eaJ

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Official Website

Capturing listeners and gaining fans with his intimate lyrics and diverse sound, eaJ is an expert at transforming deep-seated feelings through his music. Coming from a vast international background, including his formative years raised in Buenos Aires before moving to Korea, Canada and finally California, eaJ always felt a little left out from the expectations of his peers and society at large. “It was really hard for me to make friends”, he states. However, immersing himself in music became a way for him to form friendships and delve into a world that interested him. eaJ quickly gained notoriety after a South Korean TV show, K-Pop Star (in a similar vein as American Idol), reached out to him to audition for a music competition. Landing in sixth place, eaJ was quickly invited to start training to be in a Korean rock band, Day6, as their lead guitarist and vocalist, embarking on international tours and performing live for more than half a decade. At the turn of 2020, eaJ began crafting his own music and writing his own songs on the side, uploading his projects to YouTube and ... [ more ] Capturing listeners and gaining fans with his intimate lyrics and diverse sound, eaJ is an expert at transforming deep-seated feelings through his music. Coming from a vast international background, including his formative years raised in Buenos Aires before moving to Korea, Canada and finally California, eaJ always felt a little left out from the expectations of his peers and society at large. “It was really hard for me to make friends”, he states. However, immersing himself in music became a way for him to form friendships and delve into a world that interested him. eaJ quickly gained notoriety after a South Korean TV show, K-Pop Star (in a similar vein as American Idol), reached out to him to audition for a music competition. Landing in sixth place, eaJ was quickly invited to start training to be in a Korean rock band, Day6, as their lead guitarist and vocalist, embarking on international tours and performing live for more than half a decade.

At the turn of 2020, eaJ began crafting his own music and writing his own songs on the side, uploading his projects to YouTube and SoundCloud. Quickly gaining millions of views, eaJ made the decision to leave Day6 and set foot into solo territory, discovering and embracing his own identity as he forged a new path in his career. “Maybe I’m supposed to be doing music and remembering my roots and why I started this journey”, he reflects. “I came to a point where I didn’t know what kind of music I even liked anymore”, probing him to consciously showcase what kind of artist he wished to be.

An open book when it comes to his mental health, eaJ was diagnosed with panic disorder in 2020 and has since publicly shared his mental health journey with his followers and fans, as well as initiated From Friends, a project that has since raised $100,000 for teenagers and young adults to access free mental health care. With his most recent single “ruin my life”, released on April 18th, eaJ strikes a balance between the optimism and despair that comes with desire and longing as he continues to progress in the scope of his sound in an infectious electro-pop direction without losing the vulnerability that continues to resonate with his listeners. In previous tracks like “safe in the rain”, eaJ croons, “I’m not okay / But I’m not insane / Although with the way I act / It might seem that way / It’s complicated / The way that my brain’s in the middle of a rain cloud / Where it drowns all its days”, exploring the grey areas of emotional well-being amidst all the prejudices one might face internally as well as externally. eaJ leans towards chronological storytelling in his discography, as shown in his 2024 track, “when the rain stops”. Combined with soothing vocals and melodies, eaJ exposes a rawness in his words, “Sorry if it feels like I’m out of it / I’m a little fucked up / Guess it doesn’t get easier / Like they say that it does”, a reminder that one’s mental health journey isn’t a linear or clean process.

When asked about his writing process, eaJ initially relied on stream-of-conscious writing, as with his Insomnia Trilogy released in the early and mid-half of 2023 (Laughing in Insomnia, Smiling in Insomnia and Medicated Insomnia), a meditation on sleepless nights and the beauty and chaos that came along with that period. After collaborating with a multitude of talented individuals, including Salem Ilese, Hindia and Sean Douglas, eaJ’s writing process became more intentional and collective. “I have all these amazing people that are helping me and willing to take time out of their day”, he expresses. “It’s senseless doing this on my own.” Focusing equally on both rhythm and sincerity, the singer-songwriter emotes much of his personal pain and frustration that stand the test of authenticity, creating music that his listeners can deeply recognize and associate themselves with.

A self-ascribed classic introvert, eaJ sometimes struggles to keep the balance of his public persona with his need for down time, yet he still highlights touring as one of his favorite aspects of being a musician. When asked where he’d love to tour next, he quickly states Buenos Aires as a dream destination; a city he hasn’t been to since infancy but that would stand as a significant location to come back to as a full circle moment. With plenty more musical releases and collaborations on the horizon, eaJ’s strengths lie in his ever-evolving explorations as an artist while simultaneously providing comfort in his consistently transparent and vulnerable lyrics. [ less ]