“After you there is nothing”… says a famous song, but for Emilia Vega the story has been quite the opposite. Far from remaining in the void that that phrase suggests, the Mexican singer and songwriter opens a new chapter in her musical career with the launch of her EP “After you”, a project where she transforms a breakup into an intimate journey of reconstruction, memory and self-discovery.
The EP, which includes the eponymous song “After you” as a focus track, takes this concept as a starting point and expands it song by song, building an emotional universe where each song functions as a stage of the process: grief, nostalgia, clarity and, finally, transformation. With a mix of R&B, pop and soul nuances, Emilia achieves a homogeneous and coherent sound throughout the project, where emotion remains the common thread and vulnerability becomes language.
Recognized for her work as a composer for artists such as Dulce María, Camila, Paty Cantú, Ximena Sariñana and Daniela Spalla, Emilia now places herself at the center of her own story to narrate what really happens after love. In this interview, she opens the doors to her creative process, her artistic evolution, and the way in which this EP has redefined her. Read the full interview and discover how Emilia Vega turns “after you” into the beginning of everything to come.
“After you” was born from a breakup… what part of you changed forever after living and writing this EP?
It’s a great question. I feel like something that made me realize, when writing, producing and constructing this EP, is that I didn’t have to think about what the song was going to sound like or the production first.
I wrote this EP as therapy, as a way to fully understand what was happening to me. I didn’t think at the time of writing: “oh, what this song is going to sound like.” The songs were born without a plan, and that made it more special, because I wasn’t putting any obstacles or blocks on myself about what “should” sound like. So, I think from now on I want to create from that place.
Throughout the project you talk about emptiness, memory and reconstruction… was there a moment when writing stopped being catharsis and became confrontation?
I believe that at all times it was both things. It was catharsis, because it was my feelings overflowing, but it was also confrontation, because it was realizing and putting on paper what I was really feeling and what was really going on. There was no way to escape it. So I think at all times it was both.
Describe the EP more… and do you have a favorite song?
After You is a post-breakup EP. I feel like there is a lot out there about when a relationship is ending or about grief within the relationship, but I wanted to do this project about my healing process, about who I am after having ended that relationship, about how I transform “after you.”
And about the favorite song, it’s very difficult to choose one because they are all like my babies, but I think it changes. This week, “After you” is my favorite song.
You have composed for other artists, but here it is completely you… what truth did you say on this EP that you had never dared to say in a song?
The truth is that I always speak from honesty. It’s something that is seen in all the songs I make, regardless of whether they are for me or another artist, because even when I write for others, I empathize a lot and bring in part of my story.
I wouldn’t say there’s a truth that I haven’t said before, but rather that this is a very personal and very intimate story that I’m sharing on this EP, compared to everything else. And there is also a very marked vulnerability in my interpretation.
Within that very marked vulnerability in your interpretation… what scares you more today: feeling that deeply or stopping feeling?
I think the right answer would be to stop feeling, but I think I’m more afraid of feeling that deeply, because sometimes it can be unsustainable. On the other hand, feeling so much is what allows me to create music; It’s like my gift and my curse, like that of all artists.
If someone who broke your heart listened to this EP in its entirety, what do you think they would discover about you that they didn’t know at the time?
I think he would discover that just because I’m gone doesn’t mean I didn’t miss him, and that in the end it was the right decision to end that relationship.
“Strange” is about when I wanted to start dating new people, but I was very angry when I realized, halfway through the date, that there was always something that reminded me of my ex—if it wasn’t his laugh, it was his eyes, or something like that. It was very frustrating, so I wrote it with some sarcasm, but more as a personal vent.
And “After you” is definitely a song that I feel like a cuddle for the Emilia of the past who decided to leave where she was. Thanks to that decision, incredible things began to happen and I recovered a part of myself that I had lost. That’s why I say those two songs are more personal.
This work sounds like closure, but also transformation… who is Emilia Vega “after you” who did not exist before?
I think now I have many things much clearer: what I want, what I don’t want, and where I’m going with the sound I’m looking for. My creative process also changed a lot, from where I write the songs. So I think that’s the biggest transformation.
Do you plan to continue composing for other artists or focus on your career as a soloist?
The truth is that I have always taken both things hand in hand. I love writing for others and it’s not something I plan to stop doing. I don’t think one thing competes with the other; On the contrary, they complement each other. Writing for others helps me understand how they think, their creative processes, different genres and ways of constructing melodies. It’s a completely different world that gives me more creativity even to write for myself. And at the same time, writing for myself gives me more confidence when working with others. So I’m not going to leave either of them.
If you wrote a song for another artist that you really like, would you keep it for yourself?
The truth is that it hasn’t happened to me. And I’m so glad that didn’t happen, because when I write for another artist, I know I’m in service to that person. My job is to be a translator of your experience and your emotions. It is a process where I put my ego aside a little: all the ideas I propose are designed for that artist. Maybe I’ll make an urban or reggaeton song that I love, but if it doesn’t represent me 100%, I wouldn’t make it for myself because it was designed for someone else.
