INTERVIEW: Aya Yves releases new single '(in) Sanity': "It's about knowing that someone is bad for you, and not paying attention to the logical side of yourself that knows that."
Aya Yves is the new project from singer Vendulka, who has traded in the folk-pop sounds of her earlier career for sleek electronica and today she releases the single ‘(in) Sanity’. Produced by Xavier Dunn (Jack River, Graace, CXLOE, Sarah Wolfe) the track is a laid back, majestic track that mixes a classic soulpop vibe with contemporary electro, all presided over by Aya’s incredibly emotive vocals. Just one single in, it is clear this new era of Aya Yves is going to be an incredibly rewarding one. We recently caught up with Aya to find out more.
Hi Aya! So good to chat to you. How is everything in your world right now?
Hi there! Thanks for taking the time out to speak to me! My world is a little turbulent at the moment due to all the craziness- but I’ve run away to a friend’s place on a block of land up near Coffs Harbour which is proving to be a little more peaceful and calming. I’ve started writing some new songs with the down time which is never a bad thing, and have been planning a lot of creative content for the rest of the year.
If we go right back to beginning, what are your first memories of music?
It’s hard to think of any that don’t have music tied to them! I’ve always sang – even when I was really terrible at it. I did it all the time - much to the dismay of my mother who’s a music teacher! My dad used to play and sing us lullabies every night before bed. Every time there were any parties or visitors at our house growing up it would end in everyone playing music around a fire. I have very fond memories of dancing around the kitchen to ABBA with mum, I was a dancing queen way before I was 17.
What role did music play in your childhood – did you learn any instruments or do any performing?
My first instrument, other than voice was cello. Mum is a violin, viola and cello teacher- so when I was four she put a cello in my lap and started teaching me. Looking back, I’m super grateful it was my first instrument. Because it’s fretless - you have to consistently use your ear – which definitely improved my pitch. My
first memory of officially performing was at Cobargo Folk Festival around the age of 6. I signed my brother and I up for a youth contest – the prize was tickets to the National Folk Festival and a spot on the program. We didn’t win but we got a special mention and they sent us off to the NFF anyway. A couple weeks ago I was digging through home videos and found one of a Christmas event where I was up on stage singing at the top of my lungs and dancing around as a four year old. I don’t think I was ever going to do anything else, which was pretty reassuring.
You were born in Cooma and grew up in Canberra, I imagine the music scene isn’t massive in either places. Was it difficult to believe you could pursue a music career when there wasn’t a lot of visible inspiration around you?
I think everyone overcomes different obstacles in their journeys of artistry, but I never really saw growing up in a small town as a huge issue personally. I’d bribe my parents to drive me out of town for different performance opportunities, and we ended up going to quite a few festivals throughout each year. Plus there are a few people in Cooma that really champion for music - Allan Spencer started the Australian National Busking Championships which have grown pretty massively over the last few years! The inspirations I had around me were people like Kristina Olsen, who commands a stage with nothing but her voice and guitar. I really appreciated watching someone like her play, because it seemed super accessible and achievable to me. Maybe if they were bigger concerts/widely known artists I would’ve been intimidated and not pursued the career. Who knows?
By the time I moved to Canberra I had just turned 16 I was living independently and had my learner’s car licence, so if I could bribe an older friend to accompany me I could drive myself to whatever gig I had to play or wanted to see! Canberra has such a killer creative scene, and it’s definitely amped up a lot even just over the last 12 months. I really hope that by pursuing music full force, I’m inspiring younger people from small towns into not feeling like it’s an impossible hurdle.
What was your thought process behind the change from folk-pop Vendulka to electronica Aya Yves?
The name itself I’d had in my head for over two years. I’d woken up in the middle of the night to a dream where a huge crowd of people were chanting ‘Aya’ over and over again – and I knew it was me, even though it’s not the name I was given at birth. I did a bit of googling and couldn’t find why it might’ve popped into my subconscious, so I took it as a push from the universe and wrote the name in my notes. Didn’t pay it any attention for a long time. Then I wrote ‘(in)Sanity’, and it felt really different to me. It didn’t feel like it belonged to the folk music realm I’d lived in my whole life. It was then that I remembered the note in my phone, and
decided that was the start of AYA YVES.
The change felt really organic and inevitable to me. My music tastes had developed and changed over the years and I’d found myself listening more and more to artists like Bon Iver, James Blake, BANKS, London Grammar, Florence +The Machine… artists that experimented more with electronic production but
are still very narrative driven.
Your new single ‘(in) Sanity’ is out on March 31 and is brilliant! You have said it is about dating someone who is ‘emotionally unavailable’ – we’ve all been there! Can you tell me more about the inspiration behind the song?
Ahh thank you! Yeah absolutely, what a shitty situation to be able to relate to. I was in the first few weeks of seeing someone and was feeling really good about it all. It’d been a long time since I had seen someone where I could’ve actually seen things progressing further. Low and behold they told me they ‘weren’t
ready for a relationship’. Classic. I said that was fine and I was happy for us to keep seeing each other. Even though I’d been in a situation similar before, and knew exactly how it would end, I didn’t pull the pin when I probably should have. ’(in) Sanity’ is about that feeling. Knowing that someone is bad for you, and not paying attention to the logical side of yourself that knows that. Even though they can’t give you what you deserve, accepting whatever they have to give, because ‘a little’s better than nothing at all.’ Probably not the sane, rational decision.
Can you tell us about the creative process behind the song, who you worked with etc?
About 6 months before I wrote the song, I was at a jam night and there was this incredible beatboxer REX who was trying to teach himself to utilise the flip between his chest and head voice, and I thought it was a super interesting tool. Fast forward to ‘(in)Sanity’ being born. I was camping at a festival with my band because we were playing. It started with the hook - I’d had it in my head for weeks. I wanted to utilise my vocal flip so it had to be a pretty specific key. I sat my guitarist Victor down and asked him to play chords on loop that worked for that pocket of my voice. In a couple hours the song was done and we ended up playing it at our show that night. I had people coming up to me for the rest of the festival asking when it’d be out, which was pretty encouraging that it was a song worth pursuing!
I’d received the Cretive Ydeas small grant from the Canberra YWCA around that time that I had allocated to working with a producer for a single- so then I just had to pick someone who I felt was right for the project!
I’d followed Xavier Dunn’s work for a few years and really loved his quirky production style. I (very nervously) sent him an acoustic demo of the song a couple weeks later, much to my surprise and excitement he was keen to work on it. I didn’t walk in with any expectations of what the song was going to sound like – I just wanted him to go hard with his creativity. So the iteration of ‘(in)Sanity’ you know now was born!
Xav spoke very highly of Chris Collins for mixing so that’s who I went with, and honestly he absolutely killed it. His ear is incredible. I’d worked with Andrew Edgson previously for mastering so I sent it off to him
for the final touches.
Can we expect a full-length album or EP from you soon?
Absolutely. The EP is ready to go for release sometime this year and I’ve already started writing for the next record. I can’t wait for the songs to be out in the world.
There’ve been some absolutely incredible cowriters and collaborators on the EP! LANKS, Bri Clark, Alex Lahey, Jordi White (aka Old Cities), Josh Lovegrove and Xavier Dunn are all incredible artists in their own right – I feel super lucky to have had them involved on this project.
What music or artists are you listening to at the moment?
Ooh, I’ve been going to local Aussie artists as much as possible to try and help them through this crazy time we’re all going through. I actually have a playlist I play on repeat silently when I sleep! There are too many to list, but I’ll give it a shot! SADBOii, Emalia, lindsay, XIRA, Hollie Col, Hauskey, Hayden Calnin, Joe Mungovan, GRAACE, Laura Hyde, LIV LI, Eluera and Eliott are all incredible – please check them out and support them!
There has been a lot of talk about gender equality in the past year or so in the wake of #metoo. What are your thoughts on sexism and gender equality in the music industry?
Our representation on festival lineups in Australia is increasing steadily each year (thanks Hack for the stats) but our radio play sits at 21% solo or all female acts, compared to 52% for our male counterparts. It’s not because of a lack of supply, that’s for sure. The conversation has started, which is great, but we need action! I’m excited for a day where our radio play sits pretty evenly. I think as women we have to work twice as hard to get our ideas heard, which can be disheartening. I’ve been in rooms where I’ve made a suggestion, only to
be ignored, but when a male counterpart later makes the same suggestion – they’re listened to and praised. Super frustrating. You have to have thick skin in this industry and know how to stand your ground. I’ve made the decision personally to avoid working with people who act like that where I can. I’m incredibly lucky to have a beautiful creative community of strong minded women and like minded men I can turn to for support and work with!
I’m feeling really positive and hopeful about where we’re headed as an industry – but we definitely have a long way to go.
What are your tips on staying sane in the unusual and sometimes scary world of self-isolation and quarantine?
1. Just take each day as it comes. If you want to dance in your kitchen pantsless drinking wine and eating pasta- do that. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…
2. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need a cry – let it out. A lot of us have lost opportunities and career growth that we’ve worked really hard for. You’re allowed to grieve your loss. Give yourself the respect and patience to work through your emotions that you deserve.
3. Don’t measure your worth on your productivity output, take this as an opportunity to slow down and learn who you are when you’re still.
4. Use some of your time to connect to your inner child. We used to create just for the sake of it as kids. We’d paint, make sculptures, write songs, poems, draw… just because. Not to be good at it. Creativity doesn’t have to be about talent.
5. Facetime your friends! Everyone is lonely, connection is still possible even through distance. Put a letter under your neighbour’s door and see if they need anything. I’m hopeful that we’ll come out of this stronger as a worldly community, and that we’ll know not only our neighbours, but know ourselves better.
What else is on the agenda for Aya Yves in 2020?
Well, hopefully gigs at some point! But until then, working on release plans for the rest of the EP, lining up remote writing sessions, planning music videos… lots to keep me busy!
‘(in)Sanity’ is out now. You can download on iTunes and stream on Apple Music and Spotify.
To keep up with all things Aya Yves you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
