Eva Ruiz Makes the Sea Her Language
There is something deeply organic about the way Eva Ruiz creates her music. Born in the Canary Islands, the Spanish singer and actress makes the sea more than just a landscape: it runs through her work as memory, metaphor, and the starting point for narratives that explore love, loss, growth, and new beginnings.
It is from this relationship that Agua Salada, her debut album, was born. Inspired by the symbolic power of salt, the project journeys through emotions that move between vulnerability and healing, bringing together R&B, Latin pop, and a range of musical influences within a sensory, intimate, and deeply personal universe.
Internationally recognized for her role in the My Fault trilogy, Eva has built a career in which music and acting go hand in hand. In addition to starring in the production, she contributed to its soundtrack as a songwriter and has written songs for other artists, revealing an artist who moves effortlessly between different forms of storytelling.
At a time when so many releases seem to search for immediate answers, Eva Ruiz prefers to ask questions. Her songs do not rush to explain emotions but instead invite listeners to inhabit them. Perhaps that is the true strength of Agua Salada: reminding us that some stories, much like the ocean, are not meant to be controlled, but to be experienced.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
Your relationship with music began long before the public got to know Eva Ruiz. What is your earliest memory connected to music? When did you realize it would be a part of your life forever?
My earliest memory is from when I was with my grandma, a flamenco singer, and a group of people “dándome las palmas,” like in flamenco music, while I was singing and dancing around them. I was literally still in diapers. I always felt that there was something in me, like a calling. Nothing made me happier than music, and I wanted it to be my life.
You grew up surrounded by the sea in the Canary Islands. How does that landscape continue to influence your songwriting and the atmosphere you created on Agua Salada?
That definitely shaped who I am as a person and as an artist. There’s such a mix of cultures and musical influences in the Canary Islands that naturally inspired me to create this album. I thought of the concept on a plane, like most of the ideas that I have. I thought it was the title that defined the album the most.
Was there a song on the album that took more courage to release because it revealed a part of yourself you weren’t quite ready to share?
When I put out “Papa dónde estás” a few years ago, it was definitely challenging. It’s probably the most vulnerable song on the album. That’s why I wanted to bring it to Agua Salada, because I feel safe every time I’m vulnerable through music.
After writing for other artists and composing for soundtracks, releasing such a personal album carries a different meaning. What does Agua Salada reveal about the artist you want to introduce to the world in this new chapter of your career?
I want them to see me. Fully. These past few years, I’ve been creating an environment where it feels right to put this project out — the right team, the right minds, the right energy… It needed to feel right. That’s why, now that it’s out, it feels like I’m showing a part of myself that I’ve been building over the past few years, something that people haven’t seen. There’s been so much learning and growing. It’s me really introducing who I am to the world.
Your music creates a very distinctive universe for listeners. But what do you listen to when you’re not working? Are there any artists or albums that have been on repeat for you lately?
I listen to everything. A lot of bossa nova, Juan Luis Guerra, indigenous music from around the world. I listen to Tems, Sade, Afrobeats, reggaeton, jazz, etc. I love discovering new music. That’s my biggest hobby, both for personal and creative growth.
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Brazil Editor: Leonardo Loreto (@leonardoloreto)
Writer: Gillian Caetano (@gilliancaetano)
