Yuna will perform on Wednesday night at U Street Music Hall. The Internet has been all aflutter since Sunday with reactions to Coca Cola’s Super Bowl commercial in which “America the Beautiful” is sung in a number of different languages. Though it’s not really clear to me whether the coverage is putting a tempest in a teapot, the fact that one of the world’s most recognizable brands sees commercial value in acknowledging the diversity of this country further underscores America’s changing face. From electoral politics to popular culture, any business or person who wants to touch large numbers of people must take this transition into account.
Yuna, who will perform tomorrow night at U Street Music Hall, personifies this shift. The 27-year-old singer-songwriter was a well-known and award winning artist in her native Malaysia. Even then, she began developing an English repertoire that brought her to the attention of record labels in the States.
“I really wanted to work on my English music so when the offer came up I was like, ‘Okay let’s do it,'” Yuna said during a recent conversation with DCist. “I love Malaysia, and I miss Malaysia and coming out here was a huge step, but it was also a new beginning.”
Her ambitions brought Yuna here in 2011, and an eponymous debut recording came out in early 2012. The ubiquitous Pharrell Williams produced its first single, “Live Your Life,” though opening track “Lullabies” became the most widely played song. Yuna signed with the storied Verve label for her second release after touring and making many appearances on the late night talk show circuit. Nocturnal, which came out last October, sees Yuna collaborating with a number of heavyweight producers. The sound is clearly aimed in a more commercial direction, however it retains the personal and introspective lyricism of its more restrained predecessor.
“As a songwriter, you always think about, ‘This is what I want to do,’ but to be honest you can never stick to it,” Yuna said of the direction this album took. “It’s a journey. You discover other things — cool sounds, things your producers have for you.”
For those of us who put more emphasis on music than image, Yuna also represents an exception to this preference because her demeanor and appearance depart radically from the common perception of Muslim women, who are all-too-often portrayed as oppressed, radical, or submissive. At the risk of projecting the title of spokesperson onto someone who may not be seeking that role, just the manner in which Yuna carries herself makes an important statement. Here is a Muslim woman who wears a hijab in public, but still writes pop songs. She has even launched a fashion line, 14NOV by Yuna, for like-minded women who wish to adhere to Islamic tenets without giving up a sense of fashion and style. Now Yuna is poised to achieve widespread success. This unlikely scenario must bewilder those who found the Coke advertisement so disturbing, but it also reveals America’s more open-minded and optimistic side.
“I enjoy performing in front of people and am still surprised that people want to watch me play in a place like Denver or something,” Yuna said. “It’s kind of funny to me, but I love that.”
After speaking with her and having seen her perform, it’s no surprise that Yuna is capable of making a connection with people who are, on the surface, very different. She has an innate personal charm and she sings about universal emotions like love, heartbreak and self-empowerment.
“I don’t really want to be a ‘pop star.’ You want to be comfortable in your own skin and not become something else,” Yuna said. “I want [the audience] to leave feeling that ‘she could actually be my friend.'”
Yuna performs at U Street Music Hall on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 with opener Jarell Perry. 7 p.m. doors. Tickets $20.
