“With music, it has always been easy for me. I have utmost confidence in myself and my work,” Yuna says during our Zoom interview on a sunny Thursday afternoon. The 38-year-old music luminary is filled with zest and vigour as she dials in from her cosy abode in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
With a career that spans nearly two decades and a rolodex of over 120 songs, Yuna is one of Southeast Asia’s biggest names in music and entertainment. Born and raised in Kedah and Selangor, she had initially planned to be a lawyer, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in legal studies at MARA Technological University. Pursuing a career in music was never on the cards for her, as she reminisces about her childhood growing up in a traditional Malay household: “I grew up very normal, attending public schools throughout my adolescence. I still have friends from my classes back in university who are lawyers now, and it really makes me think about how my life turned out completely different,” she shares on the call, laughing. She chose a path less taken, one that saw her starting her own music company and eventually reaching global superstardom, having collaborated with several of the industry’s biggest names such as Pharrell Williams.
Fast forward 18 years and Yuna has no signs of slowing down. Fresh off her live show Etherealis held in February, she recounts that it was the homecoming she had dreamt of. “I wanted everything to be perfect. I was confident about the music and visuals, but I wanted the whole programme to feel special and different for the fans. I obsessed over every detail leading up to it, from the food at the lounge to the door gifts everyone received.” The hard work certainly paid off, with tickets for all four days of the show being sold out online within days of their release. “Being the director of my own show was tiring”, she admits, cognisant of the countless hours of blood, sweat and tears that went into the show’s production. “But seeing my vision come to life was incredibly fulfilling. It’s like being a photographer or filmmaker; you have a vision of how you want things to look and I’m glad I could share that vision with the fans.”
“People want authenticity in the music scene—I always highlight the importance of staying true to your roots, to never forget where you are from.”
Having moved back to Kuala Lumpur last year, after nearly 15 years of living in Los Angeles, Yuna is ready to embark on the next phase of her life—one that is rooted in advocacy and giving back to her community. “2024 was really good for me. It was the most balanced year I’ve had. It didn’t feel like I was juggling too much,” she muses. “In the last 10 or 12 years of my life, it has been an unending loop of work: writing songs, going to the studio, releasing an album, going on tour, rinse and repeat. If you are not careful, this line of work can consume you entirely and you just don’t know who you are anymore. I decided to take a break after my last album and instead focus on putting out shorter EPs that I would feel proud of.” Besides the release of her EP Wasting Away, Yuna also launched her own clothing label YZ, along with a multitude of ongoing fundraising efforts to send food aid to Gaza.
“The fundraisers didn’t feel like work, but more like a family gathering. They allowed me to work with a ton of amazing people and brands along the way, and provided me with the respite that I needed.”
Yuna has also been openly vocal about her wishes to start a family, to lay the foundations in a place she feels comfortable calling home. “Before moving back to Malaysia, I had asked myself: where would I want my nest to be if I became a mother? And it led me to realise that Los Angeles was not the right fit for me despite the many friendships and relationships I had forged there over the years. I wanted to be in a safe space with my family around and my homeland is definitely the best place for that. I feel more protected and familiar with how things work in my country.”
As for the demands and challenges of motherhood, Yuna remains valiant and unencumbered at the thought of it. “Life is a journey, I’ve always seen it that way. Before I got married, I didn’t know a single thing about being a wife, but Adam and I just went through it, learning along the way on what works best for us,” she confesses. “Now, alhamdulillah, I have a wonderful husband and we have a very happy marriage. Being a mother is the same thing—I’ll just have to adapt and cross that bridge when we get there.”
I ask her how the last few years have been since her first cover for Vogue Singapore in April 2021. She recounts several of the highs and lows that have stuck with her these four years, her voice now filled with emotion as the nostalgia creeps in. “(2021) was a tough year for me, especially the uncertainty following the pandemic and the lockdown. That year taught me a lot; I had lost a family member who was really close to me, and I had to learn to cope with the grief and feelings that came with it. It forced me to recalibrate, to stop and recognise what my priorities were in life. It made me realise that once you have that figured out, everything else falls into place.”
Despite everything, Yuna is appreciative of the hurdles life has thrown her way, a happy-go-lucky attitude filled with optimism. “I have learnt not to get worked up about the little things that don’t matter. Being an artist, there are always pressures, both intrinsic and extrinsic, to stay relevant, to be at the cusp of it all. There was a time when the narrative felt like I had to be an It girl, an advocate and a face for change; and I kind of fell for that. Now I am wiser and I choose to spend my time doing the things I love. I work with artists and producers I like, and I am not ashamed to acknowledge my flaws and shortcomings along the way.” I then ask about what a day in her life looks like now, to which she responds: “I feel like I should have a schedule, but I don’t. I just listen to my body and do whatever I feel is best. If your first instinct is to say no, just say no.”
Looking ahead, Yuna is excited for things to come. She has endless praise for the current music scene within the region, citing artists such as singer-songwriter NIKI and rapper Rich Brian as trailblazers who have made it on the international stage. “The landscape here is filled with promise. We are constantly birthing new talent and this diversity makes it very interesting. So I am really proud of that and I am really happy to witness it all.” She wishes to continue leading by example, setting the blueprint for these smaller artists. “People want authenticity in the music scene, which has always been my ethos from the start. I always highlight the importance of staying true to your roots, to never forget where you are from.”
As we wrap things up, Yuna hints at imminent plans to release new music, bringing up her interest to collaborate with local producers who are breaking the mould with their innovative practices. “As an artist you have to always be moving, you can’t be stagnant. It is this constant movement that will allow you to evolve and experience new things, which is the magic of it all.”
Photography Wee Yang
Styling Nicholas See
Hijab stylist Yaya Ibrahem
Make-up Jenn
Executive producer David Bay
Producer Jackie Mah
Production assistants Dennis Kho and Yean
Photographer’s assistants Carl and Esther
Stylist’s assistant Tham
Vogue Singapore’s April ‘Movement’ issue will be out on newsstands from April and available to preorder online.
