Broadway.” After a knee injury forced her to quit dance, and at the encouragement of a few show writers, Maino shifted her focus to acting and music. She moved to L.A. and began acting, but found casting directors plans for her to be too singular. “Everyone wanted me to try out for comedy shows and told me that I couldn’t act and sing.” Going with her gut, Marisa auditioned for X Factor as a vocalist. “At the time, X Factor was huge. I stole my mother’s computer in the cloak of night and signed up to audition.” Though she decided television wasn’t the path she wanted to take, it set the stage for Maino’s ultimate move to music. Through the show and other auditions, Maino began getting referrals for co-writes. “I had a co-writer who wanted me to be a jazz singer, and talked to me about ‘not talking on stage.’ That’s when I realized ‘well, if I can’t be myself during a performance, that’s probably the kind of music I need to stay away from. I think my personality is just one of the reasons pop suits me so well.” Now living in Nashville, Maino has settled into a sound she deems the perfect representation of who she is. “My sound is always going to be reflective of me - so quirky pop in a way. I think that as I get older, I can always have that ‘Adele vibe’ with the more serious tones. But at my age, I want to make sure my music stays young and vibrant. I want to make sure I live it, and that people feel young and youthful when they listen to my music.” Drawing inspiration from fellow pop artists Hayley Williams (Paramore), Beyoncé, Rihanna, Fergie and Katy Perry, among others, she delights in the artists that are unapologetically themselves - and aren’t afraid to use their platform to promote social change. “I’m really inspired by those who do music because they love it - and not because they just want to be famous. There’s so much that we can do with music in the arts. Society is trying to grow in this but I sometimes feel like it doesn’t grow fast enough. Music has taught me so much. Listening to interviews with celebrities has taught me about living life and that’s not what you learn in the classroom. That’s something I’d love to give back.”