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Malaysian singer Yuna: ‘Why should I limit myself because of my identity?’
Ask me who the coolest person in music I’ve met recently and my answer, without a doubt, would be Yuna. The Malaysian singer-songwriter is breaking boundaries, and shattering walls as one of the few Southeast Asian artists who are making it big in the US and elsewhere in the world.
You’ve heard about her work with such high-profile names like Pharrell Williams (who produced her single “Live Your Life”) and Usher (who sings with her in the sexy track “Crush”).
She’s also worked with producer DJ Premier on the song “Places To Go” and with Owl City in the feel-good “Shine Your Way” from the animated movie “The Croods.”
The 30-year-old multi-hyphenate was in Manila for the first time a couple of months ago at the Wanderland Music Festival.
READ: Despite hiccups, Wanderland was bigger, better than ever in year 5
Before the big show, I sat down with her and she opened up about her career as a Muslim artist making waves in mainstream music. Excerpts:
You’re one of the latest breakthrough artists from Southeast Asia, one of the few that’s really making it internationally, especially in the US. How do you feel about being like a representative not just from your home country, but for the region as well?
Yuna: I don’t really think of it as a thing. I feel like once you think about it that way, that takes away from the whole magic of it. I don’t know…I was just a kid from Malaysia who wanted to play music. I really wanted to see what’s out there. As Southeast Asians, we’re very timid. We’re very shy. I know that, especially coming from Malaysia. Muslim girls, especially. We are told not to do stuff. The whole Asian culture, how we see women, [traditionally] that they should be at home, cooking or something.
But times are changing and I think we need to move forward in whatever it is, whether it’s music or art, or film. You see a lot of Asian women now placing themselves in these fields overseas.
So I’m really happy to be representing Southeast Asia, because you don’t see a lot of Southeast Asians out there a lot, especially in America. Yeah you have Asian-Americans, but in my case, it’s different, so it’s kind of nice to be able to still say that, like, hey, I come from Southeast Asia. If you are from Southeast Asia, this could be your path as well. I’m really happy to be able to inspire all of the kids out there to do the same.
It’s interesting you mention being a Muslim artist. We’re living in interesting times, especially with President Trump in the US. Do you feel like there’s a certain spotlight trained on people of your religion, and do you feel that makes it a bit harder to express yourself and be more open about your art?
Yuna: You know that was never a problem for me. As a Muslim girl, I went through this whole discussion when 9/11 happened. Coming out to LA was like a huge deal for me. I was very positive about it, like, I’m just gonna go and do my music in the US, without thinking or worrying about all those things because I feel like that would just be a waste of time. I’m just going to see myself as this person who should be receiving the same opportunities as everybody else. Like, why should I limit myself because of my identity?
My friends back home were saying, “Oh, why are you going to America, aren’t you scared?” But I said, no, not at all. Thank god I didn’t listen to them. I just went, and now I feel like all of this is happening again. Now you just have to be strong and be brave and pursue your dreams and your art, and not think about the negative things that are going to happen because there’s a lot of people out there who really need to listen to your music.
You’ve been doing music for quite a long time now. How do you think your music has changed from your early years, and now that you’re more out there doing things like on a global stage?
Yuna: It’s an evolution. I’ve definitely changed from the first time I did music. I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years now. When I first started out, I was like an indie rock kid, I was in a band. We went on tours, like in a touring van, just us. Everywhere I go, I’d travel with boys. My sound like was really kind of like, indie-alternative rock.
When I went to the States, I tried to find out what I really liked. I went through all these different phases. Like, let’s do singer-songwriter stuff, or like the pop-py stuff, the ukulele, like sing-along songs. Now I’m a little bit older, I find myself in a place where, oh, I know a lot of R&B producers, I listened to a lot of R&B growing up, why didn’t I think of that? Why didn’t I think of getting myself into the R&B scene? I found that comfort in writing more urban contemporary songs. I’m really happy I finally found the right thing to do. And the right sound in the US. And it’s doing really well. I’m very happy that it’s finally coming together.
What’s your favorite city in the world?
Yuna: Los Angeles. I love KL, of course, it’s home, but LA, it’s a different vibe. You wake up in the morning and the sky is so blue. The weather is amazing. It’s a great place to be creative. That’s why everybody from all over the world comes to LA.
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Yuna: Chocolate. But you know what, no, actually, I’m gonna go with green tea.
Favorite TV show?
Yuna: "Game Of Thrones." I’m a "Game of Thrones" kind of girl.
If you were organizing a dinner party and you were to invite three living musical artists, who would be there?
Yuna: Gwen Stefani. Um, Chris Martin of Coldplay. And hmmm…Janet Jackson. 'Cause she’s related to Michael Jackson. And Michael Jackson’s not around anymore (laughs).
What’s your idea of success in the music business? What are your goals?
Yuna: Just keep on making good music. In the beginning I thought, okay now my music is being accepted in the US. I did everything. I registered for Grammy nominations. I submitted my album to the Grammys. And I thought that was really important. It’s not. It really is just like how people are going to accept you. If you go on tours, you think, are they going to come and see your show. It’s all about being an artist and a performer. It’s still a learning process for me. I just have to get better at what I do. I still consider myself a new artist. To be successful, I think you just have to keep giving 100%. Like, okay, what do I do for the next album? How can I be better, how can I write better songs? And stay original and not giving in to trends. And being able to go on tours and selling out your shows. — BM, GMA News
Paul John Caña is a writer and live music geek. Check out his blog manontheotherside.blogspot.com. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana.
