“Everything we do in life is out of necessity,” explains singer-songwriter-producer EthanUno in a press release about his latest EP, necesidad. For the talented multi-hyphenate, music has always been a necessity, ever since he began learning piano at six years old. Four years later, he started experimenting with beat production, taking his skills to a whole new level. His college years were spent in New York, where the Latin American diaspora influenced his overall sound, transforming it into what is now known as a vibrant blend of hyperpop, R&B, and lo-fi. And then, a couple of years ago, EthanUno started dropping song after song after song, some of which received notable mention from artists like Frank Ocean and Rosalía. He also caught the attention of indie-soul artist Ambar Lucid, who invited him out on her tour. Fans gravitate towards the vast array of influences and vibes incorporated in EthanUno’s music, and with the constant flux of people and places in his life, inspiration strikes at any moment. This is why he has dropped five singles and one EP since September—not including today’s new single, “MALA MÍA.” We recently caught up with EthanUno ahead of its release, where we learned more about his extraordinary creative process for it all.
Hey there! Thanks for taking the time out to answer these. I want to start out with your new EP, necesidad. I saw that you made this on your own, from writing and producing it to recording and mastering it. What proved to be the most challenging part of the process?
Funny enough, editing the lyric videos had me pulling my hair out. I put probably the same amount of time, if not more, into editing the lyric videos than creating the songs themselves. By the time I was finished editing, I had an overwhelming feeling of ‘I probably didn’t need to do all that, huh,’ but I learned so much doing it, I ain’t even mad.
As far as choosing the songs for the EP, how did that come together? Did you have a lot of songs to choose from, or did you make these four songs specifically for the EP?
I probably made 20-25 finalized songs in 2024 that were contenders for the EP. The title, necesidad, came to me first, then I started choosing songs that related to the theme of “necessity” with an undertone of seriousness. From there, choosing the track list and order was seamless; I just followed the momentum of the concept.
necesidad kind of gets into a few different phases of a relationship, from falling hard for someone to being over someone… How does the story you tell through these songs tie into the title of the EP?
I tend to write a lot of love songs in general, even if the concept doesn’t originally stem from a romantic experience. I just feel that love is a very powerful and universal human experience. The title stemmed from a very serious period of my life that made me feel everything I was doing came out of pure necessity. Looking back, I don’t even think the songs particularly tie to the title directly at all, yet the project still comes together in a hazy, dreamy-like way.
There is a bilingual aspect to these tracks, with lines that switch from English to Spanish. How do you decide which lines to put in which language?
At first, it was just, ‘Use all words in Spanish you know and hope for the best.’ I’ve been practicing a good bit recently, so thankfully, I have more control over what I’m doing, and with that, I just follow what feels good intuitively. My dream is to be able to choose lines from either language fluently to activate particular audiences to go with particular sounds or parts of songs, but that’s somewhere in the distant future.
Your single “phase 1,” which came shortly after necesidad, was also entirely made by you. Was this something you were working on before the EP or did you write this afterwards?
I’m pretty sure I made that song a week after the EP came out. I was on one that week, so we filmed the music video the next day, and I edited the whole video that night too. I’m huge on capturing the entire feeling of the song and its release while it still feels fresh; it’s like serving food while it’s still hot.
The music video for “phase 1” takes place on a spacious rooftop. How did you land on this concept for the video?
It was so lucky. We meant to shoot the video at a different spot, but once we had arrived, it was cloudy and looked pretty terrible on camera. We pivoted and rushed to a parking garage to shoot indoors because weather wouldn’t make a difference. It turned out that by the time we arrived, the sunset poked out and looked insane for the feeling of the song. We sprinted up to the top of the garage and managed to squeeze in two takes before the sunset disappeared, which is what you’re watching in the video.
Your latest single is “MALA MÍA.” There are so many elements that work together in the song, so which came first – the lyrics, the melodies, or the soundscape?
This inception of the song came from the synth melody you hear at the start. The sort of haunted, hazy video game lead caught my ear, and once that was in motion, the melody and lyrics of the hook hit me all at once. From there, the rest of the song just flowed out pretty quickly.
“MALA MÍA” follows “phase 1,” which follows necesidad. Was “MALA MÍA” written around the same time frame as these other projects?
I actually wrote, produced, and recorded a whole four-song EP in the span of two days when “MALA MÍA” was made; that was around the same time “phase 1” had just dropped. I really love the feeling of new music coming out and not having anything ready to follow. It creates this immense pressure to come up with something fresh and come up with it fast. That pressure is often the catalyst to some of my best songs.
I read that you were born in Houston and have lived in San Diego and New York. Has any of these places had more of an impact than the others when it comes to your sound?
You could say San Diego has had the most impact just because I’ve spent the most time there; it has the most peaceful energy ever. I’m fascinated by the fact every city you step in gives you a new perspective on your art and art itself. It’s like running what you already know through a new filter.
What can you tell us about your next release?
I’m in Spain right now doing some shows, which is awakening a whole new side of my artistry. If my creativity was a video game, it feels like a new part of the map just got unlocked.
What else can fans expect from you this year?
Pushing myself to make the best art I can possibly create. I’m always hoping to evolve as a human and inevitably the art will reflect that.
Thank you, do you have any final thoughts?
I appreciate you diving into my project and for the platform to share more about it. Much love.
You can listen to EthanUno’s new single “MALA MÍA” here.
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