Yify (ee-fee) is an artist of cinematic alternative music. Her sound is a combination of classical composition roots and a songwriting style that cuts away at personal, often difficult, life experiences. Her music is lush, heartfelt, and sits somewhere between pop sensation SIA, to singer songwriter Sara Bareilles, to instrumental composer Max Richter.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Yify about the latest project, challenges, motivations and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of Music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I spent the first 12 years of life in Beijing China, and have been in America since. To me, my music feels like cinematic film music put to words. It’s important to me to write songs that convey a very specific feeling or topic and that the music itself (without words) creates a strong feel of whatever that is.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
I began writing my own songs first on the piano as pure instrumentals. I was going through some heavy things in high school, and my school had piano rooms where music students could practice. I was supposed to be practicing my violin, but end up spending hours without noticing just getting lost in these random tunes I’d make up. It felt like what I couldn’t say to people, I could say with Music. The piano and I have a special bond, and that’s why most of my songs today still start out being written on the piano and have a lot of keys in the track.
I write to heal myself and hopefully others too. I want to make people hear something in their own heart when they listen to my music. Then go out and do something about it.
That’s what I want to do. Through my music and my life.
How is “Waste” different than previous work you have done? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
“Waste is the most electronic and unstructured song I’ve ever put out. Because I haven’t been writing songs with lyrics for long (only since 2016), I spent quite some time reading every songwriting book I could find on structure, lyrics, etc. The classically trained musician in me wanted to figure out what “good” sounds and feels like, and then create only that.
It wasn’t long before I realized Music isn’t about “good” enough. But about expressing a truth that moves the creator and the audience. This isn’t to say what I’d read and learned isn’t useful – it helps me to be even more creative and focus my writing. But I quickly gravitated to this force inside me that sounded ethereal and electronic. One that didn’t care for song structure, but for creating a soundscape that took listeners out of their worlds and into a space where magic happens.
I had this imagery in my mind’s eyes that looked blue, silver, slight hints of magenta. Clouds and ribbons, and of a woman dancing in a trance, movements so smooth that she blended with the mirage of colors and became the scene herself.
The entire song was me trying to express this visual through music and words.
Waste was inspired by a period of feeling dull, a quiet desperation to feel something more. It’s the most free form of songwriting and production I’d ever worked on.
I collaborated with a producer – I Am Snow Angel who brought this song to life. She immediately got my vision and designed sounds to create the picture in my mind. I couldn’t be more grateful for how it turned out.
Do you face challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? How has technology helped you (assuming it helps)?
Budget and Getting heard. There is so much music out there, that an indie musician with otherwise little connection to the music industry has to work really hard and smart to get his or her music to the right audience. Budget constraints make this more difficult. Figuring out where and how to spend my budget has been the most challenging thing as an artist.
Technology definitely helps. I’m a data strategist in my other life by trade, so tracking data on whose listening to my music and how I can help them hear more of what they need helps me stay in touch. I just need to do it more consistently.
Where can we connect with you online and discover more music?
Anything else before we sign off?
Music video for Get Out is coming out July 13! Stay tuned – it’ll be worth watching!
