NILUFER YANYA

As the velveteen and soulful vocals of Nilüfer Yanya flow softly over her delicate melodies, it is worth noting that if everything had gone according to her original plan, you would never have heard them. You would not have experienced the joy that is the warm, melty goodness of her rich voice. We should give thanks then to the teachers and friends who encouraged this supremely talented 21 year old Londoner to add ‘singer’ next to ‘songwriter’.

Songwriting is something that Yanya has been doing ever since she was young, weaving narrative and emotion in her understated but powerful compositions. Her talent and promise was on show a couple of years ago with the “Monsters Under The Bed” demo and its elegant look at the darkness within. Since then the Blue Flowers label has snapped her up and released her debut single “Small Crimes”.

Written after the theft of her bicycle, it is a subtly dextrous track that is as delicate and sophisticated as it is stark and raw. Its beauty lulls you as you listen, distracting you from the criminality of its subject with a gorgeous picked guitar melody and almost hidden synth backing.

It’s a track that the blog world has fallen in love with and with good reason. The tempo and intensity quickens within the chorus, quickening your pulse without you realising as you remain lost in her gorgeous voice that thank goodness we got to hear.

Words by Adam from Alphabet Bands

Tipped by Ray Thomas &  Mattia from Going Solo