Emalia plays the character of Izzy James in the new Paramount+ drama Paper Dolls and the Aussie actress and artist is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Having already made her mark on the music industry, Emalia is now tackling the acting world, and the new role is likely to catapult her into a household name.
The 26-year-old goes purely by her first name and made the move from her hometown of Bowral NSW, to Sydney to focus on her career.
Her part in the upcoming drama is tipped to make her a breakout star. She plays one of five young women who form a female musical group through a reality TV show. The series follows the women’s lives and touches on the dark side of fame.
What did Emalia do before Paper Dolls?
While Paper Dolls is Emalia’s first mainstream acting gig, she’s been involved in the entertainment scene for a while.
Back in 2020, Emalia released a song titled ‘Suga Rush’ which was released via Sony Music Entertainment Australia and produced by the ARIA award-winning One Above.
“Suga Rush is about a toxic love you just keep coming back to. It’s sexy, it’s addictive, it’s affecting you in all the wrong ways just as much as it is the right ways; it’s the epitome of dangerous temptation,” Emalia told The Local Frequency at the time.
Emalia has just released a new single called Stacks
Coinciding with the promo for Paper Dolls, Emalia has dropped a brand new single called Stacks. It’s her first independent release since parting ways from her label in 2021.
The musician lists Kehlani, Summer Walker, SZA Kiana Lede, Mahalia, Snoh Aalegra and Tinashe among her musical influences.
Emalia cried when she read the script of Paper Dolls
As soon as Emalia got her hands on the script of the Aussie drama, she knew that she wanted to play the part of Izzy.
“I just knew I had to be a part of it,” she told the Daily Telegraph.
She explained that the script resonated with her because of her experience in the music industry, and offered some advice for other people looking to follow in her footsteps.
“Make sure you are passionate about it, that it is what you really want to do, develop a thick skin. A good piece of advice I received was to subject yourself to rejection and failure and come out the other side because the more you go through it, the stronger you become,” she said.
“And make sure you have people around you that you know you can trust because there are a lot of sharks in this industry and it can be very tumultuous so having a strong support network is important.”
Paper Dolls airs on Paramount+ Australia from Sunday, 3 December.
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