Known for his emotively-driven dance music, EMBRZ is making waves with his melodious, catchy and heartfelt music. The Irish artist had his breakthrough almost a decade ago in 2015 with his single ‘Progress’. Since then, his career and evolution as an artist has catapulted to unparalleled heights. Today, he regularly plays at illustrious festivals including Lost in Dreams and CRSSD, while he’s clocked over 15 million streams on Spotify this year alone. In our exclusive interview with EMBRZ, he discusses the approach to his single ‘Arrow’ featuring bailey, stress reduction and emerging artists on his radar.
Can you walk us through the creative process of your latest single ‘Arrow’ featuring bailey? Was your approach any different compared to your solo releases?
This song was actually a demo that bailey sent over at the start of this year, which I really liked. I’ve worked with Sam before and aside from being a legend to work with, he has such a beautiful voice! It’s like a mixture of Chris Martin and Bon Iver. So ‘Arrow’ was really about making the right production so the vocal shines. It was a bit of a different process than other tracks, as I often write my own vocals. It makes the song feel more personal, plus I really enjoy it.
Stream EMBRZ, Bailey – ‘Arrow’ below:
It’s clear from your social media that you have quite a personal relationship with your fans. Has this been a natural progression for you or was it more of a conscious decision?
I don’t think it’s something you think about too much. Social media is weird, if I wasn’t an artist, I’d like to think I wouldn’t have it, or use it very little. But that’s just not how the world works when you need to promote music and sell tickets.
So once I accepted that it’s here to stay, I thought I might as well just have fun with it. Even though it’s like a whole other job, I do get a kick out of making fun little sketches and being silly on it. But yeah I guess it shows more of me as a person and the things I like. Humans are curious creatures, and I think if we know more about the person, then we can also connect more with their music.
In a recent social media post you courageously revealed that you’re experiencing alopecia which results from stress. In light of this, how do you manage the stress that comes from such a demanding industry?
I think by trying to slow down and learning how to rest properly. I think I’m what you call a ‘workaholic’. Which is often rewarded in our society. It’s one of the reasons the project is in a good place at the moment. But I’ve also been working on this project for over 10 years. And I would often feel bad or put pressure on myself if I wasn’t working because there is always something to do, a song to write. So I learned the hard way that this is not good for the body and the alopecia was its way of telling me. I’m very lucky to get to do what I do, and grateful for the opportunities, but not at the expense of my health, so again just about trying to find the right balance.
Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.
My favourite way to write music nowadays is to start on the piano. If you can get something to sound good with just a vocal and piano, then you’re on to something. So I’ll put together the basic chords and vocal etc. and then begin the production process. I think this sets the limitations because you can literally do anything with software. That can also be fun if you want to mess around and see what happens. But I’ve found a song with a vocal needs some structure to begin with. I use Diva a lot, and try not to get too many plugins etc. You can go down a rabbit hole of just buying too much. But it’s best to just stick to some stuff you like and have that work well for you.
Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?
Years ago, I played at an Irish music festival called Body & Soul. All my friends were there, and I had practiced for ages to get my set right because I was so nervous. It was an amazing show, probably my biggest at the time. And the vibes were great, it was special. I actually volunteered to work at this festival years before just so I could get a free ticket. So it was so cool to actually go and play it. It was definitely one of those, “Oh this would be a fun life!”
I do think though, writing a song, that very first moment when the idea comes together is unbelievably addictive. Even if the music industry collapsed, I think I’d still be writing, doing something creative with music, because I live for that feeling of an idea coming to life.
Any emerging artists on your radar?
Oracle has been making great music, and I have regularly featured him in my Endless Drive mixes. Covex, MYRNE and Edapollo have all released great stuff this year!
Is there anything on your current playlist that would surprise us?
Yes, I’d say all of it. I barely listen to electronic music anymore. Not because I don’t love it, but it puts me into ‘producer mode’. I start thinking about the synths, the mix or if could I make something like this. And I find myself not really listening and enjoying the way you are supposed to.
So I listen to a lot of music that is different than my own. I’ve always been a big fan of metal, and there are so many great bands nowadays. Bands like kublai khan tx, SpiritBox, Bring Me The Horizon, Boundaries, just to name a few. But then on the other side, I love country and indie folk. Living in Austin, TX might have some influence on this. Adrianne Lenker was my most listened to artist this year. Everyone should check her out!
Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you in 2025?
I’m too scared to say or commit to the idea of a third album, so I’ll just say I’m back in writing mode and want to release more music in 2025. Also the day party tour this past summer was so much fun so maybe bringing that concept to the next level. I also recently dropped a new DJ mix, as part of my Endless Drive series, so I think it could be cool to do more of these because I know everyone loves a good mix! Oh, and also most importantly…. a new long glowing head of hair!
Follow EMBRZ:
Spotify – Instagram – X – Facebook – SoundCloud
