FEATURE:
Spotlight
EMJAY
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HERE is a fantastic…
Guadalajara-born artist who I have recently discovered. Her new album, Pop Pesado, is her third. EMJAY is someone who you need to know. There are a couple of interviews from this year that I want to get to. Ones to Watch spent time with EMJAY around the release of her E.P., Confesiones de las que me voy a arrepentir. I am not sure whether EMJAY has plans to play in the U.K. at some point. It would be great to see her here:
“EMJAY is an artist who’s always searching—for meaning, for truth, for herself. She’s a songwriter and singer rooted in what she calls “anti-perfect pop”—music that values honesty over polish.
Even within the major music industry, she’s always fought to release what truly connects with people. Her work constantly explores the role of women in music, while pushing boundaries and reinventing itself as a form of quiet revolution.
She represents a new wave of pop—one that feels raw, emotional, and real—and is emerging as a voice for Mexico on a global stage. Her sound is fresh but deeply authentic; she writes from lived experience, which is why her songs feel so personal.
OnesToWatch: Who is EMJAY?
I’ve always been searching for my place in the world, and I found it through music—in the most honest and vulnerable ways of expressing how I feel. I think I’m here to help people who are going through similar things as me—the good and the bad.
Sometimes we just want to feel seen, heard, or understood. That’s why I make music—whether it’s to escape what we’re going through or to hold onto a feeling so we never forget it.
My label always tells me I’ll be the biggest pop star, but I just want to be myself. I want to express my pain, my love, my frustration of never feeling like enough. If my lyrics can connect with people, that’s more than enough for me.
For those weak in Spanish, explain Confesiones de las que me voy a arrepentir.
Confesiones de las que me voy a arrepentir literally means “confessions I thought I was going to regret sharing.”
At first, I felt like I had said too much—like a “lyrical hangover,” where you regret what you revealed… except this time it’s recorded forever.
But now, I don’t regret it at all. I always say that not releasing honest art feels like a sin—and that goes completely against who I am.
The EP touches on everything: fame, people I hate, a girl I fell in love with who became one of my best friends, parasocial relationships… literally every emotion I’ve been going through.
It’s my most honest project so far.
Besides this EP, what should we be on the lookout for?
I’m getting ready to go on tour with a brand-new show—and it’s going to be very rock. Rock, rock, and more rock.
I was a little scared about how to follow my last tour (me estoy volviendo loca), because it was so intense and chaotic—but this new show feels just as energetic in a different way. Performing live with my band is pushing me into new challenges, and I love that. I feel more like myself than ever on stage.
I’m also working on my third album. I don’t want to leave people in the middle of a sound without giving them a full project. It’s been a crazy, busy time, but I love the challenge.
I feel like I’m living “the life of a showgirl.”
But I won’t say more about the album… you’ll have to wait”.
Rather than bring things right up to date now, I do want to come to an interview from last year that is of interest. Earlier in the year, EMJAY released her second album, me estoy volviendo loca. Such a prolific and always-fascinating songwriter, it is interesting learning about her process. I wonder which artists she grew up listening to and who she wants to collaborate with now. If you are new to EMJAY, then do go and listen to her music:
“WALK US THROUGH YOUR SONGWRITING PROCESS. DO YOU WRITE DURING THE DAY OR AT NIGHT
I’m a daytime studio person. I love leaving early. But for writing, there’s never a specific time. My phone is where I really keep my notes. I open them at 4 a.m., at 2 a.m., in traffic, in a meeting. Any idea that comes to me, I always write it down in my phone. I believe ideas don’t have a schedule.”
FOR PEOPLE DISCOVERING YOUR WORK FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHICH SONG SHOULD THEY START WITH?
From the new album, “Drama Doll.” It really introduces the universe behind Me Estoy Volviendo Loca, and it’s one of my personal favorites.
YOUR ALBUM ME ESTOY VOLVIENDO LOCA FEELS VERY PERSONAL. WHAT WAS THAT TWO-YEAR PROCESS LIKE?
Me Estoy Volviendo Loca was an album I made over two years, based on the experiences I was living. It is a super, super fun album. I think people were able to relate a lot to it, and I love that. It’s a very personal album and I feel it connected me so much with my fanbase. My heart was broken during the process by friends and by my exes, but I got out what I needed to get out from those experiences. I didn’t care that they broke my heart or anything. Everything I lived was excellent because it helped me create one of the most personal albums I have so far.
SEVERAL OUTLETS HAVE CALLED YOU THE NEW VOICE OF SPANISH-LANGUAGE URBAN MUSIC. HOW DOES THAT FEEL?
I started music because I loved it, because I realized it was the way I could express myself best. So seeing that title it’s incredible. I’m super happy. And also, continuing this path as a woman in the industry is what’s important. Leaving a mark and opening doors to other females in music is what excites me. That’s what I really want to accomplish. So if it’s happening, amazing!”
TELL US MORE ABOUT BEING A WOMAN IN THE URBAN SPACE.
I think there’s still a difference in how men and women are treated—not just in urban music, but in the industry in general. But I feel that over the years, women have shown with actions how incredible they are. We’ve opened the doors ourselves. Our own doors. It’s a fight women have had for a long time in the industry, but little by little it has evolved. And if you look at the top 5 artists in the world, many are women now. So we’re clearly doing something right”.
As I was wondering who EMJAY would like to collaborate, she did reveal some names when speaking with Wonderland. last month. Also, whilst she does reveal some inspirations, I wonder if there is any music from decades ago that she would have heard when young. You can sense and feel that she is going to keep releasing brilliant album after brilliant album. Do make sure you follow her on social media:
“Emjay is the stage name of María José de la Torre Villaseñor, who hails from Guadalajara. While growing up, she cites Kesha, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Rosalía, and Doja Cat as inspirations. The rock inspiration of Pop Pesado also comes from the bands Emjay likes, such as Mexico’s Zoé, and Wonderland cover stars, Gorillaz. She debuted as a fierce trap singer and rapper with 2023’s LAS MORRAS TAMBIÉN HACEN TR444P. Emjay later introduced hyperpop into the Latin music ecosystem with last year’s frenetic and groundbreaking Me Estoy Volviendo Loca. Off the success of that album, she joined forces with Latin pop icon Belinda on “Boss Rmx” and later opened for Doja Cat’s concert in Mexico City.
Emjay is showing a darker and more vulnerable side to herself with Pop Pesado. She gives her musical approach a rock makeover with the haunting “Lobo” and the enchanting “Moreno Fantasy.” She also leans into alternative territory with Ximena Sariñana in “Atemporal” and Alanis Yuki in “Dónde Tú.” In an exclusive interview with Wonderland, she opened up about her new LP, dream collaborations, and making music for the girls and gays.
Where does that girly and fierce energy in your music come from?
It comes from me just wanting to be myself. I just want to feel like myself. I think every person has their sweet side, but also their fierce side and heavy sides. We all have these two words within us, the dark side and the sweet side. That’s what I want to embrace. I don’t want to hide anything. I don’t want to hold in anything that I’m feeling.
What does your connection with your LGBTQ+ fans mean to you?
My songs are for girls and gays! If straight people want to get into my music, they’re more than welcome. They all know I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community too. All my friends and my whole team belong to that community. Gay people and the LGBTQ+ community are so important in my life. They’re a hard audience to please. They ask for a lot, but I love to meet their expectations. When a gay person tells you, “Girl, you’re doing well,” you know you’re really doing well.
What does the title of your new album Pop Pesado mean to you?
I started with trap music, and then I was like super electronic, but pop and rock have always been part of me. I’ve never felt like I’m this perfect pop star. I’m a messy girl. I’m a super type B girl. I like to party, but I also perform and dance and sing and do the biggest shows I can do. That’s where “Pop Pesado” came from. I know I do pop, but I’m not the pop star that you want me to be. This is just my type of pop.
Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
If you tell me right now to think big, I would love to collaborate with Adéla. She’s one of my favourite artists right now. I also love Charli xcx. Here in Mexico, I would love to collaborate with Kenia Os and Danna. I would say Belinda, but I already have a song with her. I would love to make another song with Six Sex. I would love to collaborate with Akriila as well”.
I will leave things here. I am definitely going to keep an eye out for EMJAY and follow her career, as she is this exciting, fascinating and original voice in modern music. Despite being fresh to her work, I think people can come in now, listen to Pop Pesado, and then work their way back. Such a spectacular artist who has this adoring fanbase, I will also keep my eyes open for U.K. tour dates. I do hope that EMJAY comes and plays here…
SOME time soon.
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