Well, if you’ve ever lacquered on black nail varnish, sported striped stockings, danced to German industrial music, would commit criminal acts for a cup of tea, have a thing for electric violins, an even bigger thing for musical theatre, participated in a shadow cast of cult films set in circuses, or you love someone who has, then you’ve probably seen my mug before. If you haven’t, do see below…I didn’t write the text, but it gives a vaguely good idea of what’s going on here.

~EA, Inmate W14A

The Story

Internationally recognized as a world-class violinist, singer, composer, author, actor, and artist, Emilie Autumn mastered the classical violin before going on to travel the world as a highly theatrical performer. Known for her genre-bending albums Opheliac and Fight Like A Girl, Emilie has also starred in The Devil’s Carnival musical fantasy film series (alongside Adam Pascal of Broadway’s RENT fame, and Ted Neeley of the iconic film Jesus Christ Superstar).

Emilie’s academic career ended abruptly at the age of ten when, as a child-prodigy violinist, she was removed from school to allow her the time to perfect her craft. Yet, despite her near-complete absence of formal education, her debut self-published novel (The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls) is cited in text-books used as part of the psychology curriculum at Oxford University, amongst other publications. Emilie's poetry, written in her teens, has been used as the basis for original works created and performed by New York's Rochester Ballet Company, using her spoken-word and classical violin work as the score.

Emilie originally intended to begin and end her career as a classical soloist and composer, but gradually became aware that, in order to express herself completely, she must use her voice as well as her fingers. She soon armed herself with an electric violin, a uniquely powerful singing voice, and self-taught skills as a digital programmer able to record and produce her own albums (she has been made an official artist representative for Steinberg, creators of industry leading recording software).

Upon the release of her 2007 Shakespearean-themed concept album, Opheliac, Emilie found herself an overnight star in Germany's industrial rock scene, and began touring extensively. With her flaming red hair, fetish for tightly-laced corsets, and signature heart painted on her cheek (a unifying symbol devotedly replicated by her global audience known as the "Plague Rats"), Emilie fast became a sensation throughout Europe and the United Kingdom before touring frequently through America, South America, Canada, and Russia. During this time, Emilie released several singles, EPs, a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," and a double-disc album of instrumental work, the violin extravaganza Laced/Unlaced—one disc featuring her classical work, the other her industrial-metal electric violin pyrotechnics.

Then came the literary creation that would alter the course of Emilie's career and change the perception of who she was in the minds of both fans and friends—an illustrated autobiographical/historical fantasy novel weighing in at nearly five pounds: The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls. Diagnosed first with major depression in her early 20s and later with bipolar disorder, Emilie’s novel was culled from the very real pages of the secret journal she kept whilst incarcerated in a mental hospital. The tale takes an unexpected turn when, whilst still in the psych ward, Emilie discovers evidence of a parallel dimension—a world that soon becomes indiscernible from her own. As the days drift on, the seemingly disparate worlds of the story's two lead characters (Emilie and Emily, her Victorian counterpart) begin to merge. The Asylum... is a profoundly moving saga of suffering, sisterhood, and revenge that has empowered thousands of young readers to victoriously end their battle with self-harm, and to create communities wherein they can support one another and cultivate pride in what makes them different. Emilie has held hundreds of book readings and performed scenes from the book around the world, often asking her listeners to join in and act out the scenes themselves.

Since it's release, The Asylum... novel continues to increase in popularity as Plague Rats around the globe cover themselves in tattoos from its elaborate art, cosplay as its varied characters (both human and animal), write their own fan-fiction, put on their own stage plays taking place in the Asylum world, and incorporate Emilie's story into their own lives in virtually every imaginable way. Aiding the phenomenon, the famed Vans Warped Tour featured Emilie Autumn's Asylum Experience, in which festival-goers enjoyed an interactive, day-long immersive theatre installation in Emilie's signature environment.

Emilie is currently at work composing the Broadway-bound musical version of The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, and is constantly releasing music from the musical, most notably the new album The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls: Behind the Musical, now available everywhere.

All the while, Emilie’s visual art has been developing wildly. She made her public debut at 2021’s Art Basel, where she showcased her mixed media works wherein she transforms the medical materials of nightmares into beautiful and empowering works of stunning cultural sophistication, with each piece being named after one of her song lyrics.