Niblett recorded ''It's Up to Emma'' at Type Foundry and Cloud City Sound in
Portland, Oregon, as well as in New York City and in Niblett's residence. Unlike on her previous albums, Niblett chiefly produced the record as well as mixed it. Niblett described the writing of the album as: "I think for me, [it] seems to be a reflection of a journey through all emotions. It feels like a document of an emotional evolution. Almost like the different stages of grief (anger, denial, acceptance, etc.), all about the same theme [...] The songs are really me dealing with being alone, and the path I took to learning to embrace and value being alone." ==Reception==