Posts Tagged ‘Yuna’

Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Yuna

Yuna

Yuna might just be one of the most talented musicians around in Malaysia today. She not only has a unique voice, writes beautiful songs with simple, but straight-to-the-heart lyrics, but she’s also a savvy businesswoman AND a hip fashionista as well! Yuna is currently in the US to do some label hunting and perform a few shows. You probably wonder how and where she gets the inspiration to write such good songs, right? So here you go..Yuna’s very own favourite music…

What are the top 5 songs on your play list now?

1. VCR -The XX
2. Introducing Palace Players – Mew
3. 11th Dimension – Julian Casablancas
4. Lucky You – Seven Collar T-Shirt
5. Never met a girl like you before -Iggy Pop

Mood music time. The song that pops in your head when…

You’re feeling the love – I’ve Got A Crush On You by Ella Fitzgerald
You’re doing speed shopping to buy clothes for a show/event – Crystalised by The XX
You’re chilling out with your mates – Always Love by Nada Surf
You’re feeling annoyed – Hang You From the Heavens by The Dead Weather
You’re nervous – Politik by Coldplay

If you were to recommend any artist/album to everyone out there, who/what would it be?
I love every song from Mew’s latest album, ‘No More Stories Are Told Today..’ so get that!

Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Yuna

Yuna

Yup yup! Our favourite songstress with that haunting silky voice is now in Los Angeles, California. Yunalis Mat Zara’ai aka Yuna, together with her cousin-cum-Personal Assistant, Wawa are currently there to do some music label-shopping. We’re so psyched for her and we know you want to know more…so here’s some juicy scoop for you, straight from Yuna herself, enjoy!

How have you been? Tell us a bit about your life and career after winning 1st runner up at the recent AJL.

I’ve been good! My life has been hectic after AJL, been busier but I’m very blessed because I’m busy with work – my music and my shop in SS15, but it’s all good! I prefer being busy with work than doing nothing.

You also have a boutique. How is it going now? Is business blooming after your AJL victory?

Business is okay! A lot of people are still searching for the location of the shop. It’s actually really easy to find, but for those who are from out of town, it’s a bit difficult for them to spot the shop.

You’re in America at the moment. Tell us how it all happened and what you’ll be doing over there.

Well my manager, Ben was from this management label its called Indie-Pop. He discovered my music via Youtube/Myspace, so he flew down to Malaysia to come and see me, and we had the same goal in making music in the States. He was really interested in promoting my music to the USA, so yea. My goal is to go international so I see this as a really good opportunity for me to do that.

If things go well in America, and you have the chance to cut a deal there, would you go for it and leave Malaysia for a while? Will you take your current band mates with you?

I love Malaysia – I dont really like the term ‘leaving Malaysia’, it’s more of ‘doing something for Malaysia’ so yea of course, I’d have to work here but I would definitely come home, I have so many responsibilities back home as well. If things go well in the future, I’d love to have my bandmates around too. But it’s just me alone for now.

How is your new album production going? How long more until you release it and what can we expect from this album?

I’m still recording, and there’s still a lot to do, but since I’m gonna go to LA, it might take a little while to finish. In this album you’ll listen to the ‘darker’ side of Yuna i think. But not too dark. I think people will still be able to enjoy it.

You seem like a very down-to-earth person. What do you like to do to wind down after a long day of working…and how do you spend your day off?

I like to go online and read stuff, I love fashion blogs and European street style blogs… sometimes I’d watch DVD, but my favourite thing to do to just relax is to play Sims3. I love that game.

Every artist dreams of sharing the stage with their fav band/singer. Who is it for you?

Lykke Li! Because she’s so quirky and cute. I love her music so much. My favourite band is Coldplay. It sounds crazy and lame if I’d tell people that I dream of sharing a stage with them but I’m just gonna say it anyway. Lol!

As a songwriter, who would you like to collaborate with if you had the chance and why?
Bjork. Who wouldn’t dream of collaborating with Bjork?

Get more updates from Yuna by adding her on Facebook here. You can also add her on twitter here.

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

If you’ve been hanging out at gigs and music festivals lately, you’ll realize that there are just so many independent fashion labels and boutiques coming alive at the fashion bazaar! A music festival nowadays isn’t complete without a hip and happening fashion bazaar and vice versa. Some labels operate online only and some have developed their online businesses into actual boutiques.

This month, get ready to be all dressed up as we talk to Yuna about her very own fashion label – IAMJETFUEL!

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Everybody who has seen Yuna knows that she is super fashionable. She makes layering and mismatched colours and patterns work and boy oh boy, does she has superb taste in shoes. So it’s only natural for this lanky young lady to start her own online boutique – IAMJETFUEL a couple of months ago. The label did so well since it started out that recently, Yuna finally realized her dream of opening an actual boutique for it! Now called IAMJETFUELshop, the label carries stylish jackets and hoodies (Yuna’s obsession), tops, bottoms, uber cool footwear and the best thing is, it caters for guys as well! Not only that, as an ambassador for Anti-Beauty Malaysia, Yuna has also been given the privilege to carry some Badger/Anti-Beauty/Voltra items at her shop. This girl is on the move, I tell ya! Alright, so to give you an idea of what’s in store at IAMJETFUELshop, check out the pics below.

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*all pictures courtesy of IAMJETFUEL

Pretty cool, huh?

We asked Yuna about her fashion label, her fashion sense now and then and her dreams for the future of IAMJETFUEL…

1. How long has it been your dream to open your own boutique?
Ever since I was a small girl, I think, my cousin and I, we pretend to have our own boutique and saloon, but we were too young back then so we decided that we’re old enough to open our shop now. We have no skill in hairdressing, so we decided to sell clothes!

2. What was your biggest ‘fashion no-no’ while growing up?
Ahahaha skinny jeans!!

3. What fashion item couldn’t you part with as a little girl and now?
A watch. I have hundreds of them, it’s a shame I did not keep them all, they were all one of a kind. If I still had my Princess Jasmine watch that I wore when I was 7 years old I would definitely wear it now.

4. Do you plan to endorse other artists under your label?
We’re really new, and we’re still learning a lot from retail business, so no we’re not ready to endorse people now. Hopefully in the future when IAMJETFUEL has more branches.

5. What can people expect from IAMJETFUEL?
Comfortable, stylish and affordable clothes. Something quirky and something simple. Basically I just want my customers to feel good in their clothes and be confident with what they’re wearing, I want them to feel how I feel when I’m satisfied with something that I really like to wear.

6. What do you always end up with when you have that ‘I-have-nothing-to-wear’ moment?
My skinny jeans, a t-shirt and a plaid shirt on top.

7. If you were given the privilege to style someone, who would it be and why?
Izwin from The Otherside Orchestra! She would fit in any IAMJETFUEL items nicely. Her style and attitude would just click with the brand.

8. What is the thing that you will never ever wear in your lifetime?
A fluffy dress. With laces and all.

9. Where do you see IAMJETFUEL in 10 years time?

Hopefully a well known label that kids would resort to if they need something snazzy to wear for a weekend outing.

10. Describe IAMJETFUEL in 3 words.
I.AM.JETFUEL.

Get more info on IAMJETFUELshop at www.iamjetfuelshop.blogspot.com and add them up on Facebook (IAMJETFUELshop). Or if you’re itchin’ to shop,  why not go straight to the boutique located at 23-1, SS15/8B, Subang Jaya, Selangor (above DVD shop, same row as Darussalam restaurant).

Happy shopping!

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Remember all the hu-ha about Malaysians and Indonesians being nasty with each other a couple of weeks back? Well that certainly wasn’t the case at the Mocca 10th Anniversary Pre-Show/Fan Meet-and-Greet session at Badger Malaysia, which happened on last October 28th. Oh btw, if you haven’t heard of Badger, it’s actually a fashion label, based in Bandung, Indonesia. Badger (and its sister brands, Anti-Beauty and Voltra) carries street wear fashion for both guys and girls that caters to anyone who loves something quirky and fun, but still practical and definitely wearable on a daily basis. Heck, they even have awesome blazer inspired jackets now, so it’s perfect for office wear too. Badger is now in Malaysia and to find out more, visit www.badgermalaysia.com

So anyway, back to the pre-show. That night, the Badger boutique was transformed into a mini music hall to make way for fans to meet and enjoy some music from not only Mocca but opening acts Tonawarna, Yuna and Hanafi of Estranged. FYI, both Hanafi and Yuna are the official endorsees of Badger and Anti- Beauty respectively. After Tonawarna opened the show with some melodious Indo-inspired music, Yuna charmingly took the stage with her super sing-along songs. Before ending her set with Dan Sebenarnya, Yuna invited Hanafi to join her on stage to perform a song they co-wrote together for Hanafi’s college project, called ‘Sparkle’. It was indeed a beautifully written song…very heartfelt; you’d wanna listen to it over and over again. Too bad it’s not promoted commercially at the moment, but do keep a look out, they might have something in planning…who knows, right?

Mocca then went up on stage to perform an acoustic set that blew everyone’s mind that night! Arina’s sweet-as-sugar vocals were top notch and the band was just simply superb. They performed favourites like ‘Secret Admirer’, ‘Do What You Wanna Do’ and ‘The Best Thing in the World’. They had everyone joyfully clapping and singing along with the music.

Too bad the Hypptunes team couldn’t make it for the finale concert on October 31st due to some other work commitment. However, judging from this pre-show’s short and sweet affair, we’re pretty sure everyone had a blast at the concert :)

Here are some pictures at the pre-show…

yuna

yuna

yuna & riko of mocca

yuna & riko of mocca

yuna & hanafi of estranged

yuna & hanafi of estranged

mocca

mocca