Emilie Autumn Liddell was born in Los Angeles, California, better known by her stage name Emilie Autumn, is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and violinist. Autumn draws influence for her music—the style of which she has alternatively labeled as "Victoriandustrial" and glam rock—from plays, novels, and history, particularly the Victorian era. Performing with her all-female backing band The Bloody Crumpets, Autumn incorporates elements of classical music, cabaret, electronica, and glam rock with theatrics, burlesque, and "flamboyant" outfits. Outspoken about bipolar disorder and her experience in a modern-day psychiatric ward, she has written an autobiographical novel, 2010's The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls.

Her music encompasses a wide range of styles. Autumn's vocal range registers from contralto to dramatic soprano, and her vocal work has been compared to Tori Amos, Kate Bush, and The Creatures. She has released two instrumental albums (On a Day... and Laced/Unlaced), and three which feature her vocals: Enchant, Opheliac, and A Bit o' This & That. The 2003 album Enchant drew on "new age chamber music, trip-hop baroque, and experimental space pop". Autumn layers her voice frequently, and incorporates electronics and electronic effects into her work on Enchant; she also combines strings and piano for some songs, while others feature mainly the piano or violin. The 2006 release Opheliac featured "cabaret, electronic, symphonic, new age, and good ol' rock & roll (and heavy on the theatrical bombast)."