At the end of September Eva Ruiz threw to the platforms Dad where are youher most personal and vulnerable song to date. It is also the first preview of an EP that we will be able to enjoy next year. With this in mind, we met with the Canarian singer and actress, recently arrived from Los Angeles, to talk about this new record project and take stock of his career in the world of music after more than 7 years since the release of his first album. In addition, we talk about her role as an actress, her connection with the Canary Islands and Cruz Cafuné, TikTok and the use of music as a therapeutic tool.
Los40: Now that a few months have passed since the launch of Dad where are youHow do you feel and how have you noticed the reception of your fans?
Eva Ruiz: With this song the truth is that it is super vulnerable and it is very personal. I think that of the ones I have out there it is one of the most vulnerable and yes, at the beginning I felt that exposure and that great vulnerability that I had not felt as much with other songs. But it was still a part of me and my life that I wanted to share with the fans. I don’t know. I really wanted it to not stop being something that people could know about me. So, even though I felt so vulnerable, it was a song that I think is one of my favorites and I really want to sing it live too.
When it comes to talking about such personal topics within your music, are there moments, with this or other songs, in which you have self-censored to talk about certain topics?
I think it’s true that there are songs that are stronger than others but I still always try to get them out. There is no song that says “oh, not this one.” Yes, it is true that I use music as therapy, many times I write simply to talk about something or feel whatever feeling, maybe not so strong, but the truth is that I have used music since I was little for that… So no. I think not for now.
Dad where are you It is the first single from a future EP. What can you tell us about this project?
Well, this project is not going to be very big. I want it to be very personal, very real. I want it to be very connected with my culture, where I’m from, with my history and yes, above all, for it to be very real: that when you hear it you say “wow, okay this song can mean this, it’s connected to this…”. I want it to be something that people can identify with, that can be used for more than just enjoying a song or an album. Let it have some kind of impact. And I think that above all it will be that: very special for me and for my experiences. Very sincere.
It’s been more than 7 years since you released your first album, 11 liveshow have you changed as an artist and what remains intact?
When I released that album I was 16 years old and now I’m 25. I think everything has changed. In the end, I believe that music evolves with the artist and all the personal experiences and the chapter of his life that he is in. Obviously he’s going to tell one story or another. So to start, my album is going to be that, 100% made by me, 100% putting my love and all my desire into that album.
And the first album it is true that, although I have songs that I wrote, in the end I did not write it in its entirety and there are songs that I still don’t connect with as much as I could connect with a song that I wrote. It was smaller, it was on another record company too. It was another chapter of my life, another roll. It’s very different, really. It’s very curious, too, how things have changed so much. But it’s also nice to see that growth through music.
What is still intact is the way I use music, the channel and how I use it, how much it means to me… and what is undoubtedly different is me as an artist, as a person, as a woman…
This year you have participated in one of the great global phenomena of Prime Video, the film My faultHow did you live this experience?
It was very cool, really, because I always liked acting. But I’ve always been so focused on music and it’s something that generally takes up a lot more time sometimes. Because preparing a song, finishing it, the album, the promo… I kind of feel like it takes a lot of attention to make music. And so it was very nice to bring the two things together. This song I wrote when I was 16 called Now that I can and that he had never taken it out… I think he had always felt that he had to wait for the right moment.
So I think that with this film, when I had this conversation with the director and I told him: “this song is very special to me, I have never released it… God, we have to make the song, it has to be in the film, it has to be a soundtrack…” It was very nice to make my debut in a film with a soundtrack and a song that was so special to me, you know? I think it’s one of the most beautiful things that have happened in my career. All in all.
Looking at your career I saw that you have a song with Cruz Cafuné. How did this collaboration come about?
With Cruz Cafuné it is because he is like my brother. That is, the majority of Canarian artists since we started have been and have been supporting each other… and with Cruz Cafuné it always happened like this: we lived here in Madrid or with the time we spent in sessions… there were simply times when It was to have fun and make music. And this was a little like that: doing something for fun. And we made this song which is another of my favorite songs and it’s very cool. And to this day I admire him as an artist, as a singer, as a person…
And is there any artist, Spanish or international, with whom you would like to collaborate?
Yes, I would collaborate with so many people… There are many artists who… Let’s see, my dream since I was little has always been Lauryn Hill, I have always said “wow, imagine making a song with her, or simply working together, meeting her…” that has always been my childhood dream.
If I’m not mistaken, the video for this latest single was recorded in Lanzarote. We have talked about the Canary Islands, Cruz Cafuné… how important is your land within this project?
It’s everything. The whole project is super connected to who I am and where I come from too. And I feel that the Canarian culture is becoming more and more known in Spain and in the world, but there is a part that many people do not know… it is so beautiful and so rich and has so much to tell that aesthetically I also feel very connected to it. and I always try to make the videos quite connected, have a meaning and say something more than just a pretty video. Especially lately.
You have a large legion of fans on both Instagram and TikTok, how do you get along with the platform?
I use TikTok from the point of view of having a good time, I use it for that. In other words, I don’t consider myself a person who is very obsessed with TikTok in terms of “I need to have views.” I’m just using it to have fun and to connect with my fans in another way. But yeah, I take it as another resource, you know? And I think it’s healthy too, because music in general has its own process and it’s something that we have to value a lot and respect a lot. It’s not just about focusing on that platform, I understand that life changes and everything evolves, but I think there are many more things apart from that that must be taken into account. That’s why I don’t focus on that as much, although I am connected to my people.
Finally, what are your plans for next year?
I’m super happy, to be honest, with next year, because we’ve been preparing the EP for a while. There is going to be an EP and a tour and then one of the movies is going to come out, if not at the end of the year then at the beginning of next year. But yes, all that, plus a lot of music, continuing to grow, continuing to work and having fun.
