There's no mentioning Malaysian music without Yunaand there's no mentioning Yuna without Malaysia.
No matter how far she's come, the Malaysian singer-songwriter has always worn her identity on her sleeve, never failing to be proud and loud about where's she come from. "I always believed that my identity as a Southeast Asian brought me this far," she tells Bandwagon.
While the many struggles of being a creative and a musician in Southeast Asia still ring true, it's never stopped many of those like Yuna from pushing for their dreams. In actuality, the very fact that they're from this vibrant part of the world has helped them add colour and life to the world of music—something the 'Fool 4 U'singer further shines light on aspart of Apple Music'sHere's To The Dreamers series.
We caught up with Yuna to talk about the beauty of being Southeast Asian, singing in Malay, taking creative control, and being her authentic self no matter what.
You most recently released Masih Yuna, your first Malay EP in seven years. What’s it like writing and piecing together songs in Malay again? Did your creative process differ from when you work on songs in English?
It definitely took some time, I haven't been writing in Malay in a long time. I kind of had to switch my brain to Malay so that means listening to some Malay or Indonesian songs, hanging out with my Malaysian friends, speaking the language, just getting into that headspace and also drawing inspiration from conversations that I would have with my friends.
You started a new chapter in your music career last year, being independent and releasing Y5. What’s it like going through this new phase of your career? Is there anything new you’ve learned so far?
It was scary but also very exciting. I started out as an independent artist so that part of me is still there, I like to have creative control over all of my projects so nothing is changed there. The only thing I had to figure out was how to create more content and go on tour without financial support from a major label. But so far, I was able to do it with a small team and it's very gratifying because I know I'm not stuck in a never-ending recouping situation when you sign with a major label, and I get to own my music! So it's worth it really.
What do you love most about being an artist?
Making music and working with talented people! The amount of talent that I've seen in my career, whoa! I'm always so blown away with the people that I spend time with in the studio, the music making part has always been my favourite. I love performing too, but the creating stage is always special to me.
How would you describe the place of Malaysian music in the global scene? How does it compare to when you first started making music?
I see more younger artists who are exploring different genres, and it's exciting to see. I think we have it, but we justneed the right push and there should be aninitiative from the government to market Malaysian artists to the world, like, maybe send them to have a week session with producers inLA. They'll gain a lot just from that.
We’ve heard time and time again about the struggles of pursuing music in Southeast Asia. But to you, what is it about coming from Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia, that has contributed to your success and strengths as an artist?
I always believed that my identity as a Southeast Asian brought me this far. I never hide the fact that I'm Malaysian, when I walk into a room, I make sure people get the authentic version of me, and I think that's how I create lifelong relationships with collaborators. As someone from Southeast Asia, rich with culture, it really doesn't take a lot to leave an imprint in everything we do: music, socialising—in their mind it's probably "Aw, it’s that Malaysian singer I worked with, we talked about durian, Kuala Lumpur, and sampling Malay music instruments... I really like her!"
What are you most proud of having done or accomplished throughout the years?
Writing and releasing 120 songs or so? And I'm proud of all them. They're my babies! I feel like I downplay my achievements sometimes but being the only Malaysian artist to have an international career for 10 years or so.. I think I did something right!
What’s your biggest dream for yourself, both in and out of music?
Ihope I get to continue producing music. I think my biggest dream is to just having a sustainable career as an artist who can make a living by just making music. I'm always encourage my fans to buy my music and not juststreaming!
What keeps you motivated to continue pursuing music?
Just the possibility of creating something new and exciting.
What’s next for you?
I'm having a show in Kuala Lumpur finally! It's called Yunaverse and it's my first time being back in Kuala Lumpur with a show since so many years. I'm excited about it and also, more new songs are on the way!
Check out Yuna's live performance of 'Masih Yuna' on Apple Music here.
Listen to Yuna'sMasih Yuna here.
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