Multidimensional artist Nat Ćmiel, also known as, yeule, shares their first offering of 2023 with the single “sulky baby”. With the blend of 2000s alt-rock and shoegaze infused with melancholic satire, the single acts a conversation with a younger version of themselves.
yeule stands as a captivating figure in music and there is no doubt around it. The enigma that shrouds them is, paradoxically, a tool for gaining insight to their mind. With the constant evolution of their sonic landscape — now with electronic and shoegaze — a world of multiplicities, hidden truths and untamed creativity unfold in their music. Carefully crafting which fragments of their being they choose to reveal, we get a peek behind the curtain of the depth’s of yeule’s self-awareness and self-unveiling, though never the full picture.
Their elusiveness leaks their vulnerability, beckoning us to explore the the dissonance of our selfhood. Sensitive and complex emotions about dealing with their personal battles were explored previous album, “Glitch Princess”, and this time, we are shown how yeule confronts their childhood self — in their latest single, “sulky baby”. We witness the intricate layers that make up yeule’s persona — or any artist’s for that matter — by using music, specifically glitchy textures, as the medium to paint a portrait of their multifaceted personality.
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In an interview with Men’s Folio, we spoke to yeule about not only about their evolution in identity, but also how they are bringing their music towards a new yet somewhat familiar path.
Hi yeule, thank you for agreeing to this interview! Before we begin, could you explain what you do for a living in 10 words or less?
Alchemy…
You were many characters before; from Penelope to Matilda and now yeule. You stuck with yeule — how did these pseudonyms evolve (if they have) and play a part in who you identify as now?
I love naming things, though it does not necessarily mean they were different personas or people, just an expression to a side of self, I think it’s beautiful to lean into those neglected sides of self. Some days I want to exude an absolute certainty more passionately.
In what ways does being yeule embody the concept of “mutable, chameleon-like multiplicities”, and how do they provide solace for you?
yeule is my sobriquet, so I do not think it is creating a new identity, but shifting into a new colour that was always there. This form of expression somehow revives the rotten parts of my existence when everything goes grey. Don’t you think the most memorable gestures are born from the darkest places?
How did growing up in Singapore and then moving to London shape your musical identity and style?
When I went to study in London, there was a stark shift in the people, the culture, and the art that I was exposed to. Albeit, I do think most of what inspired me throughout the years are found on the internet, or closer to where I live, in South East Asia. The place I am in does not really affect me, it is more so the people I am around. And I think, being in Saint Martins put me in a place where I met a few people who were… like me?
You’ve been making music for close to a decade now but only released your debut album in 2019 and “Glitch Princess” last year. Looking back at the years of music making, how do you think you’ve changed?
The act of being brazen is a very underrated characteristic.
I love the mixture of alt-rock and shoegaze in sulky baby. While it retains your glitchy vocals, the instrumentals do sound very different from your usual electronic focus. What roles do the switch in genres play in the new direction of your music?
I hope to meld both of my musical inspirations on the elctronic and shoegaze front together in a way that is telling of my sonic identity even though it has evolved into this. I love evolution, but in the end, I’m always trying to capture an invisible aura. An example of an invisible aura is nostalgia, you can’t quite pinpoint it but you can create something that imitates it.
What are your aspirations as an artist, and how do you see your music evolving in the future?
I hope to make something different each time and let go of a fear to provoke. Perhaps there is more reason to pursue an outcome that may be explicitly elicit and doused in love and obsession. Don’t you do it out of love?
The new song exudes a heartfelt vulnerability. You’re providing a comforting embrace to one’s younger self, akin to a healing process of your inner child. If there’s anything you can tell your 18-year old self now, what would it be?
I will show her a picture of me now as a polaroid, with the name and the date at the back, and exchange no words.
The torn pages from your journal are described as torn memories or “scars”, symbolising the fragility of life. How does the cathartic process of writing play a role in conveying the themes of closure and healing in your lyrics?
Ink is so tactile and intimate when it comes from the honest parts of your psyche. Don’t you ever feel something isn’t real until it’s written? I may never fully understand it, but each scar looks ever so slightly less ugly when it’s given its own page to live.
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In “sulky baby”, your vocals take center stage and are less dissonant. The ability to clearly hear your lyrics appears to be a deliberate effort to embrace vulnerability. Can you share what were the thoughts or events that happened which prompted this shift in direction?
Poetry in melody are both beautiful when obscured to the point of incoherence and in crystal clear intonations to the point of android-like vocalisation. Something quite uncanny.
The release of yeule’s next single is set to be on 12 July. In the meantime, listen to their latest single “sulky baby” here: https://yeule.lnk.to/sulkyPR. Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our June/July 2023 issue!
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