Interview with Yana Rose

Jan 11, 2023

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

From a young age music was something that I gravitated towards. I don’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t into music. I remember singing on the walks home from elementary school with a friend, I remember writing in my room about a boy when I was 8. It seems like music has been a part of my life for as long as I’ve been processing my emotions.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I spend a lot of time outdoors. Hiking, walking, camping, traveling. When I’m outside without the intention of working out, I like to do it in silence. Without music or podcasts, I mean. For me, silence is crucial in the creative process. Sitting with my thoughts, reasoning through my way of thinking. Listening to random noises often sparks an idea. A couple arguing next door, squirrels running through the trees, sporadic laughter — there are songs to be written about everything. Running and lifting are huge for me when it comes to clearing my head. I go through these phases where I have so many ideas for songs and pour them into notes/voice memos, and sometimes my head feels pretty hectic. Working out helps me focus a bit better. If I feel like I’m in a creative rut I’ll throw on some music in a genre I wouldn’t usually listen to, then ignore the lyrics/melody and try to come up with my own to the production. Sometimes I end up with some pretty cool and different ideas.

How long has your band been around?

I only started releasing music this year. My first single came out in April 2022. I don’t have a band, yet, but hopefully, that’ll come soon.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

I moved out to Los Angeles from Michigan at the beginning of 2022, but I just moved to Nashville earlier in December. So I guess I’m based out of Nashville for now. For each song I’ve released though, I’ve worked with the producer remotely and recorded vocals in my bedroom studio. Because of that, I don’t feel like where I’ve been based has had a lot of influence over my sound, which is really cool. I feel very lucky to live in a time when creating music is so accessible.

How did you come up with your name and what does it mean to you?

It didn’t take a lot of work to come up with my name. Yana Rose is just my first and middle name. I knew I wanted Yana to be a part of it, and there are quite a few Yana’s that have released music, so I wanted to pick either my middle or last name. I asked around to some good friends and Rose took the win.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

As of right now, I haven’t performed any shows, which is something that will definitely change in 2023. I’m so excited to get on stage.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

I really want to play at Hotel Cafe in LA. That was one of the first small venues that I went to in LA and I love how intimate the setup is. It’s a little more difficult since I just moved away, but it’ll happen one day. El Rey in LA would also be a dream because my apartment was around the block and I would always walk past it.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Such a tough question. It’d be really cool to open for DWLLRS. Opening for Oh Wonder or Billie Eilish would also be wild. So I guess in a dream world, all four of us would be on the lineup.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting started and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Sometimes throwing yourself into the deep end is what you need to do to get yourself to go all in. There is always more to learn, and if you feel like you want to wait until you understand the ins and outs of how it all works, you’ll never get started. Also, if there’s an element of the process of releasing music that you feel like you need help with or you want to pay someone else to do it for you, you can probably figure it out yourself. It’ll take more time but it’s more rewarding and I think it’s good to do as much as you can by yourself before seeking help.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Somewhere Else means the most to me right now. It’s the first song that I released and it’s a look inside of my head at the period of time right before I decided to pursue music. I’m happy that that’s the song I released first.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

I haven’t performed any of my released music live, but when I do, I think Tainted Heart will be the most fun. There are a lot of emotions in that song and I think it would bode well with an audience. I also think performing Good Riddance will be pretty cathartic.

What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

As cliche as it sounds, my songwriting is just a byproduct of my life. Inspiration can be found in such small things, like the way the sun shines on a friend’s face or how people get quiet when someone walks into a room or larger things like a broken heart or a big life change. Usually, my first line from a song will come to me out of the blue, when I’m feeling whatever I’m feeling. It might be right before I fall asleep, at a concert, out with friends, mid breakdown, etc… Then I’ll take that original voice memo, sit down and try to write a whole song around it.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

My music leans kind of sad. I wish I could say that there’s some feel-good message at the end of it all, but usually, I write a lot more when I’m sad. I guess I hope that my music makes people feel like their feelings are more justified. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to feel alone when you also don’t feel like you should. It’s okay to want something else when what you currently have looked great on paper.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

I have no concrete plans for the future right now. I’m in the middle of a lot of changes, so I’m excited to settle into a routine and figure out what’s next. My greatest priority is to play live shows, go to live shows, meet people and keep creating.

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?