Emin exclusive interview - 'sexiest man in Russia'

by Daniel Falconer | 26 February 2015

In a brand new and exclusive interview, Female First got the opportunity to pose some questions to the 'Sexiest Man in Russia', Emin.

Following his win last night for that Sexiest Man accolade at Moscow's ZD Awards, Emin looks ready to start taking the world by storm with his incomparable music and talented vocals.

Find out what he had to say about his brand new album 'More Amor', his lead single 'Woman' and more below.

When was it that you realised you had a passion and talent for the world of music?

When I was a kid my mum gave me a compilation of Elvis hits from the 50's and there was something magical about that music. For me, that's how it began.

What would you say have been some of your best moments in your career to-date?

It's hard to pin down specific moments, but the most precious ones are meeting my fans during live shows. It's an incredible feeling of being excited and grateful just to be able to do what I love.

How difficult would you say it is to carve out a career in this industry?

I'm a strong believer in doing something with honesty and true passion - and with a bit of luck anything is possible. That said, the music industry is certainly not easy.

Your brand new album 'More Amor' is your fourth English language studio record - tell us a little about the creative process behind this LP.

I've been writing and recording for almost ten years, and my label suggested I do a "Best Of" along with a few new tracks.

We ended up with five brand new tracks, including my collaboration with Charly [Williams] on 'Woman,' 'Footsteps' written by Jamie Scott [who had recent #1's with One Direction] and 'Boomerang' written and produced by the team behind Kylie Minogue and Olly Murs.

We also included five tracks from my previous album, 'Amor', and five of my favorite tracks from albums produced in the UK by Brian Rawling.

And then we included 'Still,' my debut song as a writer and recorded ten years ago. We reworked it, and I'm really excited how it turned out.

And you've chosen to release 'Woman' from that record as your new single, what is it about this song that you love?

It's a song about every woman who is important to each of us - sister, mother, friend, lover, wife, daughter - and how each one is amazing in her own right.

You worked with Rob Davis on this record who's written some of the tracks, what was that experience like?

Rob Davis is just an incredible song writer and talent and he challenged me and that's always exciting.

If you could choose to work with anyone going forward, who would they be and why?

I'm currently working with Brian Rawling again which is really great but wow, there's a whole list of artists I'd love to work with - Sade, Sting, Adele...

Alongside your career in music you run some successful businesses, what can you tell us about that side of your career?

Business is business, [it] takes focus, creativity and a lot of hard work. It's very different from the music world, but, then again, at the same time, exactly the same. There's also a lot of luck involved.

Do you have definitive aims in your career, either in music or in business?

Specific goals, no, but I have a habit of setting the highest possible, probably unreachable, goals. If you're going to dream, dream big.

How do you balance your busy working life and your personal life?

Balance is a relative term for me. Let's just say I don't sleep a lot. I think you should ask me this again in 30 years.

What advice do you have for people who may be looking to venture into either the world of business or the world of music?

One thing I've learned in life is you have to be passionate about whatever you do. Don't give up and be prepared for a long road. And while you need to learn and observe from talented people who surround or inspire you, you knew to always trust your instincts and your own unique talent.

Finally, do you have anything else coming up that you could share some details about?

I'm going on tour in March all over Europe - Ireland, Spain, UK, France, Italy - to introduce my music to lots of new audiences. I hope they like it!