Nilüfer Yanya launches second album Painless with a midday gig and record signing at Pie & Vinyl in Southsea | Interview

Nilüfer’s sound may take in a variety of genres from rock to electronica via hints of jazz and soul, all while still retaining a pop sensibility, but thanks to her distinctive voice it is always undeniably her.

2019’s debut album Miss Universe drew critical acclaim, and tomorrow she releases her second Painless.

The Guide caught up with Nilüfer via Zoom, just as she was finishing up a Turkish lesson. She’s been learning Turkish to connect with her family roots – her father is Turkish, her mother Irish-Barbadian.

‘It's good but it's really hard,’ she says, ‘languages just get really abstract at some point... But it's fun. It's interesting – I'd like to learn more languages now after I get this one in the bag.’

When we speak the release of Painless is just a week away, which she describes as ‘mental, but it's exciting.’ It is released today – March 4.

Advance singles like the 6Music playlisted Stabilise and the more reflective anotherlife have teased another intriguingly diverse collection.

While she had started writing for the second album in early 2020, she put songwriting aside for a while as she dealt with the ‘crazy’ world of lockdown.

When Nilüfer resumed work on the album she wrote extensively with her friend Will (who records as Wilma Archer), recording some of the material at his London studio, at her uncle’s studio in Cornwall: ‘one of my favourite places to record,’ and back at Press Play in London, which is run by Andy Ramsay of avant-pop act Stereolab.

One aspect of Painless is that Nilüfer’s lyrics are less opaque, more direct than ever before.

‘I don't know if I necessarily feel like I'm putting more of myself out there. Songwriting is quite emotional – I find it quite an emotive process. But the way I've chosen to word things is a bit more obvious this time, and less concealed.

‘It still feels like the same process... but a lot of the time in the past I'd think: “That's too obvious, I'm not going to say that – that doesn't interest me as a lyric”.

‘But on this album, I didn't write much for a year, during the first lockdown, so I was glad to be writing anything, and I was happy with initial ideas more so than I would have been in the past.

‘When I'm working with other people, because I did quite a bit more co-writing, you're taking other people's opinions onboard more. They'll be like: “That's cool”, about a lyric, whereas in the past I'd be: “That's not really good enough.” It takes the songs in a whole different direction. I guess it is more open as a result.’

Stabilise was the public’s first taste of Painless and arrived with has a video very grounded in the urban, concrete jungle of her native London.

‘I feel most of the album is quite "concrete",’ says Nilüfer, ‘and you do get an escape, but you're very much kind of trapped in the city.’

By contrast, the more meditative anotherlife, features a video shot in Sri Lanka.

‘The rest of the album's a bit heavier and bleaker, so it's nice to have a bit of balance in there – a bit of hope in something,’ she says of the song, which closes the album.

‘I think that says a lot of my outlook on life and the world...’ she laughs. ‘I really try to be optimistic, otherwise I wouldn't want to carry on! I don't like wallowing too much.

‘For me that song was about when something really upsetting happens to you – when everything becomes hyper-real and you're so sensitive to everything, you get these moments of clarity when you see things and exactly how you are, because you're kind of detached from yourself. It's like a special moment in itself.

‘It ties into that whole Painless thing – when you get strong feelings, you become un-desensitised, so all of a sudden you can feel everything again.

‘I feel like a lot of the time when we go about our every day business we desensitise ourselves to certain things. And then when something happens, when you're upset, or surprised, everything all of a sudden comes flooding back

‘It's like a drug almost.’

Nilüfer has also been involved with Artists in Transit, an initiative set up by her sister Molly Daniel.

Last year Nilüfer released a limited edition vinyl compilation, Inside Out, with all proceeds going to AIT, but she also been hands on with the project.

‘It's my sister's idea. Back in 2016 she had this idea – she'd been to Greece to volunteer on some islands, and she has a background in social work and art. She was already working with kids at a charity, so I think she had that mindset.

‘She noticed that a lot of these kids, there wasn't much for them to do at this difficult point in their lives.’

A collaborative arts project, it aims to deliver creative workshops to communities and people in times of hardship.

Given their family background – both parents are visual artists, Nilüfer explains why the project makes sense: ‘We can't solve all these other problems, but maybe we can help in some way. Go and speak to these people, hang out with them – a way of showing solidarity.

‘It's a way of creating awareness, linking people. At the same time, we never wanted to use our own voices for it – it's encouraging other people's voices to be heard.

‘Ultimately it's a way of connecting people. Art is the only thing we feel comfortable with – when I was younger, we'd always be making something.

‘Trying to keep it sustainable is difficult. We don't want to make it a registered charity, because that's a whole other ballgame and we're not really interested in that – then you're just doing charity admin most of the time.’

Nilüfer Yanya will be playing a live set and signing copies of her new album Painless at Pie & Vinyl, Southsea, from midday on Sunday, March 6. Go to pandvrecords.co.uk.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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