Emmy explained her stage name in an interview with
Stereogum: "When I was a University, we all made demos. I made mine because I wanted to be a backing singer and I wanted to have something to hand to people. I never thought I would end up as a solo artist, so I took my gmail address and wrote it on the cover. People got hold of that first demo and I kept playing the gigs I got offered and then here I am. 'Emmy' is a name they called me at university, which I hated, and 'the Great' I added on because I hated 'Emmy' so much."