by pankhuri bhutani
photo by jess gleeson
Hitting the ground running since the release of her debut EP What We Look Like With The Light On, AYA YVES has amassed over 700,000 streams. Add in a collaboration with industry icon Boy George and it’s easy to see why Aya has taken the industry by surprise.
There’s no doubt that with her otherworldly vocal abilities and honest approach to songwriting, AYA YVES is quickly becoming one of the premier emerging faces in the field of pop. Recently releasing her second release of 2022, the emotive track “p.s..” explores the themes of love, grief, hope — and how they tend to co-exist.
We recently had a chat with Aya regarding her music journey.
Before delving into your phenomenal music journey, I’d like to ask you what it was initially that brought you closer to the field of music? Did the passion come in early or did it develop at a later stage in your life?
AYA: “I honestly don’t remember a time where I wasn’t intensely passionate about being a singer as a kid. I sang anywhere and everywhere, at a time where my skill level definitely made it painful for anyone who was around to hear it. My mum taught me cello from the age of four, which definitely improved my pitch ten-fold. But yeah, I’ve been at some form of music and performance from the word go!”
You have recently released your new single “p.s..” Huge congratulations on that! What was the initial inspiration behind it and how did the general creative process go about with this project?
AYA: “One of the first songs written for this project was ‘Dear E.’ — which came about after finding out my sister was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Pat Byrne really loved Dear E. and wanted to work together.
Pat and I set up a session with one of my go-to collaborators — Bri Clark, which happened to be the day after my sister told me she was tired and ready to go. Once we started working on something it naturally leaned towards a similar soundscape to ‘Dear E.’ Once it took shape it felt right to name it ‘p.s.’ — because it really is part two of the same story.”
How do you feel now that this track is released? What sort of reactions are you hoping to achieve from your fans in terms of this track?
AYA: “I was expecting to feel worse when it came out, but surprisingly I felt a little lighter. I’d been sitting on this one for about a year — it was just my space to feel my grief when I needed to. I think now that it’s out, it doesn’t feel like a heavy secret anymore. I just hope that anyone listening finds some solace in knowing other people have felt the same grief.”
Since this track showcases a bit more vulnerable aspect of your artistry, were there any moments where you considered holding back on this project? Any specific challenges you faced while making the track?
AYA: “I’m the kind of person that wears my heart on my sleeve. I really think showing vulnerability is a sign of strength, so I didn’t even consider holding back.
When we were writing the song it was really hard though. I spent most of the day crying on the floor, and recorded the vocals in one take hiding under Pat’s desk. The vocals in the final version are the demo vocals — recorded on an SM57 instrument mic. I couldn’t get myself back in the headspace even if I had tried to.”
Where do you garner your major music influences from? If given an opportunity, is there anyone on your radar who you would absolutely love to collaborate with in the future?
AYA: “Too many to name them all! I grew up on singer/songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, but sonically I really love Bon Iver, BANKS, London Grammar, Caroline Polacheck, and the 1975. My ultimate collab would be with Bon Iver I think — his album 22, A Million completely changed the way I view music.”
What is the one piece of advice that you would wish to give to individuals facing a similar grief?
AYA: “Don’t hold yourself to a linear timeline for your healing — because it isn’t. Know that the grief you feel just shows how beautiful the love was.”
What’s next for you, AYA? Any plans on your upcoming projects/collaborations?
AYA: “Time to get stuck into some writing! Can’t give too much away, but I’m really excited to be creating again.”
Lastly, is there any message you’d like to give to your fans reading this interview currently?
AYA: “Thank you for holding the space to listen to ‘p.s.’ — you received it so warmly.”