Nilüfer Yanya Album Reviews

Indie artist Nilüfer Yanya was born in Chelsea, West London. She’s the daughter of two visual artistsmwith Turkish, Irish and Barbadian heritage. Yanya grew up listening to her father’s Turkish music and her mother’s classical music but gravitated to the guitar in adolescence.

Nilüfer Yanya rejected the offer to join a girl group formed by Louis Tomlinson. She instead chose to forge her own musical path.

Given her diverse background, it’s not surprising her musical aesthetic is distinctive yet varied. Her husky alto is what you’d expect in R&B, while her guitar tone is chunky. It’s Yanya’s ability to find simple yet effective guitar riffs that makes her enjoyable. Her discography is very solid so far.

Nilüfer Yanya Album Reviews

Miss Universe

Painless

My Method Actor

Best Nilüfer Yanya Songs

Miss Universe

2019, 8.5/10
Nilüfer Yanya released her eclectic debut album in March 2019, building on several EPs. Yanya’s distinctive, chunky guitar is often at the centre of arrangements, while her husky voice navigates a lot of territory on her debut. She plays angular indie rock like ‘In Your Head’ and ‘Paralysed’. There’s diversity – the smooth saxophone on ‘Melt’ gives it a soulful feel.

Yanya admitted that the album’s series of narrative tracks about the fictional agency WWAY (We Worry About Your) Health was tacked on at the end of the creation process; they detract from an otherwise impressive debut album.

Nevertheless, Yanya’s ability to create a coherent album from diverse elements is impressive, and she’s the most intriguing new artist I’ve heard this year.

Painless

2021, 9/10
Yanya’s first album, Miss Universe, was impressive and eclectic. PAINLESS, her second, doesn’t cover much new ground but toughens her approach for a stronger record. PAINLESS is more introspective – with the pandemic, Yanya spent more time alone, and there’s more self-examination and vulnerability. PAINLESS was recorded in two locations – a basement studio in Stoke Newington and Riverfish Music in Penzance.

As before, Yanya’s knack for catchy guitar parts is her key attraction. There are simple but effective guitar hooks – the echoing notes of ‘Anotherlife’ and the arpeggios of ‘Stabilise’. Single ‘Midnight Sun’ gets heavy and cathartic, reminiscent of PJ Harvey. Yanya also embraces her Turkish heritage on ‘L – R’, using her father’s yaz, a Turkish instrument a little like a guitar or bouzouki.

PAINLESS is an impressive follow-up from Yanya, launching her career with two excellent records.

My Method Actor

2024, 7.5/10
On her third album, Yanya hands guitar duties over to her collaborator Wilma Archer. The pair wrote all of these songs together. Yanya described the dynamic to Consequence, revealing “we didn’t let anyone else into the bubble.” It’s perhaps her most sophisticated album to date, with its moody textures, but it lacks the hooks of previous records.

It starts well, with crunchy rockers like ‘Like I Say (Runaway)’, with its big chunky chords. The more chill songs at the end of the disc also feel like a new direction. ‘Just a Western’ is my favourite song here. There’s little more than a taut guitar and a simple rhythm for instrumentation, which focuses the listener’s attention on Yanya’s layered vocals,

My Method Actor is a worthy record, but I’d enjoy more hooks next time around.