How Lane 8 Ignited the Career of EMBRZ

Jack Casey, under the moniker EMBRZ, is a self-taught musician and producer based out of Dublin. Known for his soothing brand of deep house, he effortlessly blends downtempo melodies and tranquil vocals, in turn offering listeners an escape from reality. His ethereal signature sound has accumulated tens of millions of streams collectively from across the world. He’s even won over the hearts of notable artists like Shallou and SG Lewis, but no artist has shown him more support than melodic house maestro Lane 8.

@embrzmusic Instagram

Casey’s journey began in his teens when he first learned how to play and write music. Initially inspired by rock acts such as Slipknot, it wasn’t until he heard deadmau5 for the first time that he became infatuated with the realm of electronic music. In college, he took a leap of faith and began posting his productions on the internet, which helped him establish an adequate following. His official remixes of “How Long Will I Love You” by Ellie Goulding and “Settle Down” by The 1975 propelled him even more into the spotlight, and in 2015, he began releasing his own original tracks.

In 2020, Lane 8 caught wind of this up-and-coming emotive producer and immediately took him under his wing.

“I was writing a lot more uptempo dance tracks, and really enjoyed the music that was coming out of his label This Never Happened. I sent a few demos to Lane 8’s management and they got back pretty quickly saying that Daniel liked the music,” EMBRZ tells Gray Area about how he got signed to the label. “In my head, I was like, “Who is Daniel?” After a quick Google search, I realized it was Lane 8 haha. I was so excited.”

In October of that year, EMBRZ made a post on Instagram where he shared words of sincere gratitude towards Lane 8 for releasing his EP Jaded on Lane 8’s own This Never Happened imprint. As he regarded the label highly for years, this was arguably EMBRZ’ big break, one that sparked an enduring mentorship between him and Lane 8.

“I’ve honestly been listening to Lane 8 since 2013, back when I first started producing,” said Casey. “He’s been a huge influence on my music, so it’s really amazing to have his support, and to be a part of the This Never Happened family.”

Fast forward to March 2021, and EMBRZ handed over his sophomore project to This Never Happened once again: Together Till It Ends. A compelling addition to the label’s catalog, the three-track EP is an accurate representation of EMBRZ’ originality and truly solidifies his distinct, authentic sound. As the energy picks up throughout the EP, he remains true to his knack for layering pure, atmospheric elements over free-flowing instrumentals. With his career on full speed ahead, he never showed signs of losing steam and only continued his upward trajectory. In July 2021, Lane 8 announced a new album by EMBRZ titled Moments, coming out the following September on This Never Happened. Not only was this his third project on the label, but also his debut album.

As a byproduct of total isolation, while quarantining in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic, EMBRZ channeled his cooped-up energy to produce Moments. Comprised of expressive lyrics, refined melodies, and serene textures, it flows together as one cohesive work. As a sonic narrative, Moments portrays his life and what he endured during the midst of the pandemic, both positive and negative. The album also features his own vocals for the first time on the track “Sleeptalking,” along with those of Emily Nance. When the album was announced, it’s first of 11 tracks, called “Where You Are” featuring Lizzy Land, had already gained popularity as an ID from Lane 8’s “Summer 2021 Mixtape.”

“I feel like this album is a collection of all these different ‘moments’ over the past year. Like an audible diary or calendar for me to look/listen back on,” said EMBRZ. “It was mostly written during lockdown and carries a lot of the good/bad feelings of living through that…Big love to my manager Dave Rishty and the This Never Happened fam Tabby Sherring and Tom Pounsford. And to the boss man Lane 8 for believing in this album and being kind enough to offer feedback during the writing process.”

Moments has garnered over 10 million streams combined, and several tracks even landed the most-played slot on the SiriusXM Chill radio station.

EMBRZ wasted no time in providing a sequel to his debut album. Six months after the release of Moments, he revealed a euphoric, four-track EP out on This Never Happened titled Don’t Look Back. The EP builds off the songwriting approach that he took on Moments, only to serve listeners even more of a taste of his distinctive melodic house sound.

Starting the year 2022 off with a bang, This Never Happened label boss Lane 8 released his own album, Reviver. With every new album usually comes with an album tour, and Lane 8 certainly went the extra mile when he announced both a European and North American tour around the effort. He hand-picked his supporting acts, with EMBRZ being a no-brainer to join him on the European leg of the tour. The highly-anticipated Reviver tour stops at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre with support from Le Youth, Massane, and EMBRZ. Many artists only dream of playing at Red Rocks, and to EMBRZ, it’s truly a “dream come true moment.”

There’s no denying EMBRZ has found his home on Lane 8’s This Never Happened imprint.

His musical résumé on the label has since grown and now includes “Let Me In,” featuring his own vocals, and “All The Lights” with bailey.

“What I like about This Never Happened is that it’s artist-owned. Daniel knows what it’s like to be an artist in the music industry, so it feels like there is some understanding that might not come with other labels,” EMBRZ explains. “I also really value his feedback when I send him my music. When I was writing my album Moments, he was constantly giving suggestions and thoughts on it which helped a lot. I feel lucky to work with This Never Happened when I did, because the label had just started and over the past two years it has really exploded.”

His debut North American tour is in full swing. Be sure to show your support, as Lane 8 has shown his.