Mallorca-based singer-songwriter and producer Emland is making waves with his heartfelt and nostalgic sound. With the release of his latest single, “Better Off Without Me,” on July 19, 2024, he takes listeners back to the ’90s while painting a deeply sincere apology through music. The track is a heartfelt pop song that highlights Emland’s poetic and honest storytelling.

Growing up in Germany with Spanish roots, Emland’s journey has been one of profound loss and self-discovery. Music became his safe haven- a way to express himself and find liberation. Now, as he prepares to release his fully self-written and produced debut album, “EVOLVE,” expected next year, Emland opens up about his beginnings, inspirations, and the emotional depth of his work.

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Q1. How did you start making music? Can you tell us about your journey and first steps in the industry?

Well, to answer this question properly I have to go way back in time and tell you a little bit about myself. 

Music has always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started playing the piano when I was a kid, I’d say I was probably around six or something like that. 

I was born and raised in Germany as a single child. Both of my parents were spanish though. 

I learned the piano in a very classical way and environment, which I never really enjoyed while I was growing up. Still, that instrument has always had an emotional effect on me from the very first day. So, being a child, I never stopped playing it but never really felt it the way I did later on. 

When I was sixteen, my mom unfortunately passed away and my dad decided that we’d move back to Spain, where the whole rest of our family was living. So we did that. 

I went through a very difficult and dark period of time back then. I felt deeply sad, lost and just scared of everything around me – after all, in a certain way, I had lost my whole life, everything – my mom, my friends, my hometown, my hobbies, even the language I used to speak 90% of my time – all of that was just gone. 

And that’s the exact point were I discovered and started to experience music in a much deeper way. I started to spend time playing random stuff, forgetting about everything that I had been playing before. I forgot about sheets, scores and all that kind of things and began to discover and to “use” the piano in a different way. And I found that extremely liberating. 

Now I’ve always been very sensitive to sound in general, so that instrument became a vehicle to me. Every single time I sat down and played, it was just like a way to escape from where I was. It was so liberating. A peaceful place. Freedom. Somehow it just brought back light, if that makes sense. 

Music became, literally, a space to me. A safe space where I could express myself. And that was the time when I started to play my first own melodies and songs. 

From there, songwriting and production came very natural to me. I had just found my personal way to look at and to process life. That hasn’t changed ever since. I jumped from the piano to synthesizers, started to discover DAWs on the computer, and just went from there.   

I’ve spent many years doing music, writing and producing songs, just for myself. 

During the pandemic, though, my approach changed. I just realized that I was so commited to music that somehow, naturally, I was working on a bunch of songs that were begging me to leave my comfort zone and just make a step out into the world. And that’s what I’m trying to do now for the very first time 🙂

I released my first ever single called “Fighters” on all platforms back in march and my second single, “Better off without me” came out July 19. Both songs will be on my first album, “EVOLVE“, that’s still in the making and that I’m planning to release in the second half of 2025.

Q2. Which song would you consider your signature piece, and why?

I think “Better off without me” is very much what my music is and what I want it to be. It’s an honest, direct and true story, where I’m trying to be 100% who I am as a human being. Soundwise it’s reminiscent of the nineties, with a lot of vocal harmonies going on. Plus, there’s a blend of both acoustic and electronic elements that I feel very naturally drawn to and that I think are very essential in the way I write and produce songs. 

Q3. How do you find the balance between personal emotions and something that resonates with a wider audience?

To be honest, I don’t really think there’s a secret to that. I mean, for sure it feels like magic when you write about something that’s very personal to you and you see others connect with that; but we are all human beings and as such we do share something like, let’s say, an emotional color palette. So when you write about emotions, about things that have touched your inner self in a deep way, chances are that others have felt that same way before too. The particular stories may differ, but the emotions that we feel around those stories are similar or at least recognizable. When I write, the only thing that’s a must for me, regarding storytelling, is to put myself on the edge of what I’m writing about, being completely open and sincere with and in the song. It’s a little bit like getting into the shower. How do we do that? Well, usually naked. No clothes on. Writing is the same. At least to me 🙂

Q4. What has been the most unexpected source of inspiration for one of your songs?

Hmmmmm – that’s a good one. I’d say… probably a text message. 

I remember getting a particular text message and thinking like a whole day about how and what exactly to answer. And that turned into a song. It’s gonna be on “EVOLVE” 🙂

Q5. Are there any genres or types of music that you listen to for yourself, but that are very different from what you create?

I listen to a lot of Jazz, I just love it. Depends on what I’m doing, but lots of times it’s my go-to genre. 

Q6. How has your approach to making music changed since you first started?

Actually, I don’t think that the approach itself has changed too much. What has definitely evolved is my way of understanding songwriting and production. Nowadays I know and handle much more tools that help me be more efficient and more on point with my music. But the approach itself, that’s pretty much the same. If something moves me in a very special way and I need to think about it and carry it with me – that’s for sure going into a song at some point. It doesn’t have to be today, tomorrow or next month. But I’ll for sure write about it once the time is right for me. 

Q7. How do you deal with creative blocks or periods when the music just isn’t coming to you?

That obviously happens from time to time and there’s no simple answer to that. It depends on the moment and what’s happening. 

If I’m working on a specific song and I get stuck at a certain point, I normally try to focus on a different section – just to make a step back from the fire and find another perspective. I might even go and work on another song, just to breathe a little. Not too much though, I don’t like to step completely back as that disconnects me from what I’m doing. I always try to stay connected in some way. 

If we’re talking about a more general creative block – just listening to new sounds, samples, trying out new plug ins, even listening to new and fresh music – I find that very inspiring and that often triggers some kind of idea that I can start to work with. I just basically try to keep going when that happens. There’s a quote by Picasso – “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working” – I believe in that. 

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