Sink into the world of Nilüfer Yanya’s ‘My Method Actor’
By: MaryBeth Reust
I’ve never felt more grounded than when I’m listening to Nilüfer Yanya’s music. Her past two albums, Miss Universe and Painless, are two of my all-time favorites; they’re filled with smooth vocals, poetic lyricism, and entrancing guitar textures. It has been five years since Yanya released Miss Universe, and she has been releasing music steadily since then. It is evident through this dedication that she has become more confident than ever. Even with her grounding musical presence, her new album, My Method Actor, feels the most free.
Photo: Molly Daniel for The Face
Born in London to a family of artists, Yanya has been playing the guitar since she was 12 and has been carving her way through the industry since 2014. That year, she turned down the offer to join a girl group produced by the one and only Louis Tomlinson. Look…I am a Directioner. But thank GOD she refused to be a part of that project, because as a solo artist, she truly sounds like no one else. She continues to create her own contemporary, hypnotic sound that makes you truly FEEL something. Her music seems to melt in your hands. It can be blissful or melancholic…sharp or soft…but it’s always moving. It is visceral.
Yanya worked alone with producer Wilma Archer to create My Method Actor, not letting anyone else hear it before it was almost finished. The album has a sense of freedom that only comes, in my opinion, from years of hard work and the ability and privilege to fully, freely express oneself. It feels so effortless, yet it is layered with rich guitar tones, minimalist drums, and soothing strings. Yanya’s voice sounds calm and cool, yet she reveals her emotions, questions their validity, questions existence, and sets new boundaries in her lyrics.
The imagery can be resentful and disturbing, such as in the track “Method Actor” where she sings, “Gonna scream out, there’s no meaning / Spit my teeth out as you’re bleeding / I gave you everything you needed.” Sometimes she admits to feeling stuck and ashamed, like in “Faith’s Late” where she sings, “I feel shame the modern way / And I fear fate is bound to break / And I feel caged and far away / And I fear faith is born too late.” She also isn’t afraid to be confrontational. In the opening track “Keep On Dancing,” fast guitar strums and deep, luscious textures build into Yanya singing “I’m a loser first / Come on, do your worst” with an energy that feels almost sinister. She is ready for any challenger.
Molly Daniel for The Clash
For me, the fourth track, “Binding,” encapsulates being detached from reality, driving home and not realizing how you got there, and then, feeling defeated, you reach out to the Universe, a friend, anyone, just to feel something. Her voice glides over the reflective guitar melody and simple drums: “And it feels like, feels like it's deeper and deeper / Drive all night, that green light gets weaker and weaker / So come on and feel this, I'm hardly here either.” This is followed by my favorite track: “Mutations.” The instrumental of this song is so captivating, and Yanya’s articulations are addictive. “I'm unchained resistance” she says. It makes me want to join her in the journey she has chosen for herself, one that doesn’t ignore anxious emotions or challenging experiences. As someone who continues to grow through her anxiety and fears, I feel a sense of evolving when listening to this song.
In all, My Method Actor, a 44-minute, 11-track album, is wholly un-skippable. If you are reading this, I urge you to listen to all of Nilufer Yanya’s work. Her music adds weight to the human experience while still exuding a sense of self-confidence and freedom. She is truly a dedicated, one-of-a-kind musician. She says it herself in “Wingspan,” the last song on the album: “Through this mess I've been devoted / Here comes destiny.”