Nilüfer Yanya

Nilüfer Yanya (/ˈnɪləfər ˈjænjə/; born 11 May 1995)[2] is an English singer, songwriter and musician.

Nilüfer Yanya
close-up of Nilüfer Yanya wearing a see-thru top that reads "MISS", standing onstage, singing into a microphone
Yanya performing in 2019
Background information
Born (1995-05-11) 11 May 1995[1]
London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active2016–present
LabelsATO
Websiteniluferyanya.com

Early life

Yanya is the daughter of two visual artists, her mother is of Irish and Barbadian heritage and her father is Turkish. Yanya grew up in Chelsea, London listening to Turkish music and classical music playing at home. She gravitated to guitar rock and learned how to play the instrument at the age of 12.[3]

Career

Informally starting her musical career with demos uploaded to SoundCloud in 2014,[4] Yanya turned down an offer to join a girl group produced by Louis Tomlinson of One Direction and focused on developing her own music instead.[3] She has spoken out against this model of talent acquisition, telling The Guardian: "'Let's go and pinch some young people, tell them we're going to make a really successful group but we're obviously going to make a lot more money than them.' It's a very selfish thing to do."[5] The project was reportedly abandoned after a year.[5]

Her first EP, Small Crimes/Keep on Calling, was released in 2016. Her second EP, Plant Feed, was released in 2017,[6] followed by Do You Like Pain? in 2018. All three EPs were later compiled into the EP Inside Out in 2021.

In 2019, Yanya released her debut studio album, Miss Universe, which received rave reviews and critical acclaim,[3][4][7] with critics noting her ability to bounce back and forth between musical and lyrical styles, shifting between "gimlet-eyed composure and cataclysmic panic".[8] Yanya's music has been described as nervous and restless, combining influences from indie rock to soul, jazz, and trip hop.[3][6] A Stereogum review called her voice "malleable and endlessly expressive."[9]

In 1-2 July 2022, Yanya performed before Adele's first live UK concert after five years, in Hyde Park.[10] Yanya is currently the UK starter act for rock band Roxy Music who reformed in 2022 for a 50th anniversary tour.[11]

Yanya featured on the Bombay Bicycle Club track "Meditate" on the band's 2023 album My Big Day.[12]

Musical style

Les Inrockuptibles has likened her material to the likes of King Krule, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Parquet Courts and the Breeders.[13]

Personal life

Yanya has tried to embrace her Turkish heritage more as an adult and started taking Turkish lessons.[5]

She likes to involve her family in her career, with her younger sister Elif sometimes performing with her as a backing singer and her elder sister Molly directing her music videos.[5]

Yanya stated in a Turkish interview that her mother lived in Turkey with her father when they were expecting her, and she often heard the Turkish pop singer Nilüfer's name on the radio. She loved the name so much that she said, "If I have a daughter, I will name her Nilüfer."[14]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

  • Small Crimes/Keep on Calling (2016)
  • Plant Feed (2017)
  • Do You Like Pain? (2018)
  • Feeling Lucky? (2020)
  • Inside Out (2021)

References
  1. "Hans Sarpei". Archived from the original on 17 December 2004. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  2. "Nilüfer Yanya draws her "Miss Universe" Album Cover | DRAW YOUR COVER". Diffus. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  3. Bray, Elisa (24 March 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya interview: 'I get imposter syndrome a lot'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  4. Mylrea, Hannah (22 March 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya – 'Miss Universe' review". NME. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  5. Aroesti, Rachel (11 January 2022). "Nilüfer Yanya: 'I wasn't thinking: how am I going to make this a TikTok hit'". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. Bromwich, Kathryn (11 June 2017). "One to watch: Nilüfer Yanya". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  7. Greenwood, Douglas (22 March 2019). "The Universe Belongs to Nilüfer Yanya". Noisey. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  8. Snapes, Laura (22 March 2019). "Nilüfer Yanya – Miss Universe". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  9. Rettig, James (19 March 2019). "Album Of The Week: Nilüfer Yanya Miss Universe". Stereogum. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  10. @Adele (23 June 2022). "The line up for my Hyde Park shows next week is going to blow your socks off!! An all female bill, from new artists that I'm obsessed with to the heavenly @KaceyMusgraves to one of my favorite artists of all time @GabrielleUk who I've loved since I was 4!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. "Roxy Music Announce Tour Support for UK Dates; Release Extra Tickets for London Show". 14 September 2022.
  12. https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/news/bombay-bicycle-club-announce-new-album-my-big-day-featuring-damon-albarn-and-others-30204/
  13. Dubreuil, Théo (17 December 2020). "Nilüfer Yanya (d)étonne". Les Inrockuptibles. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  14. Mestan, Seden. "Karşınızda: Nilüfer Yanya (in Turkish)". Vogue. Retrieved 16 May 2022.


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