Q&A: meet Aya Yves, we talk new EP, hitting the road and toasties

Canberra based singer-songwriter Aya Yves has just dropped her long awaited debut EP What We Look Like With the Light On and again her vulnerability is on display through her soothing and honeysuckle vocals. We get to see many different sides to Yves, with each track exposing a different light. If you’re looking for something to soothe a recent heartbreak, need a moment of self reflection or to just stare out a window thinking about your next steps then this IS the EP for you. High-key, the spoken word track had me shook too, feeling all the feels. 

Aya Yves is the brainchild of a Cooma born Vendulka. The project was birthed to create some separation from the performer and the person that goes home after the show. Like many great creatives, being able to step into another version of yourself allows you to confidently express your creativity while keeping your own name and personality ajar from the stage persona. 

Yves truly pushes boundaries and is majorly changing the game in the Aussie music scene as she continues to be unapologetically herself. Her light vocals juxtaposes her darker and quirky nature. We literally live for it.

We caught up with Yves to chat about her new EP, which friend she’s getting stuck on an island with and the snakes that will be in her upcoming music video.

Check out all the feels below:

AYA! Your new EP is dropping, tell us everything we need to know.

If you need a breakup banger, a self love anthem, a quiet moment of self reflection, or an emotional moment- then this is the record for you. These songs are a collection of stories written within 6 months of each other. I had just fallen for someone, had my heart broken, moved cities, moved through some grief and found a glimmer of hope. The tracks listing takes you through the journey- so make sure you listen to it start to finish! I can’t believe it’s finally being released! It’s been such a long process. The first track for it - (in)Sanity - was written in April of 2018. It’s been almost 2 years in the works and it feel a little surreal that it’s about to be out in the world.

Describe your relationship with music.

Music is the only place and time in the world where I don’t have to think or worry about who I am or how I’m perceived. It’s my truest form of expression, it comes from a state of flow. Well, the best songs do. It’s my safe haven, my release. It’s my community. Connection. I could go on forever, it was my first love and will always be my biggest.

What was the last song that you listened to?

Postcard Lover by NIKKITA.

What’s a normal process for you when it comes to recording or writing new tracks? Has COVID affected this at all?

It used to be writing alone in my bedroom, then it became writing with 2-3 other people in a studio. Then it became writing in my bedroom with 2-3 other people over Zoom. Zoom has become a contender for the word of 2020/21 (second to unprecedented).

Why the name change from Vendulka to Aya Yves?

There are quite a few reasons why, but I think the biggest one was that I wanted the freedom to express myself however I wanted to on stage, without my own name/personality being attached to my persona, and I also wanted the freedom to leave that persona on stage and just be regular old Vendulka in my every day.

What was the inspiration behind your new track Body That I Break?

I’d been seeing someone on and off for about 5 years and I was remembering back to when we first got together but I’d just come out of a long term relationship and I didn’t want them to be my rebound/ I wasn’t in a headspace for anything serious at the time. It’s a bit of longing for something that could’ve been, but I think we were destined for other things.

Growing up in Canberra, how has this influenced your sound?

Ooh this is an interesting question. I mean, I grew up in Cooma and lived there till I was 15, there isn’t much of a music scene there, or at least there wasn’t a huge one growing up. All forms of my music consumption were quite formal (classical cello, choir, orchestra) until my family started going to folk festivals. The National Folk Festival in Canberra was one of the first places I performed, it was hugely influential in growing my artistry, it’s where I fell in love with acts like Kristina Olsen, The Button Collective and The Woohoo Revue (not to mention countless others). Folk music taught me the importance of storytelling.

If you were stuck on a deserted island and could bring one person with you, who would it be and why?

My bestie Brauton. She’s super handy (is a cabinet maker), worked as a chef so she could cook us delicious snacks, and for fun she’s artistic and ridiculously adventurous so we wouldn’t get bored.

Currently obsessed with toasted sandwiches, what would be your go to?

Look, I can’t go past a plain cheese toastie, but second to that one with spag bol in it. Yum.

You're given a torch, a snake, a bag of chocolate coins and rake, you can't sell or give them away, what do you do with them?

I mean, it kinda sounds like the start of a music video. Definitely the torch and snake. As for the chocolate coins, I’d eat them and make some cute sculpture out of the wrapping. The rake is probably the most perplexing but I guess I’d rake a veggie garden and sow some seeds.

You played at Mardi Gras as one of the Express Yourself Queer Discovery artists, what are some other ways you think the Australian music industry can help the queer community?

I’d love to see some songwriting camps and opportunities based around the queer community. Also we’re starting to see a wider range of representation within the artistic queer community which is great, I’d like to see that keep expanding. Having only come out recently, I found a lot of resistance within myself in applying for the Express Yourself Queer Discover showcase. But I want to help create safer spaces for the lgbtiq+ community and I think that includes having positive role models who do what they do, and just happen to be queer. I’m so proud to be part of such a bright & welcoming community, but it also took me some time to realise that not everyone wears rainbow and paints glitter on their forehead and you’re still valid & you’re still important. I used to feel like I wasn’t ‘Queer enough’ because I didn’t vibe rainbow, have you seen my outfits? They’re black and moody AF haha.

What can we expect to see from you in the upcoming months? An easter jingle perhaps?

I need to take a (small) break to refresh myself, turns out there’s a life outside a studio which tends to inspire what happens in a studio. So... maybe no easter jingles for a little while haha. Covid permitting I want to get on the road with the band and play as many shows as we can! The live space is the facet of the music industry that excites me most- so I’m really looking forward to getting the show on the road.

Okay, 100% agree with spag bol and cheese toasted sandwich but baked beans, cheese and relish is literally next level. Let’s be frank though, regardless of sandwich preference, Aya is paving her own path in this life and she is killing it. Creating a space of authenticity that people can really look up to.

Check out her new EP below or head to our "Siri, play chill music" 🔀 playlist to hear more spicy songs like this one.

You can also buy tickets to her upcoming show in Sydney here.

By Samuel Seedsman