Conversation With YOUANDI 

Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?

A: Well hello there, I come from a place of duality, a rocky but intensely valuable start, unlimited potential, and also a dutch city called Amsterdam. As a little girl, I always imagined myself singing for people but unfortunately, my nerves got the best of me and shut me down, especially during puberty. Years later after failing while exploring different studies I looked at myself in the mirror and reminded me of that little girl that always wanted to come out and sing. I decided to submit myself to a music school and started my journey to understanding my nervous system. I graduated in 2019 and made a pact to keep pursuing what makes me feel the freest and most influential which is creating and singing. 

Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?

A: I love learning things that pique my interest, so self-taught feels equal to self-love which I’ve done the most.

Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?

A: My first were Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Jhene Aiko, and Little Dragon. They were definitely the strongest mix of sound to recognize my own sonic blueprint through. 

Q: You have just released your new single, ‘in too heavy. Is there a story behind it?

A: There always is and I’m happy that I understand it in time cause this isn’t always the case… Sometimes It takes me months to years to figure out what I was writing about, but meaning always strikes at some point, somehow. 

in too heavy showcases what one could call a higher consciousness that witnesses the concentrated ego and its behavioral patterns. How it can sink deep in haughtiness and is tempted to walk outside of its shoes. In the second piece of the song, it’s the ego’s turn to open up its thoughts and so it reaches out with sayings like “ask above, clear me up whole” when it feels that it’s time for an energetic detox. These are mindscapes of the two ever-bonding characters in our human system.

Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?

A: Are you already excited? Cause I experience trouble sitting still when thinking about it. 

Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

A: That’s a very hard question to answer since everyone listens differently, ehm… I would think the depth and immersiveness of the instrumental accompanied by the emotional lay of my voice, but the music is abundant in layers so It can be something other too.

Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?

A: I feel it as a journey of fulfillment wherein fulfillment takes on different forms in different processes and in that journey it mostly teaches me the possibility of it looking different than expectations can falsely predict or sometimes imagination shows. 

To me, fulfillment is like growth and music guides me through that.

Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

A: The passing of my mom, a beautiful untamed spirit. It felt like a part of me died when she left during my graduation year at school. 

 I do sense her with me, it feels safe now.

Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

A: This moment and period. I feel curious, playful, and energetic about everything in my field. It took me some time to get here but to me, this identifies as success.

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