Singer Emma Louise Lobb, known professionally as Emma Louise, has spoken about her late diagnoses of autism and ADHD, saying she wishes she had known earlier because she has 'suffered so much'. The 34-year-old, best known for her 2011 single Jungle, was diagnosed with ADHD in her twenties and only discovered her autism in the past few years.
Lobb described experiencing 'grief' over the autism diagnosis, reflecting on how it put past struggles into perspective. 'I just wish I knew [earlier], because I've suffered so much, just feeling unworthy and not good enough,' she said. 'That definitely got me into situations or relationships that weren't very healthy.'
The musician noted that late diagnoses are common for women, as symptoms are often overlooked in childhood. She said the last three years have been about 'peeling back layers and discovering whole new parts of me that I truly love'.
This journey is central to Dumb, a collaborative album with producer Flume (Harley Streten). Lobb said they share a similar neurodivergent experience: 'Harley and I are very similar – we struggle with the same things, and we get along really well in a very abstract way that I think neurodiverse people would understand.'
The album's title came from their mantra of 'making it dumb' – creating unfiltered, real music. Lobb consulted fellow neurodivergent people about the word's ableist connotations before settling on it. 'I feel like it will, at least, open up [conversation],' she said.
