ELMAN is a Russian singer, musician and producer, one of the founders of the RAAVA Music label. Elman's real name is Elman Elman oglu Zeynalov. Wide audience learned about him after "New Star Factory", his first notable releases and further work not only as an artist, but also as a person who helps other performers to grow.
Elman now is not just a singer with recognizable tracks, but an artist who has been working in several roles at once for a long time. He releases music, produces and remains an important figure for RAAVA Music.
Where and when ELMAN was born
Elman's biography is interesting already at the start. It includes his Azerbaijani roots, his move to Russia, and his way into music without a classical profile education. All this makes his story not quite typical for the pop scene.
Azerbaijani roots and childhood
Elman Zeynalov was born on November 18, 1993 in Sumgait. He grew up in an Azerbaijani family, and this part of his biography is still important for him. Open sources also say that he was born after the death of his native father, so he was brought up by his mother and stepfather.
Such details explain a lot in his character. In the history of the artist from the very beginning feels not the easiest, but very collected start.
Sports, youth and first interests before music
Before music, Elman was seriously engaged in judo. This is an important point, because sport often gives the very discipline without which it is difficult to sustain the music industry later on.
Music in his case did not come as his only hobby from childhood, but as a later and already realized choice. Perhaps that is why there was so much perseverance and inner focus in his career later on.
Education and first steps
Elman's path to music was not academic. He did not have a music school, conservatory or specialized university. But there was an ordinary student life, independent attempts to make himself known and a clear understanding that he wanted to go in this direction.
Studying at Rostov State University of Railway Transport
After graduating from school, Elman entered the Rostov State University of Railway Transport. This is quite a distant trajectory from the stage, but this is precisely one of the features of his biography.
Music on this background did not look like an obvious continuation. Rather it gradually superseded everything else and at some point became the main thing.
How ELMAN came to music without specialized musical education
Elman came to music as a self-taught musician. At an early stage, he recorded covers, posted them on Instagram and gradually gathered his first audience.
This is an important detail. He didn't enter the industry through classical school or an off-the-shelf system. Everything was built through personal initiative, the internet and constant attempts to make himself heard.
That's why his story feels alive. It doesn't have the feeling of a pre-scripted route - rather, it's the path of a man who was looking for an entry point into the profession on his own.
The beginning of his musical career
The professional stage began for Elman quite quickly. First came the first notable songs, then a contract with a major label, and then a television project that brought him to a mass audience.
The first tracks like "Adrenaline" and the path to recognizability
One of the first notable releases was the track "Adrenaline", which came out in 2017. For Elman, it was an important point: the song helped him get out of the status of just an internet performer and become more noticeable in the musical environment.
It's with releases like this that real growth usually begins. When an artist has a song that a wide audience can latch on to, his or her career begins to move at a different pace.
Contract with Warner Music Russia
In 2017, ELMAN signed a contract with Warner Music Russia. It was a major step forward for the young performer.
Such a contract usually means that the artist was seen not just as a local potential, but as a real prospect for a big market. For Elman, it was an important confirmation that he was moving in the right direction.
ELMAN and "New Star Factory".
That same year, he made it to the New Star Factory and ended up placing fourth. For the general audience, this was the moment when Elman's name first became truly visible.
The TV project gave him what a budding artist usually lacks: quick reach, recognizability and the opportunity to go beyond his first audience. After that, he was no longer seen as someone from the internet who was just trying out singing. He became a figure who began to be watched.
After the project, Viktor Drobysh became Elman's producer, but after a while the contract was terminated. This is an important moment, because instead of staying in the classic production system, he quite quickly began to build his own trajectory.
Creation of RAAVA Music
At this point, Elman's story was no longer just that of a solo artist. Quite quickly it became clear that he was interested not only in his own career, but also in creating a musical environment around him.
How the label came about
In 2018, Elman launched RAAVA Music. It was an important step because it was no longer just about songs and videos, but about trying to build his own system within the industry.
Starting your own label at that age seemed like a pretty bold move. Usually young artists first try to establish themselves as much as possible and then think about the development of others. Elman took a slightly different path. He was interested not only in his personal career, but also in the possibility of gathering a strong musical team around him.
This approach says a lot about his view of the industry. For him, music turned out to be not only a personal creation, but also a space that can be built more broadly: through artists, joint releases, common sound and production decisions.
First artists of the label: ELMAN, Andro, JONY
At the start of RAAVA Music, ELMAN himself, as well as Andro and JONY were most often associated with RAAVA Music. It was this bundle that made the label visible to a wider audience.
Later on, other names appeared around RAAVA, such as a sound engineer. But it is these artists who are generally considered the core of the early stage. This is important because the label was built from the beginning not as a formal association of names, but as a working musical structure and became associated with the new pop wave.
Collaborations with JONY, Andro, Mona and other singers
ELMAN's songs are not only noticeable in solo format, but also in collaborations. Collaborations with JONY, Andro, Mona and other artists have become an important part of his career.
Such releases work in several directions at once. On the one hand, they expand the audience. On the other hand, they show how organic the artist feels in different musical environments. Elman does it quite naturally: he doesn't get lost in duets and doesn't look like a random participant of joint tracks.
Separately we should remember the mini-album "Muse", which also showed well how important for him the internal ties within the label and the general musical environment are.
The Muse EP was released in 2021 and included four tracks. It was an important release for Elman: it showed him not only as a solo artist, but also as someone who builds music through a close circle of artists and the overall sound of the label.
ELMAN's most famous songs
If we talk about the tracks that the general audience most often associates ELMAN with, not only the early "Adrenaline" but also the later songs are important here. In music interviews and publications, "Antihero" and "Fly" are regularly named among his notable works.
On streaming services, "Zari" and "From the Sky" also stand out among the popular tracks. Such a set of releases shows that his career is not kept on one random song, but on a more stable discography.
Albums and discography
ELMAN's discography is built primarily around singles and collaborative releases, which is quite typical for artists of his generation. That said, an important point was the EP "Muse", released in 2021. It included four tracks and was recorded with the participation of JONY, Andro and Gafur.
This release did a good job of showcasing both Elman's musical circle and the role that working within his own team plays in his career. Subsequently, his catalog continued to grow with individual songs and collaborations that kept audiences interested in both streaming and media.
Personal life
Elman's personal life has not looked like a closed topic for a long time, but at the same time does not become the main content of his image. About the family he talks calmly, without unnecessary demonstrativeness, and this works rather to the advantage.
Wife Margarita Tsoi and children
Elman's wife's name is Margarita Tsoi. They got married on December 6, 2019. In the summer of 2020, the couple had a daughter Marielle, and in early 2024 - a son Jordan.
Elman's personal life is not flaunted. That said, it is clear that for him it is an important and stable part of life that exists separate from the stage, releases and media noise.
What ELMAN is doing now
Nowadays, Elman continues to release music, work with label projects and combine his career with his family life. His name is still associated with both solo releases and the development of RAAVA Music.
Today, Elman is no longer just a singer, but a man who has long held several positions in the industry. His career looks quite established, but at the same time not frozen. He stays on the move: he releases new tracks, works with label artists, appears in the media and keeps in touch with the audience that has come to him since his first notable releases.
In this sense, Elman's history does not look like a short period of popularity, but a consistent development. He has managed to go from a novice performer to a man who influences not only his own career, but also the musical trajectories of other artists.
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