INDEPENDENT WOMAN
A little over a decade after moving to Los Angeles to pursue stardom, Yuna finds herself coming full circle as she returns to her roots with the promise of a new album slated for release later this year.
Yuna:Independent Woman
We already know of her success. The Billboardcharting albums, the seal of approval from Rolling Stone magazine, the superstar collaborators—Pharell, Tyler, The Creator and G-Eazy among them—and that duet with Usher, that peaked at #3 on the US Billboard Adult R&B chart and also earned her her first BET Award nomination. Easily Malaysia’s greatest (and proudest) export, Yuna has proven herself as a bonafide international singer-songwriter, celebrated the world over for her unmistakable voice and honest approach to R ’n’ B.
Previously signed to Verve Music Group, home to the likes of Rod Stewart, Diana Krall and The Velvet Underground, the release of Rouge (2019), Yuna’s fourth international album, marked the end of her recording contract with the music label. Now a newly independent artist all over again, Yuna is finding herself to be in a rather retrospective mood.
“I’m back to being independent. By choice, actually.,” she muses, “and it’s definitely something new again. Well, it’s new, but it’s not new. Because I’ve gone through this before. I’ve done the whole independent thing back when I was building up my career from scratch. Only this time around, it’s going back to being independent after having been an established artist. An established independent artist. So it’s kind of bittersweet.”
Yuna first became an independent artist in the mid-2000s, sharing her music via MySpace and performing in a number of live shows throughout Malaysia while attending law school. But even then, she had big dreams. “The last time I was independent, I was so new and was trying to do things in the US but I was broke … Yet now here I am, I have fans from all over the world, but I’m independent. So let’s just create the kind of music that I love.”
And what kind of music is that? “I’ve been listening to a lot of songs from my first album, and I feel like the stuff that I’ve been writing now sound like they could’ve been in that first album. That’s kind of what I’m feeling working on my music right now.”
Being back in KL, after about a decade of living abroad, is another reason she’s feeling nostalgic. “I’m here in KL and I’m back to recording in my bedroom again. This is where I used to make my music so it’s kind of crazy that 10 years later, I’m back to working on my music in my bedroom by myself.” Like a full circle moment, perhaps? “Yes, kind of,” she replies, then her face lights up. “That’s really interesting, that’s a great concept. Thank you so much! That’s like a light bulb moment right now…”
It’s now been slightly over a year since Yuna came back to Malaysia to spend lockdown with her family, the longest she’s been home since moving to Los Angeles at the age of 23 to pursue a career as a recording artist. “It’s like a blessing in disguise,” says the singer-songwriter, who will turn 35 come November. “Back in the US, I was travelling and touring like crazy. It felt like I was living on a plane more than on land. Now that I’m back in Malaysia, I get to reconnect with my roots and my family, and to just be a normal human again. It’s nice. ”
Being back on Malaysian soil also allows her to reconnect with the local music scene, her initial training ground. “I really like talking to the young artists and musicians here. To inspire them and tell them that they too can do what I did, that they can definitely attain all this.”
So a new album is in the works. Do we know when it’s coming out?
No (laughs) …
What’s the progress?
I want to say maybe 70, but it can be 50. I don’t want to put a deadline on it, because I’ve just managed to start working with this producer that I really love. His name is Malay and it’s been my dream to work with him since maybe 2012. He produced Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange which to me is one of the best albums ever made. So I’m a huge fan. We have just started working on maybe three songs, so let’s just wait and see what we can come up with. I’m trying not to rush the process. Let things happen naturally.
Will there be other producers?
I’ve been working with Malay, and Robin Hannibal who worked on (Rouge’s singles) Black Marquee and Forevermore. But I can’t really reveal too much yet. Actually, I’ve been doing a lot of producing myself. I started learning during the lockdown, trying out this digital audio software, Ableton. I’m having so much fun with it. I’m such a tech geek.
Your most recent single is Dance Like Nobody’s Watching. How did that come about?
I actually wrote Dance Like Nobody’s Watching a long time ago, before I got married. I was newly single then, from my last relationship. I was working with producer Jordan Reyes and when I heard the song, it reminded me of early 2000s house. But it’s a dance song and I don’t go out to clubs to dance, so I was thinking about how to incorporate dance into my personal story. I was in Los Angeles, and I remember I was feeling down so the first thing I typed on Google was ‘hip hop dance class’. It was someting new to me but I ended up loving it. My dance instructor soon became my friend and choreographer for my tour. So the song became about getting rid of sadness by just dancing like nobody’s watching. Forget about the pain. It’s like nothing here can make me feel like I’m being saved, but dance can save me.
What themes will you be exploring on this album?
It’s still R ’n’ B definitely. R ’n’ B pop. But I want to say it’s a little bit more minimal, easy listening, compared to the last album. Rouge was very energetic, there was a lot of drama in the last album. But this time around, I want it to be kind of pure and natural, fun and laid-back. Because essentially, that was how I was feeling last year. We’ve been going through a lot, so let’s just take time to relax. Fans can just listen to it as they hang out with their family and when they have time, to sit down and really listen to the lyrics and really love the album. So that’s my goal for this album. It can still be deep and artistic but at the same time, I really want people to just go, “Okay, I’m going to listen to Yuna’s album, because it’s time for me to wind down and relax” you know?
As a celebrity who is active on social media, you have your fair share of online criticism. And usually it’s always about the way you dress, as a Muslim woman who wears the hijab. What is your response to all that?
As long as I’m real and I’m not faking it, that’s all that matters to me. People can say whatever they want. But I know for a fact that I’m not faking it, I’m not trying to show a different persona where
I’m ‘holy’ (religious) and nice. I don’t show that part of me. I like the idea of staying true to my identity. Whatever ‘amalan’ (practice) and everything that I do in my personal time, is personal. I don’t share it—it’s between me and God. My biggest fear is to show off that part. That’s something that I truly don’t believe in. Unless it’s about something that you do and you want to include people (to participate in it) then that’s a different case. I do things like that all the time where I invite people to donate to an organisation or fund to help Palestine (for instance). But if it’s just to show that “Oh, I prayed Subuh today” I don’t see the point of doing that. (That’s) supposed to be something very personal and beautiful.
So now I just let people say whatever (they want to say). For new artists, who are going through the same thing, they just need to realise really quickly that people will just say anything they want to about the way you dress. And it won’t make any difference to whatever you’re working on. So it’s (all about) the person that you are. You have to stick to your identity, you have to be strong, block out all the negative comments and just do your work. At the end of the day, that work is going to speak for itself.
Let’s talk about fashion. Who are your style icons?
My style icon has always been Audrey Hepburn. With her, it’s not just about style, but also her essence. Whatever she wore, it became stylish because of who she was. I also love early ’90s Gwen Stefani. I like to go back in time and just see what she put on. Another one is a movie character: Natalie Portman in Leon (1994), with her oversized bomber jacket, choker and boots. Also, Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.
Is your current personal style an elevated version of your original style completely different outlook?
I think, in a way, it’s an evolution. In the beginning, I really liked the rocker chick look but how ‘rock’ could one go with a hijab, right? I remember when I started out I was wearing the square hijab. But my style has evolved—I still wear the hijab and I’m proud of it. A lot of people have tried it but then they gave up, but that’s okay because it’s tough. I get it. It’s a lifestyle that you have to be a hundred percent comfortable with so I don’t judge people when they decide to take it off. But everything I do has to revolve around the fact that I wear the scarf. So what I’m going to wear has to go with the scarf. That said, I think I’ve always been a rocker chick but now it’s an elevated rocker chick. Back then, maybe it was Yuna with her nylons but now, she has more of a Harper’s BAZAAR vibe. You know, like how can I wear this and add a Harper’s BAZAAR essence to it? So the materials now are more luxe.
And I like looking good because it makes me feel good. Even at home, I dress up. And when I go out in Malaysia, I wear boots. Who wears boots in Malaysia? It’s so hot! But I put on a pair of boots and it makes me feel like I’m ready to take over the world as the person that I am. It’s like an armour that you wear, ready to take on anything.
“THE LAST TIME I WAS INDEPENDENT, I WAS SO NEW AND WAS TRYING TO DO THINGS IN THE U.S. BUT I WAS BROKE … YET NOW HERE I AM.”
—YUNA
This interview has been edited and condensed for print purposes. Visit harpersbazaar.my for extra content on our interview with Yuna.