Hailing from Bologna in Italy, ELYAZ is a musician, singer & record producer – who at a young age began his musical journey & embraced the guitar, after being closely inspired by his father – the revered Italian fingerstyle guitarist, Franco Morone. Following on from this, Mauro went onto further nurture his passion for music, by subsequently teaching himself to play the piano, in addition to singing.
Fast forward to more recent times, whilst DJ’ing at various nightlife hotspots ELYAZ moved into music production – which was a naturally progression for the Italian. Currently he’s enrolled at the Italian National Academy of Cinema, in Bologna – studying Sound Engineering & is also a graduate of the International Professional Certificate Program in Film & Television, at UCLA.
Now presenting his uplifting, feel good release ‘Break The Distance’, the single marks the next chapter in ELYAZ’s ongoing musical story & is underpinned by the wonder and passion of a once child chasing his dreams, as he firmly directs his next steps forward. Set for a multitude of support in the weeks ahead, stay tuned.
INTERVIEW:
ELYAZ, great to have you join us at Artist Rack!
My pleasure, happy to meet you!
Tell us about your new single ‘Break the Distance’ & what drove you to write & produce the record?
I produced this track starting to challenge myself in various ways, trying to make the work as personal as possible. It’s my first song where I sang myself and curated each detail from the beginning to the end. I was inspired and I wanted to share my emotions with the listener.
Did you have any particular influence behind the song?
We are always influenced by the music we listen to, even without realizing it. Artists like Avicii, David Guetta and Martin Garrix are some of the artists who inspire me.
What was it like growing up under an inspiring musical influence, such as your father Franco Morone?
That’s a good question; my father gave me a little guitar when I was a child and he worked me occasionally, but he left me total freedom to choose my own path. I naturally followed in his footsteps, but then as time went on, I decided to make the music I was most interested in making in each phase of my career.
If you could collaborate with any artist of your choice, who would it be and why?
If I had the opportunity, I would collaborate with Martin Garrix, he has a simple and very modern style. He’s a young artist, with a strong impact and contagious passion.
What is the music scene like where you grew up, in Italy?
I have listened to and made music from different musical genres. I started out playing guitar and singing in various groups of friends in my city. I moved from Hard Rock to Metal, taking inspiration from big names like AC-DC, Iron Maiden and Metallica. Later I turned to other genres, where I got into acoustic guitar and keyboards. I was also fascinated by producing music, which brought me to where I am now. I love the idea of combining my passion with a conception of music that is constantly evolving in independent production. It gives space to who I am and a chance for me to freely develop my ideas.
What’s next on the agenda for ELYAZ?
Right now I’m concentrating on promoting Break the Distance. I’m creating new contacts and collaborations to support the new songs I’m working on, especially one I’d like to release by the end of 2018.
And finally, as the summer reaches a close – what are your highlights of 2018 so far?
2018 is an important year for me as I released Break the Distance, shot the video clip and will finish the entire project.
Thanks for joining us here at Artist Rack, ELYAZ – till next time!
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