Name of Specimen: Yunyu
Species: Morbid Pop
Yunyu: (yoon-yoo), n. 1. Meaning: Beautiful Rhythms
Current Habitat: New South Wales
Makes a sound like: the musical extract of Kate Bush, Isaac Asimov and Edgar Allan Poe — if they plonked their DNA in the Hadron Collider and it all got mashed up on a sub-atomic level.
Her minions are….: largely pleasant creatures but plot inter-planetary zombie warfares when she’s not looking. The minions take instructions from www.yunyu.com.au
Nui Te Koha, Sunday Herald Sun
Yunyu is a psycho musician whose songs range from love to violent murders. Her hobbies include visiting psychosis self help forums and studying murder case files because she finds these things more inspiring than Oprah.
Her musical career started when her mum named her Yunyu (beautiful rhythms) and auditioned her into a classical music concentration camp when she was 3. Like all misfits, she found the classical environment a little lacking in humour. After countless, merciless tortures she finally tunneled to freedom using nothing but a very blunt, leadless pencil at aged 9. The trauma of the near death experience caused Yunyu to connect with Zombies and the Spirit world on a deep, personal level.
Yunyu’s weapons of choice are keyboards and piano and also the Gu Zheng — An age old oriental 36 stringed instrument. Yunyu won Australia’s Triple J Unearthed with ‘You Are Expendable’ and subsequently made the 4 Minute Wonder music video. ‘You Are Expendable’ topped the Canadian college Charts for a month peaking at No.6. Yunyu has also recently performed at the Singapore Arts Festival.
Yunyu is consistently featured on the blogs and websites of graphic novelists. Neil Gaiman and Warren Ellis have mobilized their massive fan bases in support. Yunyu has carved a substantial online niche, finding a fanbase among lovers of horror, anime and manga (Japanese animation and comics)
Lenore’s Song is Yunyu’s most requested song at gigs. It is a reply letter to Edgar Allen Poe’s – ‘The Raven’. Writing dead people love letters is Yunyu’s idea of romance.
Together with award winning producer, Matt Carter, and borrowing crew talents from Lord of the Rings and Superman Returns, a music video of Lenore’s Song was made.
An ambitious stop motion film, it consisted of 17000 digital stills. , Lenore’s Song video achieved over 70 000 views and counting on Youtube.
Yunyu’s album Spiked Soul was recorded at Soundbaker Studios in Perth with producer Rob Agostini. Percussion sounds have been created from the sampled sounds of Sai and Nanchaku samples from Yunyu’s proud stash of Japanese weapons.
Yunyu likes her anime. So this means that her songs come off as sounding a little cute and J Pop influenced. She, however, worships literature from the dark side. So the music industry gets a little confused and says she makes cute, morbid pop.
Since her escape from the classical realms, Yunyu has lived in mortal fear that her classical past might come a-hunting. As a result, she’s always armed, overly paranoid and hears voices which she calls the muses.
These days, she is found sitting with her muses eating and pulling at her hair as she tries to finish her next album. The contents of the album “is a secret”, says the muses, “and all who know this must be silenced.”
There you go, now you know. Pray, for Yunyu’s muses come alive at night to eat knowing heads which are great fodder for inspiration.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
In a vile effort to reduce the number of duplicate questions I receive, I have posted a listing of the questions that we get asked the most (we have posted our answers too!). Please take a look through these before you send me an email. The answer desired might already like in the midst
What is it with the spiders?
Spiders are gods that brought stories to the world. I am god and I tell stories. I also have delusions of grandeur.
Yunyu, are you Chinese?
Yes, from Singapore to be exact. I came over to Australia to do a Commerce Degree. Then I got mad and distracted. Music is relatively cheap therapy until you include recording costs.
What is (insert song) about?
I’ve revealed as much as allowed on my liner notes. Any more revealing and I will be slain on the altar of Arachnidom under the 2613 penal code of Muse’s laws of non-disclosure.
Where can we buy your CD/tunes?
The CDs exist only in the cyberverse at the moment.
If you live near US/UK/ Canada – CDBABY
If you live near Australia – Earshot MusicFor individual tunes:
ItunesI hate buying from the internet, can I just get it off you?
Use that as a last resort. You must learn to embrace the cyberverse. But if you must, contact me.
Include also your human name, your address and your email. My slave monkeys will then process your order. We are not as efficient and your orders might be cave-man slow. So embrace the cyberverse! join us…join us now…
“What does your name mean?”
Beautiful Rhythms.
“May I have your autograph?”
Yes. Send us your address, or better yet, mail something to be autographed to the address below. (also include a self addressed envelope)
“I have offerings/artwork/poems of greatness for you my spidery mistress. Where can I send it?”
Send all offerings to:
PO Box 627
Gordon NSW 2072
Australia
Attn:YunyuI’d love you to also post your artwork on my forum (under minion offerings) so that other minions may also worship your greatness. Please include URLs and other info you may like for your altar of worship
Since you are offering some of your stuff for free, can I just have the whole album/insert other song name for free?
Well now, can I come into your house, desecrate your living space, maim your pets, corrupt your offspring, party all day in your house( with your food) invite all my flying monkeys over, steal your supper and not pay rent?
There’s your answer.“I bought your album, will you kill me if I shared it with my friends/ ripped it a billion times?”
Please do, if they like it tell them to buy some. I rely on your big mouth for food and rent. And I really don’t care what you do with the tracks you paid for. Fuck Digital Rights Management.
“I took pictures at your last show and they’re amazing. Do you want me to send them to you?”
Yes. Yes. Yes. Send them to yunyumuse@gmail.com. I will post them up. Also send links u want me to link.
“When are you playing in my city, goddammit?”
Working on it. Tell your local show promoters about us. Gather an army of zombies, surround the city until your promoters beg us to come.
“I want to help you promote shows. Do you have a street team?”
We’re on to it. Really.
“I run a club and want to book you.”
Joy…! Email management@yunyu.com.au
“How long have you been playing for?”
Privately, since I was a foetus. Publicly, since 2003. I have also been stage-fear-puke free since 2005.
“When is your new album coming out? What songs will be on it? I am sick and fucking tired of waiting.”
New album is ready when it’s ready. It’s hard moving music making spider monkeys along. Yes, you will hear it from me when it’s ready to go.
