A major star in his homeland of Russia, vocalist and songwriter Emin has set his sights on spreading the success of his music to the UK with the March 14th release of the single ‘Obvious’ and his first international album ‘Wonder’ that follows on March 21st.
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Emin Agalarov’s family relocated to Moscow when he was young. When studying and running his own business in New York, he performed in public for the first time as the singer in a classic rock ‘n’ roll covers band. Subsequently appointed as a key director in one of Moscow’s most visionary corporations, EMIN’s passion for music saw him release his debut album ‘Still’ in 2006 which sold phenomenally well throughout Russia. That success has continued across three subsequent album releases and internationally, has earned famous friends including Robert De Niro, J-Lo and Marc Anthony.
After conquering the local music scene, EMIN looked for that unique person who could help replicate his success abroad and found his man in the shape of producer extraordinaire Brian Rawling (Enrique Iglesias, Cher, JLS, James Morrison). Together, the duo worked with highly accomplished songwriters such as the multiple Ivor Novello winner Paul Barry (Enrique’s ‘Hero’) and Wayne Hector (‘Everybody in Love’ and ‘Beat Again’ by JLS).
The result of their labour is ‘Wonder’, an album based around irresistible melodies and immediate pop choruses, most notably on one of the stand-out tracks, ‘Any Time You Fall', which sublimely combines a tender verse with an uplifting stratospheric hook that recalls the best of Take That’s ballads.
The yearning ‘Don’t Go’ swirls evocative strings over a compelling, contemporary beat, while ‘One Last Dance’ and ‘You Don’t Even Know’ raise the tempo to mesmeric effect. It’s easy to hear an element of Enrique Iglesias or Chris Isaak at certain moments, but EMIN’s personality and innate charm rise to the surface. Importantly, two of the album’s key songs – the title track and the first single ‘Obvious’ – were both co-written by Emin. “Both of these songs are stories of emotions and feelings for someone you love, someone you miss, someone who’s not around anymore,” he says. “Every song is a story".
EMIN’s recent Russian arena shows have seen him debut material from ‘Wonder’ to a rapturous reception. He will travel to the UK in January for a promotional trip that will be followed by his first dates here in the spring.