FAIRBANKS — Like many young Alaskans, singer-songwriter Emma Hill was ready to get out of the state.

But even though she did and now lives in Portland, Ore., that doesn’t mean Alaska isn’t part of her music.

“(It) comes out subtly,” she said. “You can hear bits of Alaska in the songs.”

She wouldn’t elaborate too much on the details; sometimes there’s a reference to a mountain, or a road. Sometimes it’s an entire scene that took place in the state. Either way, it’s a lends a small glimpse into Hill’s achingly personal songs.

Raised in Sleetmute, a village of 100 located on the Kuskokwim River 166 miles northeast of Bethel, she moved to Palmer when she was 14, and graduated from high school a year early in 2005. After spending a year at the University of Alaska Anchorage she moved to Oregon to continue school at Portland State University and to pursue the music scene.

Two records later, with one more in the works, she’s still pursuing it.

Her “Home Sweet Home” tour started July 17 in Anchorage and will conclude Thursday at The Marlin. Starting at 8 p.m., tickets are $5.

Hill said she would define her style with three genres: folk, Americana and alt-country. But her music hints at a mix of influences, including jazz, rock and blues.

Her songs touch on personal subjects. She delves into sweeping topics like love and heartbreak and then picks out the quiet, mundane aspects of the everyday. She sings about life like someone who has experienced a lot more than her 22 years would suggest.

She said that the stories she sings about in her songs aren’t necessarily 100 percent true. She said that even though everything she writes is firmly rooted in reality, as a writer she’s allowed to elaborate a little.

“It’s about making stories less personal or horridly personal,” she said.

Also joining her on tour is Bryan Daste on pedal steel, one of the members of her backup band, the Gentlemen Callers. Of the four Gentlemen Callers, Daste has been performing with Hill the longest.

Last summer she and the Gentlemen Callers went on a national tour, promoting her latest album, “Clumsy Seduction” which was released earlier that year. They traveled from coast to coast, playing 30 gigs in about 40 days.

She said that she comes back to Alaska every year, but that this was first time she’s done a tour in the state. She said Fairbanks is extra special to her because she used to visit her brother here when he attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“I’m really excited to come home,” she said.

Contact features writer Suzanna Caldwell 459-7504. IF YOU GO

What: Emma Hill featuring Bryan Daste

with Feeding Frenzy

When: 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: The Marlin

Tickets: 21 and over, $5

Information: www.emmahillmusic.com