From the moment I arrived, EMIN was warm and welcoming — the kind of host who makes you feel instantly at ease, as though you’re not meeting for the first time but catching up with an old friend. The setting itself was relaxed, overlooking the Caspian, but it was his openness that immediately set the tone.
As we sat next to his piano, we talked about his new album, Maybe Tomorrow, a collection of songs produced by the legendary David Foster. But as the conversation unfolded, it quickly became clear that this album is more than a studio project for him. It’s deeply personal.
“I think it’s important to cover songs that are timeless”, he says “And they are timeless because there’s some DNA and substance in those songs that it doesn’t matter who sings those songs. You hear the melody, you want to hear it. You want to hear more of it.”
When I asked about his earliest musical influences, the conversation turned to Elvis Presley — the artist who first ignited his love of music.
“It was the love from the first sound. I think the first song I’ve heard of his was That’s Alright The Mama, like most of the world. That’s what he started with. That was his first single, I think, and I was maybe 13 years old. And it’s been 33 years, I’m now 46.”
Elvis forever
He looked emotional as he spoke about some of the memories that had clearly risen to the surface as we chatted.
For a moment it didn’t feel like an interview anymore. It felt like someone revisiting a very personal chapter of their life as he casually sang phrases from well-known Elvis songs.
However, his real passion for Elvis is when he discovers versions of his songs that were not necessarily popularised. He says his friends often tell him to stop obsessing about his idol when he’s subjected them to why he loves him so much for too long.
“I still, when I drive in my car, when I’m sitting with my friends, when I had a little bit to drink, I’ll make everybody listen to all this, still to this day.”
“There’s been new music released in the past 23 years, but I will turn on, you haven’t heard Hurt. You haven’t had a live performance from 1974. It’s incredible. Are you lost? Look at the funny Elvis. Look at… And I will just… “
He then admits that “people tell me to stop. After an hour, they’re like, I mean, come on. We had enough Elvis. I said, just one more. It’s almost like a drug.”
Duets, David and me
Back to the album, which has a couple of interesting duets included – one with Amanda Holden and another with Andrea Corr.
Having performed with the likes of J-Lo, Niles Rogers and Nicole Scherzinger, why Amanda Holden, I ask?
“That was David’s idea and he said that he’s (been) friends with Amanda for a while now and she’s great and you’re going to love her. And David, he’s all about people before music and everybody he introduced me to, I remain friends with Nicole Scherzinger, Amanda, many other artists.”
“And he said that I’d like to have at least one female-male-female duet on the album and let’s see what the song could be.”
“And he sent me something stupid, obviously I knew the song very well. And I’ve never sang it before but I said, David, it is a no-brainer for me, let’s,” he told me.
“And then he introduced her to Amanda. We both recorded our vocals separately. Then we met in London and had dinner and hung out. And she’s great. She’s so much fun.”
In his studio, you could see how music transforms him. He seems to come alive in a different way — the energy shifts, the passion becomes even more visible.
It’s clear that music isn’t just his career. It’s the language he’s most comfortable speaking.
Around him, the atmosphere reflected that same warmth. The staff in the studio moved easily around him, smiling, clearly fond of the artist they work with every day. There was a sense of genuine affection in the room — the kind that’s hard to manufacture.
Another song that stands out on the album is “You are so beautiful”. I suggest that his voice sounds particularly good in this song and that the song suits his voice.
“That’s David’s favourite vocal of mine.”
He adds, “The funny story with that song is in 2012 I think we did a concert together with David for PBS show that was broadcasted in America and it was in St. Petersburg in front of the Winter Palace and the Winter palace was the backdrop of the stage and at that time You’re So Beautiful was part of my show, one of the covers I used to do.”
“He said, we should do it. And I already, that song was asleep for me already because I lived with it for a while performing it. He said let’s do it, so it was an easy vocal for me, but for some reason David thinks it’s probably the best vocal on the album of all the songs. Which I disagree with.”
For someone with nearly two decades of international success, from global television audiences to collaborations with some of the world’s biggest names in music, EMIN carries himself with surprising lightness and warmth.
I ask who his fantasy collab would be with.
“One of my favorite artists is Sade, and I love Sade so much,” he says.
What stands out most is not the scale of his career, but his enthusiasm for what comes next.
He speaks about music with the excitement of someone still discovering it — eager to collaborate, eager to experiment, eager simply to keep singing.
And perhaps that’s the real spirit behind Maybe Tomorrow.
It isn’t just a title. It feels more like a promise.