It's Yuna to the rescue

A STAR IN her native Malaysia where she’s been delighting fans for more than five years, singer-songwriter Yuna has now been recognised by the world music scene as one of the most promising newcomers around.
A hitmaker with singles like “I Wanna Go”, “Falling” and most recently “Rescue” earning millions of views on YouTube, Kedah-born Yuna Zarai began composing music at 14. In 2006, in need of a creative outlet while attending law school, Yuna performed for an audience for the first time after teaching herself to play guitar.
After posting her solo efforts in both English and Bahasa on MySpace, she caught the attention of Fader, an indie label in New York. Fader sent a representative to Malaysia and convinced the young star to sign. Soon after, she made her international breakthrough with the EP “Decorate”, featuring the viral hit “Rocket” and winning rave reviews from Billboard, indie rock radio station KEXP and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
In 2011, Yuna was nominated one of MTV Iggy’s Best New Bands in the World and marked the occasion by playing at the MTV studios in New York’s Times Square.
The singer, who describes her music as “a cross between Mary Poppins and Coldplay”, entered 2012 with “Live Your Life”, a single produced by Pharrell Williams that served as a prelude to her self-titled full-length debut.
Last year Yuna signed with Grammy-winning producer David Foster’s Verve Music Group and released her second album “Nocturnal”, which is currently dominating music charts all over the world.
We chatted with the singer about music, fashion and her new label.

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW?
I’m currently touring in the US and am very busy with my online clothing store NovemberCulture.com!

HOW DID 2013 TREAT YOU, AND WHAT’S IN STORE FOR YOU IN 2014?
2013 was an amazing year; a real roller-coaster ride. 2014 is all about getting off that ride and finding a better car to drive so I can stay on the right path and enjoy every moment of it.

WHY DID YOU NAME THIS ALBUM “NOCTURNAL” AND HOW DIFFERENT IS IT FROM YOUR DEBUT “YUNA”?
I named it “Nocturnal” for the simple reason that most of the songs originated from my writing or thinking about things when I couldn’t sleep at night. I think you can hear my greater maturity on “Nocturnal” while on my debut album, the music was written like three years ago and a lot has changed. I’m a bit older now and the stories I tell are a little bit different now.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION?
From everything! From conversations with people, places I travel to, things I see, things I feel and movies I watch.

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER THE LOVE FOR MUSIC?
I think I was seven when I first listened to No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak”. I was just like “oh my God I love this song!” And I guess I always wanted to do something in music. My dad taught me how to play the guitar when I was 10 but I didn’t follow through. The next time I really sat down and learned how to play was with a friend of mine when I was 19.

BESIDES NO DOUBT, WHAT KINDS OF MUSIC DID YOU GROW UP LISTENING TO?
The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Alanis Morrisette, Lauryn Hill, Coldplay, Nirvana, and of course, Backstreet Boys.

WHO’S YOUR IDOL?
I really like Norah Jones. I love how she’s able to make great music and how she’s so classy and so low-key.

HOW DID YOU GET TO BE SIGNED WITH VERVE MUSIC? AND HOW HAS THIS AFFECTED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR WORK?
Verve was always around I guess. When I first came to the US, they were super-supportive, and then finally they signed me last year. It’s been really great. They’re lovely to work with and they give me a lot of creative control in terms of my music and what I want to do as an artist.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER MAKING AN ALBUM OR MAYBE SOME TRACKS IN BAHASA, TOO?
Of course. One day I hope.

HOW’S THE MUSIC SCENE IN MALAYSIA?
It’s growing! There’s a lot of talent in Malaysia, which I’d love to see flourish into something great in the future. I wish the best for them!

YOU ARE ALSO INTO FASHION. HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOUR TIME BETWEEN MUSIC AND YOUR CLOTHING BRAND?
November Culture is my favourite past time. So when I’m not doing anything, that’s what I’m doing. That’s pretty much how I manage my time. Of course, I have help from back home, but the fashion buying and the brand is done a hundred per cent by me.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW? HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND IN MALAYSIA?
I live in Los Angeles, but I go home a lot like every two months. I need to see my family.

PLEASE SAY SOMETHING TO THE THAI FANS.
I just want to say thank you so much for supporting my music. I’ve been to Thailand many times and I love it out there. I hope to come back out there to meet the fans this time, as a musician!