Yael Meyer: No "Airs" Here. Just Incredible Talent!
I always marvel at how down-to-earth the celebrities that I interview are. So many times, I say to myself during the course of an interview, “Does she/her realize who she/he is?” And yet, there we are...chatting away as if we were well acquainted for years and in the case of Yael Meyer, two college buddies talking about relationships, dreams, and global warming (I kid you not).
This Chilean singer-songwriter - who’s been known to belt out music and combine electronica, pop, and folk sounds in unprecedented ways - spoke with me as honestly and openly as she does her fans every time she composes a new blockbuster hit or takes center stage. It’s all the same to Yael because she knows not how to be anything but herself. I’ve heard many performers state that are very different people when on stage and when off. That is not Yael.
Yael is a young artist who eats, breathes, and lives passion, creativity, and sweeping shades of vibrant color, which combine to form the type of music that has earned her the respect of Rolling Stone Argentina (who named her "one of the 5 female Chilean musicians to know), The Wall Street Journal, MTV, Entertainment Weekly and countless adoring fans. With all of the applause, one might think that Yael would have reason to put on airs. But the only air Yael exudes is “fresh” and “alive” with inspiration -- a taste of which you will realize in her interview below.
Share your personal mantra.
Be true to myself and seek out what causes me joy and allows me to contribute (be of service). I try to be very honest when I write. In that, what I write is conveyed in a universal form so all can relate.
Where does the talent come from? Is it unique to you or run in the family?
A combination of both. I grew up in a house with enormous creativity. My mom’s an artist and my dad’s an architect. Music became an outlet for me as a child. Being forced to study music for many years and I hated it. It changed over time when I was no longer forced to do it. I gave up piano and took up guitar. It became part of my identity. I did it for myself.
If I asked you to compare your music to the style of a particular well-known painter, who would that painter be and why?
Chagall comes to my mind. When I look at Chagall’s paintings towards the end of his life (very fluid, colorful, and expressive), it is how I feel when I make music.
You write and in fact, play a variety of instruments. How does your vast ability, help you in the creation and carry through of your albums and how does it hurt it?
It doesn’t hurt me. I think it always helps. Instruments speak to me as a writer. I will go to a store, test guitars and that one guitar will write me a song. Playing many instruments opens up new possibilities. Switching between a variety of interests, stimulates me differently.
Who would you most like to collaborate with someday?
John Mayer, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Alabama Shakes, Ed Sheeran. There are so many artists that I admire but these sit at the top of my list.
You are coming out with new music soon. How will this differ from your prior releases?
Very different and yet, it is still me. I’ve found a sound that is true to me so you will recognize it, but it is different. It is darker, very epic with more electric guitar. So it is an evolution without a complete departure. Large departures, I save them for when I am writing for other artists.
Share some of your favorite musical artists.
Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, and Radio Head...to name a few.
Your husband and you work together. Is it difficult being professional partners and personal partners? How do you keep from overloading on each other and taking the space you each need?
We don’t. The truth is, we are working less and less together. We are giving each other more space after being married for fifteen years. We’ve evolved and learned more about what we need as we’ve matured together.
Share a social cause or cause-based organization close to your heart.
I’m not involved with one organization because I like to help everywhere. For instance, today there are massive fires happening in Chile, so I am focused on that. Helping the people who have lost their homes, etc. Also, I am a huge feminist so standing up for women’s rights is important to me. Right now, we are experiencing a tipping point for women, in my opinion. I am also very concerned about the environment, one of our planet’s biggest hurdles.
When all is said and done, how would you like to be remembered?
Somebody who cared and did the best that she could.
Graceful, unobtrusive, and exuding enormous passion and strength, Yael Meyer has only just begun. She’s the “quiet storm” that will blow through this world with a voracity that will leave her mark and our music-filled culture for the better.
Many thanks to Yael Meyer and 37-Media for making this interview possible