Settingherselftobecomeaninternational
artistwasdefinitelynotaneasyfeat.Infact
therehadbeenaperiodwhenYunahadto
splitagig’sRM400profitwithfourotherband
members.“Iknowpeoplewillthink‘Oh,she
madeit!’buttheymissedoutonalotofthe
hardwork,determinationandfocus.WhenI
gottoLAIfeltthatIwasmatureenoughto
understandandknowthattryingtobefamous
andliveglamorouslyisn’tarealgoal.”
HercollaborationwithR&Bsinger
UsherforCrushsecuredherthefirstever
nominationforaMalaysianmusicianatthe
BETAwards.“Wegenuinelywantedtowork
witheachotherandthesamegoeswiththeotherartistsI’vecollaboratedwith.”Under
herlabelYunaRoomRecords,aplateauof
risingtalentswerediscovered,likemusician
duosPastelLiteandHani&Zuewhosemusic
videoshavebeendirectedbyYuna,asshe
takesonanewcreativerole.
Inherapproachtodirecting,Yunahasbeen
takingcuesfromherfilmdirectorhusband
AdamSinclair.“Heunderstandsthatmyideas
aredifferentfromhis,yethelovesworking
onprojectsthatI’mapartof,becauseof
thefemininetouchthatIbringtothetable.
That’ssomethingwhichIfeelismissingwith
mostmaledirectors.”Itislikelythatherbeau
directedthemusicvideoofherfirstsingle,
Forevermore,fromherseventhalbum,Rouge,
thatportrayedMalaysianscenery,fromKuala
LumpurtoPerlis,sowonderfully.
Shedescribesherlatestalbumasbeing
R&Bandpopwith“athrowbackvibetoit;
thistimearoundit’smorelikeMichaelJackson
andearlyWhitneyHouston.It’sveryfunky
andcurrent.”Foranartistwhobeganrisingin
theMalaysiancharts,andisnowarenowned
internationalsinger,Yunastillfindstimeto
connectwithherfansonsocialmedia.
Takingnoteofthedreamycurationofher
Instagramaccountshowcasingabohemian
aestheticandwhatwetermthe‘Yuna-
factor,’shereveals,“Withmysocialmedia
personality,Idon’ttrytobedifferent.Imean,
Ipostaboutplantsandthingsthatinterestme.
That’showItrytobeopenwithmyfans.”152 malaysia tatler. august 2019
LIFE | POP CULTURE
WORDS:AINAIZZAH;IMAGES:FURLAANDRESPECTIVEMUSICIANS“I don’t try to be different.
That’s how I try to be
open with my fans”
SOUL SISTER
Yuna’s latest album
Rouge includes
collaborations
with international
acts like G-Eazy
in a genre that
combines R&B pop
and hip-hop
C
lad in a stunning innai red
pink and gold design, with a
trendy Furla bucket bag, we
caught up with musician and
lyricist Yuna Zarai right before
she was to perform at an event to celebrate
the hip monogrammed collection by Furla.
After the release of her momentous single Dan
Sebenarnya in 2010, she has gone on to do
a national tour and produce several albums,
then finally landing in Los Angeles, US—and
we want to know what would be in store for
her fans back home and how she’s faring.Takes Forevermore
Known for her soulful renditions, songstress
Yuna Zarai shares on her new album and more