Emin Aras oghlu Agalarov ( az, Emin Araz oğlu Ağalarov, russian: Эмин Аразович Агаларов; born December 12, 1979), also known as Emin Arazovich Agalarov, is an

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n singer and businessman. He writes and performs songs in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and Russian and is widely popular in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

and

Early life

Emin Arasovich Agalarov was born in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world an ...

, Azerbaijan. He is the son of Azerbaijani–Russian oligarch

Aras Agalarov Aras Iskanderovich Agalarov ( az, Araz İsgəndəroviç Ağalarov; russian: link=no, Ара́з Исканде́рович Агала́ров; born 8 November 1955) is an Azerbaijani-Russian billionaire real estate developer. Several sources hav ...

, head of the . Emin's father is Azerbaijani and his mother is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. He considers himself a Muslim. His family moved to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

when Emin was four years old. When he was 13, his parents sent him to a school in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Agalarov moved to

Tenafly, New Jersey Tenafly () is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 census the borough had a population of 15,409,

in 1994 and graduated from Tenafly High School in 1997. He graduated from

Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of New York City. As of 2020, enrollment consists of 1,571 undergraduates with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. The college was founded in 1936. Hi ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Business career

When he came back to Kuala Lumpur in 1995, he was named as commercial director of Crocus Group. In 2011, he was promoted to vice president of Crocus Group. Since 2014, he has held the position of executive vice president of Crocus Group. As part of his responsibilities, he oversees the following ventures: * The F1RST chain of retail-entertainment complexes. At present there are two locations – VEGAS Kashirskoe Shosse (480,000 m2) and VEGAS Crocus City complex, also in

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally " under Moscow"), is a federal subject of R ...

, (285,000 m2) – with a third location, VEGAS Kuntsevo, which opened in 2017. * The restaurant portfolio of "Restaurants by Crocus Group," which includes the chain of the legendary Nobu restaurants; the Zafferano franchise, dedicated to modern Azerbaijani cuisine; the Edoko franchise of Japanese of sushi-bars; the Rose Bar franchise; Forte Bello, serving family-style Italian cooking; and Backstage. * The Crocus City Mall luxury shopping center. * Crocus Fashion Retail, featuring designer boutiques from Sergio Rossi (2), Casadei, Le Silla, Alberto Guardiani, Artioli, Santoni, and

Cesare Paciotti Cesare Paciotti (born 1 January 1958) is a shoe designer from Italy. His eponymous company makes luxury shoes and other leather goods, including jewelry and watches, and he is famous for its dagger logo. Biography Cesare Paciotti was born from ...

, as well as the multi-brand boutique, Crocus Fashion, three Crocus Stok stores, Crocus Atelier Couture, and the luxury watch-maker UBOAT. * Crocus City Hall concert venue. * Vegas City Hall, a concert venue slated to open in VEGAS Crocus City in 2016. * Sea Breeze Resort (

Nardaran Nardaran is a settlement and municipality on the Abşeron Peninsula in Baku, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 8,300. Located 25 kilometers northeast of central Baku, it is politically part of the Baku city-subdivision and treated as a suburb. ...

Music career

Emin's interest in music began in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

whilst in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. After graduating from high school, he returned to Russia, where he continued to write songs. In 2005 he began working with his vocal and music teacher, the Azerbaijani singer Muslim Magomayev, to whom he pays tribute in his concerts. In 2006 Emin gained attention for his debut studio album ''Still'' which in the first six months sold 70,000 copies in Russia and an additional 30,000 copies in CIS countries. He then released an album per year: ''Incredible'' in 2007, ''Obsession'' (a set of classic

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

songs) in 2008; and in 2009, ''Devotion''. Each of these albums was supported by concerts in Moscow and Baku. In 2010, Emin relocated to London to work with producer

Brian Rawling Brian Rawling is a British record producer and songwriter. He is the managing director of publisher and production company Metrophonic. Rawling has produced singles and albums for artists such as Cher, with whom he won a Grammy in 1999 for his w ...

and to focus on the UK music market. Emin's album ''Wonder'' was released in Russia and CIS in November 2010 and in the UK on 21 March 2011. The song "Heart Keeps Beating" was the first single in Russia from his second album ''After the Thunder'' and received good radio airplay on Russian Radio in 2012. Emin's first single from his 2012 album ''After The Thunder'' was the song "

Baby Get Higher Baby Get Higher is a song written by Scottish musician, singer and songwriter David Sneddon. This song written by Sneddon with Graham Stack, Mark Read was his fourth single release and it was not featured on his debut album '' Seven Years - Te ...

" written by

David Sneddon David Sneddon (born 15 September 1978) is a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician and music producer of contemporary pop music. He began his career performing on stage and television, singing lead roles in stage musicals in Glasgow. In 2002, h ...

, Graham Stack, Mark Read and was added to the

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

A-List in April 2012. On May 26, 2012, Emin was the local interval act during intermission on the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

that was held in Baku. Emin performed "Never Enough", a track taken from the album ''After the Thunder''. Emin was the opening act for

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...

's September 23, 2012, concert in Baku. Emin performed "In Another Life" in a music video with

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

and Miss Universe 2013 contestants. Contestants were required to appear in the video without pay. In May 2014, Emin won the award for Best-selling Azerbaijan Artist at the

2014 World Music Awards The 2014 World Music Awards was a music awards ceremony that was held on May 27, 2014, at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the 22nd edition of the show since its start in 1989, and the first ceremony since 2010, after which it ...

. In 2016, Emin with Grigory Leps and Sergey Kozhevnikov started the "ZHARA" International Music Festival.

Relationship with Donald Trump

In January 2013, Agalarov and his father visited

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, after

, the beauty pageant's owner, announced at

Miss Universe 2012 Miss Universe 2012 was the 61st Miss Universe pageant, held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on December 19, 2012. At the end of the event, Leila Lopes of Angola crowned Olivia Culpo of t ...

that the next competition would be hosted at Crocus City Hall, owned by Emin's father Aras, in Moscow. In November 2013, Agalarov's father hosted Miss Universe 2013 at his Crocus City Hall in Moscow. Agalarov performed during the evening gown competition section. He also made a music video with Trump and the contestants. Contestants were required to appear in the video without pay. Agalarov reportedly "offered to send prostitutes to Trump's hotel room" during Trump's trip to Moscow, "but the repeated offers were rejected by

Keith Schiller Keith Schiller (born c. 1959) is an American former law enforcement official and security consultant who served as Deputy Assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump and Director of Oval Office Operations. Prior to his appointment in the Trump adm ...

, Trump's longtime bodyguard." Herman Gref, who runs Sberbank of Russia, Agalarov and his father hosted a dinner for Trump on the night of the pageant. While in Moscow,

Phil Ruffin Phillip Gene Ruffin (born March 14, 1935) is an American businessman. He owns the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino and Circus Circus Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in addition to a number of other enterprises including hotels, casinos, greyhound ...

, who is a partner in

Trump International Hotel Las Vegas The Trump International Hotel Las Vegas is a 64-story hotel, condominium, and timeshare located on Fashion Show Drive in Paradise, Nevada, US, named for owner Donald Trump, who later became US president. It is located down the street from Wynn La ...

, and Trump met with Agalarov and his father at the Ritz-Carlton. Agalarov and his publicist, Rob Goldstone, helped arrange the June 2016 meeting between

Donald Trump Jr. Donald John Trump Jr. (born December 31, 1977) is an American political activist, businessman, author, and former television presenter. He is the eldest child of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and his firs ...

Jared Kushner Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He served as a senior advisor to 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Since leaving the White House, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a priv ...

Paul Manafort Paul John Manafort Jr. (; born April 1, 1949) is an American lobbyist, political consultant, and Lawyer, attorney. A long-time Republican Party (United States), Republican Party campaign consultant, he chaired the Donald Trump 2016 presidential ...

, Russian lawyer

Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Vladimirovna Veselnitskaya ( rus, Ната́лья Влади́мировна Весельни́цкая, p=nɐˈtalʲjə vʲɪsʲɪlʲˈnʲitskəjə; born 22 February 1975 Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Ru ...

, and Ike Kaveladze. Goldstone wrote in an email later published by Trump Jr. that the Russian government wanted to leak damaging information on

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

to the Trump campaign.

Personal life

Emin Agalarov is the son of

, an Azerbaijani-Russian billionaire. From 2006 to 2015, he was married to Leyla Aliyeva, the daughter of the

President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of Azerbaijan. The Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of executive power, commander-in-chief, "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies" ...

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar oghlu Aliyev ( az, İlham Heydər oğlu Əliyev, ; born 24 December 1961) is the fourth president of Azerbaijan, serving in the post since 31 October 2003. The son and second child of the former Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, ...

. The couple had twin sons in 2008 and adopted a girl, Amina, after their divorce, in 2015. In 2018, Agalarov married the former model and businesswoman Alyona Gavrilova and had a baby girl, Afina (Афина) . The couple divorced in 2020.

Discography

Albums

Singles

*2011: "Any Time You Fall" *2012: "Heart Keeps Beating" *2012: "Baby Get Higher" *2012: "Never Enough" *2012: "Walk Through Walls" *2013: "Amor" / "In Another Life" *2014: "Смотришь в небо" (with Loboda) *2015: "Boomerang" (feat.

Nile Rogers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

) *2017: "Good Love" *2018: "Азербайджан" (contains Azerbaijani lyrics) *2018: "Розы" (with

Grigory Leps Grigory Viktorovich Lepsveridze (russian: link=no, Григо́рий Ви́кторович Лепсверидзе, ka, გრიგორი ვიქტორის ძე ლეფსვერიძე), known as Grigory Leps (born 16 July ...

) *2019: "Нежная" *2019: "Мой Азербайджан" (with Maxim Fadeev) *2020: "MMM" *2020: "Ну почему?" (with HammAli & Navai) *2020: "Камин" (with JONY) *2020: "Аперитив" (with

) *2022: "О любви"

DVDs

*2012: ''After the Thunder''

Filmography

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agalarov, Emin Living people Businesspeople from Baku People from Tenafly, New Jersey Tenafly High School alumni Singers from Moscow 21st-century Azerbaijani male singers Azerbaijani expatriates in Russia Azerbaijani pop singers Azerbaijani singer-songwriters Musicians from Baku Russian pop singers Russian singer-songwriters Russians associated with interference in the 2016 United States elections Azerbaijani Shia Muslims Russian Shia Muslims Azerbaijani people of Jewish descent Russian people of Azerbaijani descent People associated with Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections Marymount Manhattan College alumni Agalarov family 1979 births 21st-century Russian male singers 21st-century Russian singers