Speaking With Rising Music Star Yelly

Article by Quinton Kern

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 02/22/21 

I got the opportunity to talk to Sacramento-based music artist Yelly! She recently released her EP album, “Between Us”, a smooth R&B experience that puts her vocal talents on full display. I was curious about how she got into music, what her creative process was like, and what her musical influences are, all answered below!

Kern - What is your particular sound?

Yelly - I’d say that my sound is very pop-oriented R&B

Kern - When did you get started with music? Was there a person who helped you in those early days?

Yelly - I’ve been singing my whole life, but I remember getting into it more when I was 8. I realized that I really had a voice when I sang at my elementary school talent show, and I started taking singing lessons after that. My dad saw my talent and nurtured it as I learned. He always pushed me to do my best in singing, and his support was a big contributing factor in making this my career. I first started releasing music when I was a sophomore in high school, and I’ve just been working hard to hone my skills and gain a following ever since.

Kern - Could you describe your creative process for your new album, Between Us?

Yelly - I’d say my creative process revolves around reflecting on how I’m feeling, maybe sitting at a park or my room to write about how I feel or how someone else may feel. I take that into the studio and use that as a base to create my music.

Kern - Are there any artists who you’d consider influential to your style?

Yelly - Growing up I listened to a lot of Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston. I’d do covers of their songs in my living room just for fun, and I think that type of ballad singing shows up in my work. They have so much power in their voices, and I try to bring that aspect of their work into my music.

Kern - Have you performed live? Where have you performed?

Yelly - Oh yeah! I’ve done lots of performances so far. I’ve done a few festivals in Sacramento, like Nachos Fest, and I’ve opened for some bigger artists like Saweetie. I like to do local shows, so most of my performances are in northern California

Kern - Are you planning on doing more live shows once venues are able to open? Do you have a particular song you’re excited to perform?

Yelly - Absolutely! Right now I’m trying to work on perfecting my live performance ability for when the time comes. When I did my first solo performance, I was actually able to sell out the venue, and another concert I did with MarMar Oso had a similar turnout, so I’m excited to get back into it. I’m excited to perform “Undercover”, off my new project, live. It’s one of my favorites, and I think the crowd will love it!

Kern - You’re a smaller artist, but one that’s definitely on the way up. Do you have any advice for those trying to make it in this industry or similar ones?

Yelly - I think it's really important to focus on what makes you unique. A lot of newer artists try to just do what works for other artists, and I’ve found that it's much more important to do what sets you apart from the rest.

Kern - What’s a big moment you’ve had that really cemented your passion for this work?

Yelly - I did a cover of a song called “Ruthless,” by MarMar Oso, and that was my first song to break one million streams on a single platform. It started blowing up last year, and I think it's sitting at around ten million streams across all platforms. Getting to see that was like, “Wow, I’ve been working for this for so long!”, and I wasn’t sure when it was going to happen, so when it happened out of the blue, I was really happy.

If you’d like to listen to Yelly’s new album, “Between Us”, it's available on Spotify, Youtube Music, and Apple Music. Check out music videos for her new songs “Undercover”, “Confide”, and “Workin” on Youtube as well. For updates on her music and life, check out her socials @officialyelly on Twitter and Instagram!