Yuna is Amazed by the Love She Gets from the Philippines

Posted By: Danielle Domingo
Post Date: February 19, 2021

Malaysian artist, Yuna chats with Dannieboi in this myxCLUSIVE. They talk about her latest single, Dance Like Nobody's Watching, her past collabs with G-Eazy, Usher, and her hope to one day sing with BTS. She also shares her musical evolution and how she got to her sound now. Check it all below or check out the highlights from the interview!

  1. Yuna was originally supposed to visit the Philippines for a month
    She says that it's crazy to that she's only been to the Philippines once and yet they're the second largest streaming country for her latest track. "I can't wait for this whole thing to be over so I can go out there and just you know play music." She appreciates the love and support the Philippines constantly gives to her and her music.

2. She started writing original music around the age of 14
Yuna explains that growing up, she listened to a lot of Malaysian artists and also Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. She also liked Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow which shows her diversity in music. However she discovered Lauryn Hill around 12 or 13 years old, which became the first proper album she bought.

3. Yuna started in the music business around 2006 and has been going the last 15 years
Her creative process of creating music is always changing. She knew that she wasn't going to be an artist who just stuck with one thing. When she first started, Yuna says she really focused on singer-songwriter stuff like acoustic vibes. Fast forward to moving to Los Angeles and challenging herself to see where her English songs could take her.

4. She loves finding opportunities to evolve in her craft
Yuna compares her experience to painting a blank canvas. "People are giving me paint in different colors and I'm able to let go." The collab with Usher on Crush, she credits it to her management team but also the stars aligned for the opportunity. However she shared it wasn't something that happened instantly, "I didn't have anything for him yet so I kept that in mind" until Crush came around.

5. Yuna shares that getting rappers to feature in her songs has to be organic
"The way I approach getting a rapper to be on my song, it has to be something organic." One of the tracks, Blank Marquee featuring G-Eazy and Dannieboi was curious about the process of asking a rapper to feature in her projects. She explains that collaborating with anyone has to come from the heart where it's a mutual thing. They also have to also love the song and the project and come from a place of sincerity.

6. She had no idea at first that BTS followed her on social
We had to ask if there's an upcoming collab with BTS since they follow each other. Yuna's honest answer was not yet. They followed her a few years ago before they were the global sensation they are now. "Only time will tell. We got time to do it properly so that everyone will enjoy the process and the music."

7. The most random thing she has is her dictionary she's had since 13
She's really proud of it because Yuna explains she was never used to speaking English well. The dictionary was her best friend. She had it when reading English books and trying to write a song.

8. The song Stay Where You Are was put on the back burner and fans asked to be released to help comfort them during the pandemic
Yuna shares that the song didn't fit the concept of her last album, "Rouge" (2017). She then revisited it while staying home and performed a live video. Fans reacted positively and resonated with it saying it's something they need right now. Yuna gives a little explanation about the song:

"...Sometimes we feel very low and down, but always remember that you will always have someone who cares about you and who loves you. So just stay where you are and soon this will all be over and you'll be all right."

Meaning behind stay where you are

Cover Photo Credit: Yuna Facebook

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