Yuna (singer)

Yunalis Mat Zara'ai (Jawi: يوناليس بنت مد ظراعي; born 14 November 1986[2]), known professionally as Yuna, is a Malaysian singer.

Born in Kedah and raised in Perlis and Selangor states to Perakian Malay parents of Buginese descent from Kuala Kangsar and Batu Gajah, she began writing songs at age 14.

She soon taught herself to play guitar, and by 2006, in need of a creative outlet while attending law school, performed for an audience for the first time.

Decorate included the viral hit "Rocket," which won raves from Billboard magazine, indie rock radio station KEXP, and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, as well as a feature in Spin's "Eight Bands You Need to Hear Now".

The 2012 single "Live Your Life", produced by Pharrell Williams, was a preamble to her self-titled full-length debut, which arrived that April.

In February 2016, Yuna previewed her third album with the release of "Places to Go", a single produced by hip-hop artist DJ Premier.

Her first studio album, Decorate, was released in July 2010 under her indie label Yuna Room Records.

Accolades from fans and critics alike, such as Billboard, NPR, Elle, The New York Times, Vibe Claire and National Geographic, who stated that her sound is "as fresh, honest and deeply personal as anything by Bon Iver or Tune-Yards," have been rolling in.

Yuna performed "Live Your Life" on late-night TV shows Conan and Last Call with Carson Daly.

[12] "I Want You Back" featuring Vietnamese rapper, Derez aired on "Love & Hip Hop: New York" 20 January 2014.

[15] She has been appointed as Malaysia's tourism adviser to boost tourist arrivals in the country along with Dato' Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat on June of the same year.

[16] Yuna recorded the song Strawberry Letter 23 by singer Shuggie Otis used in a commercial for Swedish fashion retailer H&M starring Ukrainian-Canadian model Daria Werbowy that aired in March 2015.

[18] Yuna receive recognition from The Malaysia Book of Records for The First R&B Album Listed In Top 10 Billboard Charts In The United States.

[19] On 25 July 2017, Yuna took to the Late Night with Seth Meyers stage at NBC Studios to promote her album and performs "Used To Love You" from Chapters.

The Jhené Aiko-assisted track was instead backed by an incredible full band complete with violins as part of a small string section.

[21] Yuna returned to finish up work for her fourth international album after taking a short break following her wedding.

[22] In an interview with Singapore's Straits Times, Yuna teased that the new album will also feature guest stars; however, no names were disclosed.

[24][25] In a detailed interview with Riff Magazine on 25 February 2019, Yuna described that the upcoming album was in the process of finishing up and that it brings everything full circle by going back to the music her father listened to when she was young.

[30] On 17 April 2019, Yuna earned her very first RIAA certification when her song "Crush" logged a gold certified sales of 500,000 copies.

[33] Yuna released her second promotional single from her upcoming album, "Blank Marquee" featuring American rapper, G-Eazy on 16 May 2019.

[34][35] The music video was shot in Kuala Lumpur, featuring Malaysian actor, Amerul Affendi and also directed by Sinclair.

[43] Throughout her music career, Yuna has collaborated with many world-renowned artists, such as Usher, Tyler, the Creator, Epik High,[44] G-Eazy, Jay Park, Jhené Aiko, KYLE, Little Simz, and MIYAVI.

She also recorded a song in collaboration with Adam Young of Owl City called "Shine Your Way" for the soundtrack of the animated film The Croods.

Yuna also had her song "Lights and Camera" featured on an episode of the third season of the US reality show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.

"All I Do", the last track of her third international album, Chapters, has been chosen as the soundtrack for the pilot episode in season 13 of the popular American medical drama TV series, Grey's Anatomy.

[58] Beside Yuna, a number of other artists such as Ariana Grande, Ne-Yo, Jessie J, Jason Derulo, Gwen Stefani, Fall Out Boy, and Tori Kelly were also involved in the album published by David Foster.

A remix version of her song "Live Your Life" by MeLo-X appeared on the in-game radio station WorldWide FM in the video game Grand Theft Auto V. The Adventure Club's remix of her song "Lullabies" was also featured as in the 2016 video game Steep.

Yuna was also featured in the Malaysian version of KakaoTalk advertisement, released in Malay, English, and Chinese language.

Yuna in 2010