HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES

FOR SOMEONE WHO SAYS SHE NEVER ENJOYED SINGING WHEN SHE WAS GROWING UP, YUNA HAS CERTAINLY COME A LONG WAY. DESPITE HER STRING OF ACHIEVEMENTS WHICH INCLUDES WINNING MULTIPLE AWARDS AND COLLABORATING WITH THE LIKES OF USHER, JAY PARK AND G-EAZY, SHE’S AS REAL AS THEY COME. VASENTA SELVANAYAGAM FINDS OUT HOW SHE KEEPS HER FEET FIRMLY ON THE GROUND AS SHE BUILDS A SOLID CAREER IN THE USA AND BEYOND.

- VASENTA SELVANAYAGAM

One of the first things you’d notice about this songstress when you meet her is her friendly nature. When she invited our editor, Yang Mei Ling to her apartment in Los Angeles for a chat, Yuna’s greeting to her was laid-back and welcoming. She then indulged her taste buds in a hearty bowl of tom yam noodles before getting ready for a fashion event that evening. Apparently, Yuna takes every opportunity that she gets to enjoy Malaysian delights in the USA as she claims that very rarely will you be able to find places that sell good Malaysian food! The Kedah-born singer-songwriter began her career at the tender age of 14 and nothing, including minor failures, has made her think twice about pursuing her dream vocation.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN

“Ironically, I never enjoyed singing when I was younger but I knew that I was good in it. My first ‘heartbreak’ was when I got eliminated from Malaysia’s reality show, One In A Million, after reaching stage two of the contest. Surprisingly, I went home that night and wrote more songs, and slowly it started to become an addiction. In a nutshell, that’s how I started to write my own songs and singing became my thing,” shares Yuna.

Blessed with a warm and melodious voice, Yuna’s also gifted with the ability to play a musical instrument without having had any formal training. Yes, the talented lady acquired her guitar-playing skills by herself ! “I don’t know the chords because I just play by ear to what sounds right. I remember jamming with this girl in college and I used to borrow her guitar. After realising that I was into it, I bought my own guitar and we started to jam together in UiTM, where I was studying law. Eventually, the songs I sang and played were uploaded onto MySpace cos I wanted the world to know about them as I felt my songs could go far,” she says.