Azeribaijani-born, Russia-based singer Emin is not new to the music world and has already gained recognition around the CIS region, Turkey, and the UK. But as his new album is about to hit the shelves of physical and digital stores, he hopes that his success will continue to grow.
He has been called Russia’s Ricky Martin and voted Russia’s sexiest man by FHM magazine, runs a multi-million-pound business in his spare time, and yet he admits that music has always been his one and only true passion.
“I had this tape, when I was probably 12 years old, that my mom has given me for my birthday”, Emin said, referring to the cassette of an early Elvis recording. “And I completely fell in love with the music and since that day music has always been in my life. There had been other things like education which I received in New York in business, finance and economic area, but you know, at some point I felt like this is my true passion, I really want to pursue it,” he said, speaking ahead of his London show earlier in March.
His family moved to Russia from the native Baku when he was four years old. His father’s business started growing in scale, transforming the family. Emin was sent to study first in Europe and later in a university in New York. But business education aside, he decided to pursue his music passion. He recorded his first songs and organized a small show for his family-members and friends.
“I have grown up and been raised not to ask when I want to do something. So when I became a musician, everybody in my family had to kind of face it. It wasn’t like ‘I wanna, I’m thinking about’, I just invited them to my first show which was in 2006 and they all showed up and had to witness my debut,” Emin said.
Being often labeled as “a singer with connections” by media, Emin says that he never wanted his family name and family ties to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev to help him pave his way to success.
“That actually made things a lot more complicated because having, especially in my home country, having the family name which I have removed from my music career – I only use Emin, there is no last name in it – has raised a lot of questions and brought some prejudice to my music initially. So to break through those barriers is something that a regular, I would say starving musician doesn’t have to go through. So it is definitely not an advantage for me.”
Emin’s music career took off in 2006 when he released his first album “Still”. His soft pop ballads brought him a strong following in Russia and the former Soviet states as well as Turkey. He performed at a few big international festivals and events, including the the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 and World Music Awards in Monte Carlo.
His new album ‘More Amor’ is a follow-up to his previous album ‘Amor’ which was released in 2014 and combines his best tracks of the last almost 10 years and a few new singles, including ‘Woman’ and ‘Footsteps’.
“It is a very diverse, interesting album because it is a compilation of things from a few albums of mine. So, musically, production, sound-wise, lyrically it is a very different album although sang by the same guy,” Emin said.
In his music he tried to stay away from the shaky politics of his native region, seeking inspiration in his daily life and feelings instead.
“I think music is outside the politics. At the same time you cannot disregard the happenings, you know, that are taking place around the world. But definitely, I think, when I write a song, when I am sitting at a piano, the last thing I think about is politics. You think about what’s happening in your life, a movie you’ve seen that inspired you to write about what you experienced while watching it. But usually it’s something from your own experience,” Emin told Reuters TV.
The singer is currently traveling around Europe, promoting the new record in Spain, France, Germany, Ireland and other places, and hopes that the record is strong enough to bring him even wider recognition.
“So I am hoping that I will be as successful as I am back at home around Europe. But it is a long path that requires dedication and a bit of luck. And good music always, which I think I’ve got,” Emin says.
‘More Amor’ is out in the UK on March 23, and March 24 globally.
(Reuters)