Introducing #171 - Yen Strange
Let us introduce you to small-town Australian artist Yen Strange - who creates hooky bedroom pop with gothy-dark undertones. She took a moment to talk to us about her music and her debut track ‘Donnie Darko’.
Hey there Yen, How are you? So your debut track ‘Donnie Darko’ is out now - can you tell us what the track is about?
Donnie Darko is about the two versions of myself that exist when I’m going through a hard time. I can scare myself sometimes when I get really depressed but this song is about me accepting the demons I’ve got and learning to live with them.
Obviously there are some references to the film here when it comes to this track - do you have a personal connection to the film?
The movie definitely had a lasting impression on me when I watched it. When I was working on the lyrics I felt the ideas of the movie subliminally seeping through. I relate to the character of Donnie a lot and love the eerie feel of the movie.
You took an interest in music at a young age, and started taking piano lessons at the age of seven and spending your lunch breaks in the school music room. What fond childhood memories do you have when it comes to music? Was it a form of escape for you?
I was kind of invisible at school but I remember covering Trouble by Coldplay at some school assembly. People came up to me afterwards telling me how interesting my voice was and stuff and it was the best feeling. And as far as escapism, after my parents split up when I was 13, I’d basically go to my room straight away every night and spend hours learning songs and trying to write my own.
Apparently singing lessons didn’t work out for you, because you didn’t want to sing the ‘proper way’ - can you tell us a bit more about that?
When I started singing lessons they told me what shape my mouth should be and that the songs I wanted to learn were too low for a girl to sing and stuff. I kind of dreaded going every week but my mum didn’t let me quit anything so I tried to push through. It wasn’t until I was 16 that my parents said I had to choose either piano or singing because they wanted to save money, so I dropped singing thankfully. And as I began just doing my own thing and singing the way that felt natural I actually started to enjoy it so much. And gradually I drifted towards a rap style which I feel really comfortable with now.
Where are you based? What are your favourite things to do there?
I live in Sydney. Me and my housemates go to the park near our house for a skate sometimes or to shoot some hoops if we can be bothered. And I also like going for a drive out in south/western Sydney. The city can get a bit hectic sometimes for me cause I grew up in a pretty small town. I just put on a nice CD and hit the highway until I find a quiet spot to park and just sit and disassociate from everything that’s bothering me. Maybe write in my journal a bit.
What are your key influences when it comes to your music?
Not sure. I love listening to a lot of pop punk and Alternative rock but I also really like rap. And the fact that I drifted towards making lofi-electronic style stuff was just because I was so impressed with all the free samples in Ableton so I went wild with making beats and I just decided to stick with it.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
If someone asks me what I do I just tell them I’m a rapper cause it sounds sick and they're instantly impressed.
Now the debut track is out there - what next for you?
I have little goals like buying my million-dollar dream house, with the empty pool and suspicious green house, in South Sydney. Y’know just baby steps.