EMIN

Emin first drew notice across Russia for his youthful appearance and melodic pop style, which prompted comparisons to Enrique Iglesias, though at home he was recognized chiefly as the heir to a billion-dollar business empire and the son-in-law of a polarizing head of state. Emin Araz Oglu Agalarov entered the world in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 1979 and passed his early years across several nations while his father expanded real-estate holdings. After the family settled in Moscow, he attended school in Switzerland and later moved to New Jersey, where he began singing with a rock-and-roll cover group. Upon completing a business and management degree at New York University, he launched an online retail venture, opened a specialty shoe boutique on Madison Avenue, and took the post of commercial director at Moscow’s Crocus Group. In 2005 he turned to music, guided by the veteran Soviet baritone Muslim Magomayev, and issued his debut album, Still. Following his marriage to Leyla Aliyeva, daughter of Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev, he delivered the albums Incredible (2007), the Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra tribute Obsession (2008), and Devotion (2009). Turning toward European listeners, he settled in London and collaborated with producer Brian Rawling, known for his work with Cher, and songwriter Wayne Hector, recognized for his contributions to Westlife, on the album Wonder, which appeared first in Russia in 2010. Two years afterward came After the Thunder, containing a version of David Sneddon’s “Baby Get Higher.” An album of Russian-language songs preceded further releases of romantic ballads and refined dance-pop, including Amor (2014), More Amor (2015), and The Falling 8 (2015). His partnership with Nile Rodgers on “Boomerang” reached the Top Ten of Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart.