Photos / Victoria Stevens
Makeup / Ayaka Nihei using MAC Cosmetics
Styling / Ashley Pruitt
Story / Alyssa Hardy
Itâs a rainy April day in Brooklyn and sitting in the corner of a 5th floor studio is Yuna, an emergent R&B star. A hijab is wrapped tightly around her head as her black booties dangle over the footrest on her makeup chair. She sits quietly while everyone else in the room buzzes about Lanvin dresses and the previous morningâs Lemonade release. As the makeup artist finishes, she looks at herself nonchalantly in the mirror. She is breathtaking. Her big brown eyes are soft and kind as she modestly brushes off the compliments people are tossing her way.
In the landscape of rising stars, Yuna is unique. She was born and raised in Malaysia and is a practicing Muslim, something that has been a major part of the way people have defined her since early on in her career. Now at 29, and with a new album, Chapters, on the way, sheâs ready to break out of the mold and release music that speaks to who she is, outside of what her background happens to be. The first single, âCrushâ featuring Usher, has throwback R&B vibe that will make you feel like an emotional teenager with a life-altering romance. The song is sweet and fills the room with the artistâs unmistakable honeyed voice. The rest of the record follows suit, with catchy lyrics and smooth melodies. The second single, âLanesâ â one of Yunaâs favorites â makes you want to sing at the top of your lungs and slow dance at the same time.
The album comes out May 20, and from the reception sheâs gotten already, youâre definitely going to be hearing more from her. Below, I chat with Yuna about evolving, finding her footing in R&B, and her Muslim/Malaysian heritage.
What was it like to make this album compared to your earlier ones?
My last album was in 2013. So it was like a long break. Within that two-three years â it was two years actually â I was just working on my album, writing and you know, trying to find like a nice sound for this third album. I worked with a lot of different producers in the very beginning…but it wasn’t quite my vibe. When you listen to my previous projects you can see I am headed towards that because some songs you can hear that the R&B influence is definitely there, but I was kind of holding back. So for this album Iâm just like, okay, letâs do a freakinâ R&B album. And thatâs exactly what I did. For this album when it comes to writing I just kind of let go of my insecurities. I just said, letâs not think too much about it! Letâs just be honest and letâs just be real. Iâm turning 30 this year so itâs kind of like an album thatâs me embracing being a woman.
What has that been like for you musically?
I get like a little bit freaked out. Also, I went through a big breakup two years ago and it was really bad. It was kind of like, âAh shit, Iâm going be 30,â and then âOh no, I just broke up! Who am I gonna end up with?â You know what I mean? I feel like a lot of my fans, they relate to me or they like my songs because Iâm always singing uplifting music. But this time around I get more real and more honest and raw. Iâm really excited about that. I feel like with this album Iâm ready to show people what I am capable of when it comes to writing.
What was it like when Usher agreed to be on the album?
I mean, when that happened it was just kind of like a bonus already. When Usher said âYes, okay, Iâll do it,â Iâm like alright done, okay! But I see people responding to it and I didnât expect people to really really fall in love. Iâm in love with the song, obviously, and for people to say, âOh, what is this?â This is like different, this is kind of a slow jam throwback. You know when I hear Americans who arenât R&B fans saying stuff like that Iâm likeâŠItâs a game changer and I feel really grateful that Usher put me on the map for that. You know Iâm capable of doing all of these things, but because of him being on this song, now I get people to actually pay attention to my music. People were excited about that. I feel like the two songs that we released, itâs like a pleasant surprise for people who know me.
On a surface level, the songs are unexpected because weâre so used to seeing a certain type of person singing a certain type of song. Â Do you constantly have to answer questions about your background?
Well, it is what it is. I canât really run away from it. Itâs a part of who I am and I feel like Iâve gotten more comfortable talking about it. I donât care. I see it as me educating people about where I come from because sometimes Americans have no idea at all, and they see me and theyâre like, âOh, this is Malaysia?â They just think that Asians must look Chinese or Japanese and then I come into the scene and youâre like, âAh, youâre Malaysian?â I grew up there my whole life, I was born and raised in Malaysia so itâs a huge part of me as a person and even though you canât really hear it in my music, my personality and the way I carry myself, the values that I have, are Malaysian.
Does it influence your music and your lyrics ever? Or with this album?
Yeah, yeah. I donât believe in singing about anything negative. You know, I donât sing about drugs or like, I donât really sing anything about sex. I sing about love and true feelings, things that come from the heart. I try to focus on that and a little bit of emotional stuff but something that comes from a real place. I try to remind myself every time I put [something] out it has to be something that is real because if itâs not real and itâs out there it will haunt me forever. Iâve had stuff where itâs been a little bit too straightforward and itâs not really me, itâs very on the surface. I wish I could take it back and rewrite it or something like that. I try to make sure whenever I put out stuff it represents me and not like this persona or anything like that. It represents me as the person that I am. I really donât know how to put on like a character.
So what are you looking forward to most with this release?
Well, I donât know. Probably performing the new songs. I feel like when youâre an artist and youâre a singer-songwriter, itâs like one thing to have an album out but itâs another thing to put on a great show. Like I just got back from Coachella and it was so inspired. Every time I go itâs kind of like a school trip, like an educational trip. You just learn so much from other artists and you pay attention to details. Like okay, what is she doing? What band does she bring on stage? Stuff like that, and you just get really inspired to perform the new [music]. So Iâm excited about performing. You know, I hope I get to perform at Coachella. Like these are the things I get excited about. Even the smallest things. Recently, for example, I had an interview with one of my favorite magazines growing up, NYLON. Itâs crazy because home in Malaysia we didn’t even have any issues of the magazine until 2005 or something. So before that I was just scavenging at old magazine stores. The small stuff Iâm just easily smitten by…Even me having my âCrushâ music video premiering on BET. Iâm like, âOh!â I take it as all blessings.
turtleneck, M.Patmos /pants, Christian Siriano / ring, Urban ZenÂ
See more of Yuna in LADYGUNN in our fall/winter 2016 issue, out September!