I've seen people comment that James must have put money into it if his dad was involved. I'm starting to think maybe she asked James to help, thinking he would get excited about it, but he passed it on to his dad, and she ended up paying his dad for advice
It's sad that she is putting her life on hold for someone who has no intention of returning to the UK permanently. It's also clear that she wants the independence of living alone but hates the feeling of loneliness. She doesn't want to live in her hometown because saying London sounds better. She has set herself up to fail in both scenarios
If/when Emily and James break up, I don't think she would want to date a "regular" guy. She'd compare all guys to what she had before ("my boyfriend's in a band") instead of focusing on all the positives about a healthy relationship, and not what she has now