Emily Haines
The magnetic frontwoman of Metric, whose synth-driven anthems and sharp lyrics defined a strand of 2000s indie-rock cool.
Born 1974 (age 52)·Canadian singer-songwriter·Birthday: January 25·Generation X
Biography
Emily Haines is the kinetic center of Metric, a band whose sleek, urgent sound became a soundtrack for urban anxiety and exhilaration. Born in New Delhi and raised in Ontario, she was immersed in a creative environment; her father was the poet Paul Haines. She formed an early musical partnership with guitarist James Shaw while living in New York City in the late 1990s, a collaboration that would become the core of Metric. Relocating to Toronto, she also became a pivotal member of the sprawling indie collective Broken Social Scene, contributing vocals to classics like 'Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl.' With Metric, Haines crafted a distinct persona: part new-wave heroine, part poetic observer. Behind the keyboard, she delivered songs like 'Combat Baby' and 'Gold Guns Girls' with a cool detachment that could erupt into visceral release. Her lyrics often wrestled with themes of modernity, consumerism, and personal agency. Alongside Metric's commercially successful albums, she has released intimate, piano-based solo work as Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, revealing a more vulnerable side to her artistry.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Emily was born in 1974, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Emily Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Emily's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1979Started school
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1987Became a teenager
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Turned 30
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 40
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 50
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 52 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led Metric to commercial and critical success with albums like 'Fantasies' (2009) and 'Synthetica' (2012), both shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize.
- Co-wrote and performed on Broken Social Scene's landmark album 'You Forgot It in People,' a defining record of the 2000s indie scene.
- Received a Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year for Metric's 'Art of Doubt' in 2019.
- Her song 'Black Sheep,' performed with Metric for the soundtrack of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,' became a cult hit.
Did You Know?
She and Metric bandmate James Shaw once lived and recorded in a converted former heroin shooting gallery in Brooklyn.
Her father, Paul Haines, wrote the lyrics for the cult jazz album 'Escalator Over the Hill.'
She is an avid surfer.
The name 'Metric' was chosen because it 'sounded European and cool.'
“I never wanted to be a rock star. I just wanted to be in a band that was good.”
