photography by Théo Frémont
In an interview with the French blog JustFocus, Yorina said: “Nostalgia tends to dive back into the past without really wanting to get rid of it. And that’s not my way. So maybe it’s more of a certain melancholy that I have in my music, because melancholy drives me forward as opposed to nostalgia. And maybe that’s where that melancholy comes from. From my longing to look forward!”
I spent some time thinking about this self-reflective statement and how much wonderful truth there is in it. The music of the Paris-based artist couldn’t be better described as beautiful and mindful pop, with a touch of melancholy but an always life-affirming turn. Yorina gives C-Heads an insightful glimpse into her new EP “Bliss & Grief”, developing self-awareness and her artistic journey.
Rarely have I read such an exciting biography as yours. You are a trained seamstress, and you became a singer through a happy accident. Can you tell us this story?
Definitely a weird happy story! It was a cold night of December, I was at a party and a friend of mine started playing piano, I think it was a Beatles song. And I just start singing. Dan Levy (half of The do Band and my producer) was in the same room listening. That night, he gave me a little Yamaha Reface keyboard and told me, while looking straight into my eyes: «Sing and play! And, who knows, maybe one day you will be writing songs.». I laughed. And that’s how it all started. Music just poured out, it was mystical. 6 month later I was signing my first deal at Universal Music.
“Bliss & Grief” – is a very personal EP. To what extent does music help you with self-reflection and dealing with problems?
Writing songs is a relief to me. It helps me to feel free every second of my life. It’s something very special which leads me to discover the depth of my soul in a magical and beautiful way. Sometimes it’s hard, cause through the music I can see things I might wanna hide to myself and to others. It can be a very powerful internal battle but at the end only lightness survives!
Which is the most important song from “Bliss & Grief” for you and why?
This is a hard question! They all have their own precious meaning to me. Even if they form a whole, each song has it’s own individual ‘existence’ and importance. But I have to say, I feel something very special about that song called «Not Perfect». Writing it was a moment completely out of space and time, full of sincerity and clarity. And I can still feel that feeling while singing it.
“Writing «Not Perfect» was a moment completely out of space and time, full of sincerity and clarity.”
You’ve been playing guitar for a year now. How hard is it to learn to play the guitar?
I love playing guitar. I discovered a new musical world by learning, playing, writing and singing with the guitar. I’m longing to be able to play like Jimi Hendrix. Working on it!
You also model for Ford Models. Do you experience prejudices in the music business? In terms of, for example, if you’re pretty and you model, that you can’t do other things well at the same time?
Image is a very complicated subject in the music business, especially nowadays with the boom of social media. Your either too much of this or not enough of that, you have to do this or you have to do that, you can not do this or you can not do that, etc etc… Thanks to time and experience, I‘ve learned to put on blinders and cover my ears, to stay sincere and be able to decide for myself. It’s the best way to know and prove what you’re really capable of.
“Thanks to time and experience, I‘ve learned to put on blinders and cover my ears, to stay sincere and be able to decide for myself.”
Where do you see yourself in the future? And is there anything you are afraid of in the future?
I see myself in a world full of music, love and happiness. This sounds so «kitsch» but I really mean it! And I wish we all could have that same goal. The world is going crazy and sometimes I feel like we are losing priorities in that mess. Loss of compassion and loss of care for one another and for our planet is one of my biggest fear.
Any last words?
I had the chance to write a song for a science fiction film called «Vesper» coming out this August. I can’t wait to share this song with you all. Stay tuned (smiles) Cheers from Normandy!
Cheers back!
Follow Yorina for more:
www.instagram.com/y_o_r_i_n_a
www.facebook.com/yorinadibosco
www.tiktok.com/@y_o_r_i_n_a
