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Emily Lord

By Kelly Burgess

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mother who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a woman and a mother. Above all, the Mom of the Month is dedicated to her children. Rich or poor, famous or not, she shines as an example of what mothering is all about.

Meet July's Mom of the Month, Emily Lord, a successful recording artist who was getting ready to work on a new album when she discovered she was pregnant with her first child. Already busy with her musical career, which includes running her own record label as well as writing and recording her own songs, she began to explore the issue of balance in her life and how having a child would affect that balance. The result was Brand New Day, Lord's third CD and one that expresses the desire of today's woman to seek success without sacrifice.

"The day that I found out I was pregnant I sat down and wrote the title track for this album," Lord says. "It reflected the new mom-to-be experience, the joy and insecurity I felt as I realized my life was going to change. Throughout it all, motherhood has been an inspiration for me, not a drawback."

As a child and teenager, Lord didn't seem to be on track for a career in music. Although she took a year of guitar lessons at a young age and sang in school choruses for years, she didn't seriously consider a musical career until she was in college. Even then, music was just her spare-time profession. What she was really focusing on was making sure she had the skills for a "real" job that would secure her financially when she was finally on her own.

With that secure future in mind, Lord attended Notre Dame University on a scholarship from the U.S. Army, majoring in political science and Spanish. Part of her education included a year of intense study in Spain. While pursuing those degrees, Lord really began to focus on music in her spare time, eventually releasing her first album, Beginnings. The success of that first effort led to some interest in Lord's potential from a few record labels. However, part of her agreement with the army was to put in four years of active service in exchange for her educational funding. She has absolutely no regrets for putting that obligation ahead of her musical dreams.

"When I graduated from college my music was building momentum, but at the same time I was excited about getting started with my active duty in the army," Lord says. "It really helped me broaden my horizons, gave me great leadership skills and I even met my husband there."

When Lord's commitment to the army was fulfilled, although she had enjoyed it immensely, she realized that she didn't want to make a career out of the military. Instead, she settled in the San Francisco area with her husband, Duff, and released her second album, RearView Mirror. Shortly after that, Duff decided to go back to school and Lord took what she calls a "real" job in sales in the Silicon Valley to support the family. It wasn't long before she realized that what she really wanted was to pursue her music.

Lord was building momentum to get back into the recording studio when she discovered she was pregnant. Rather than slowing her down, it just expanded her creative horizons exponentially.

"Kate has been an important part of this release because she inspired so much of the music," Lord says. "Realizing the impact she would have on my life brought me an entire new perspective on expressing myself musically. Not just for myself either; I was sort of feeling part of the great continuum, part of the mom circle." As part of the mom circle, Lord's new gig as a mom has enabled her to become involved in the West Coast expansion of the popular Mamapalooza musical festival.

Just as Lollapalooza honors the young and hip, Mamapalooza is dedicated to highlighting the art of that most exclusive of creative populations: moms.

Although she's been a great boost to Lord's creativity, Kate's impact on the more practical aspects of Lord's life as a musician and businesswoman has been minimal. Lord is able to work primarily from home; at less than a year old Kate is eminently portable, and when Lord has to leave to perform at clubs, Kate's asleep.

"It's not always easy and, although I'm passionately committed to my music, my daughter and husband come first," Lord says. "I'm just so lucky to have a very supportive husband who's also committed to my music and to have a team of folks that are involved on the business end. It's really a team effort, whether it's at home or at the business. I know there are bigger challenges ahead, but right now I'm just enjoying the gift of being able to be present for her while still pursuing my dreams."