EMMA BERRIGAN (AKA EMSKIII)
“As a queer, red-headed woman, I am no stranger to adversity,” Emma Berrigan says. “Less than 3% of the popularized music in the world is produced by women. I am always feeling like I have to ‘prove’ myself.” Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, but now living in the Austin area, Berrigan is a multi-hyphenate: professional athlete, drummer and electronic artist/DJ under the alias EMSKIII. Berrigan started drumming at age eight, and throughout college played in multiple bands around Austin, such as Stubbs, Mohawk, and Swan Dive. Also during college, Berrigan discovered Ultimate Frisbee, and has played with the Austin Torch, a professional women’s and nonbinary team, since 2020. EMSKIII was born post-graduation, when Berrigan filmed shows for major networks during the week, and taught herself to produce EDM (electronic dance music) on weekends. Less than a year later, she released EMSKIII’s first single, “Free My Mind.” Despite the challenges of being a queer woman in music, “I hope I can keep creating great records to dance and move to, but more than anything, I hope to provide an environment/experience where people feel connected and free to be themselves,” Berrigan said. “I want people to walk into an EMSKIII show and feel empowered to be whatever they want to be.”
