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Artist Spotlight
Emaan

Emaan grabbing her hair

The first song Emaan ever wrote was about world peace. She was nine years old, had no instruments, and sang it entirely acapella. That early spark still burns in her music today: now based in LA, the Omani-raised artist layers her voice into textured demos, beatboxing rhythms, stacking harmonies and sculpting emotion before a single producer touches the track. Her latest release, BYE, captures heartbreak with clarity and strength, offering a glimpse into an artist ready to shed autotune and dig even deeper. We caught up with Emaan to talk creative rituals, community-building, rebellious fashion, and finding beauty in darkness.

Emaan posing

What first pulled you toward making music, and when did you start writing your own songs?

The first song I ever wrote was about "World Peace", I wanna say I was like 9. It was all acapella because I didn't know how to play any instruments properly at that point. Once I picked up the guitar at 12, songwriting became second nature to me. I've always gravitated towards music since I was a baby. I used to watch movies and replicate the melodies I'd hear onto an old piano we had in our house growing up, I think I was 2 or 3.

You're known for self-recording and building your demos from the ground up, including singing all of the instruments. Walk us through your creative process, from the initial spark to taking a track to a producer.

It's a different process every time but my best ideas come to me while I'm driving or when I'm on a walk. I'll get a bass groove or a melody stuck in my head, repeat it at least 15 times, grab my phone, record the idea, get to my laptop as fast as I can, lay down the idea (acapella) and then start layering drums (beatboxing), melody and bass (more vocals) and then of course vocals, harmonies and adlibs. Looking for samples or creating the perfect drum pattern can be so tedious and take me away from the creative process so I decided to go with this method and then show a producer friend my creation and pray that they can see the vision. I'll provide reference tracks sometimes too. 

Growing up in Oman, what kind of music did you have access to? And how has that environment shaped your sound or identity as an artist?

I used to go to concerts growing up in Oman. In high school I saw 30 seconds to mars, Sean Paul, Jay Sean - and then at some point during my junior year concerts were banned due to religious old heads not approving of the scene it was cultivating (alcohol was served at the venues and people took advantage of that). We also had radio stations that played pop/R&B songs and of course being in an Arab country Arabic music was being played in most houses/weddings/parties all the time. When playing guitar and writing, I'd always automatically go for a harmonic minor/arabian scale even when singing pop/r&b, it just satisfies my brain - till this day my songs are very dark and moody but also mysterious/alluring and it's because of that scale.

Do you feel there’s a cultural tension (or maybe even a creative synergy) between your Omani roots and the LA scene you’re in now?

I'd say there's definitely a good blend of the 2. I've been in a very contemporary/alternative bag with my music lately while still trying to incorporate arabic and that harmonic minor scale. But also in terms of lifestyle, I've been able to hone in on coming back to my roots and finding community within LA. Through my collective MJLS, we host community events for people from the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) diaspora and have cultivated incredible relationships with people through it. I've been able to find people who've felt equally as lost living in the states and have now been introduced to their culture in a new and more personal light. It's been so rewarding and magical to see.

If you were to create a mood board that captures the essence of your music, what would be on it?


Oh I'd have to put Rihanna up there, Billie Eilish, 070 Shake, Banks, Rosalia and Frank Ocean. All these artists are so incredibly versatile, their sounds can be cinematic and grand but still so raw yet heavily produced but they can also strip everything down and still be so raw - I aspire to be on their level.


Given fashion's prominent role in your identity, both on and off stage, how would you characterize your personal style? What or who would be the biggest influence on this?



It really is all dependent on my mood and the weather BUT, there will always be a flowy element and an arabic/middle eastern influence somewhere. I didn't get the chance to be as expressive with my clothes living in Oman. I'd be hounded for wearing pants that were "too" tight or God forbid you see the lining of my bra through any shirt no matter how baggy it is, it was one of the most frustrating things for me. Rihanna's always been an influence, Tyla as of recently, honestly I get all my inspo through the fashion girlies on Instagram, their content keeps me satisfied for hours.

Emaan singing live
Emaan dancing with iridescent fabric

Musically, who are some artists (past or present) who’ve helped you feel seen, or influenced how you express yourself?

 

070 Shake has the biggest influence on my sound, I just love how grand her production is and how she sculpts worlds through that, her vocals are also so gritty and powerful naturally too. I was a huge Tori Kelly fan when I started playing guitar, her runs and riffs alone raised me. I've been listening to a lot of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland lately in terms of groove and production, they just have fun with it and you can hear that. I love it.

 

Your latest release BYE addresses a breakup – it’s beautiful, but bittersweet. What was going through your head when you wrote the lyrics?

 

I wrote that a year ago when I was fresh out of the breakup, when I lose trust over a person I gave my everything to, I move like I was never there. You will never hear from me again and I hope that in itself haunts you for life <3 Releasing it also meant that I'm holding myself accountable, I'm closing that door and not ever turning back - and I haven't. I wanted it to evoke feeling strong and powerful over being petty. 

BYE was released with both sped-up and slowed-down versions, and they all seem to work really well. Do you feel more connected to one particular speed?

 

I loveee the sped up version. This is also coming from the person who had the Alvin and The Chipmunks Movie soundtrack on CD as a kid and unironically listened to that everyday for weeks on end. I love a sped up version of anything, they make my brain happy.

 

You’ve got a show coming up at Zero Lounge in Hollywood as part of SOUNDWAVES. What can people expect from your live set?

 

Expect nostalgia, hyperpop, be ready to dance, be ready to be serenaded and a surprise Disney channel cover from our childhoods that you're gonna love (especially my girls).

Emaan prone on a reflective service

Finally, what’s next for Emaan?

I'm going to be saying goodbye to autotune for a while real soon! I have been creating with new people non-stop and it feels amazing, expect more breakdowns of my production process and less electronic stuff, I'm going back to my roots!

You can find Emaan on Spotify, Instagram and TikTok.

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