Photo Courtesy of Yura
Yura is an independent singer-songwriter whose music captures raw emotion, personal stories, and empowering messages. With a focus on love from a woman’s perspective and songs that inspire self-acceptance and strength, she invites listeners into her world with every melody and lyric.
In this interview, Yura opens up about her creative process, the inspirations behind her songs, and the challenges and triumphs of building her career independently. Join us as we explore the heart and soul behind her music and follow her journey of growth, expression, and resilience.
Please introduce yourself as an artist to readers who are discovering you for the first time.
I’m yura – a singer-songwriter and rapper.
I pen all my own lyrics and compose every melody, collaborating on beats with my father, who works as a beatmaker. Beyond the music itself, I’m deeply involved in every creative aspect: visual design, photography, and shaping the overall artistic world I inhabit. Self-production is at the heart of my work.
Refusing to be confined by genre labels, I create everything from lush, melodic tracks to hard-hitting rap pieces – always prioritizing honesty to my feelings and the stories I want to share in that moment.
Though I’m still on my journey as an artist, I’m constantly experimenting and refining my craft as I work to define what truly makes my music my own.
What inspired you to seriously pursue music?
From a young age, I listened to a lot of music under my father’s influence.
As I grew interested in music and heard the strong emotions and messages of various artists, I began to feel that I, too, wanted to put my own strong feelings into songs. That was what inspired me to start making music.
Your profile says “no label, no agency.” Could you tell us why you chose this path?
At the start, I had no clue how to create music – I was entirely feeling my way through the process. As I kept experimenting and sharing my work, it began to gain traction on social media, eventually leading me to take full ownership of my production.
While I’m proud to create independently now, I’m also keen to partner with record labels and industry professionals to broaden my platform and elevate my artistic journey.
What meaning or intention is behind your artist name, “Yura”?
Yura is actually my real name, given to me by my father, and it carries the meaning of “gentle” and “good words.”
I really like the sentiment behind it, so I also use it as my artist name.
For people who are listening to your music for the first time, how would you describe your sound and style?
I create music centered on J-pop while incorporating global influences, aiming to make something truly one of a kind that people can say, “This is yura.”
Since we write and compose our own songs, I hope listeners will also pay close attention to the emotions and messages embedded in the lyrics.
Are there any artists, genres, or life experiences that have influenced your songwriting and performance?
I was influenced by Billie Eilish and K-pop.
Seeing Billie Eilish create music together with her family inspired me in terms of songwriting, and watching the performances of K-pop artists who made their way from Asia to the global stage had a powerful impact on me.
When creating music, which usually comes first for you: the lyrics, the melody, or the emotion?
Most often, my music begins with emotion.
When my feelings are stirred, melodies and lyrics tend to come naturally.
What themes or messages do you often portray in your songs?
The main messages are often love songs from a female perspective, as well as themes that say, “It’s okay to be myself as I am,” and messages about becoming stronger.
Can you walk us through your process from the moment an idea is born to when the song is completed?”
My father suggests various beats, and I often create songs by adding melodies on the spot to match them, almost like freestyle.
When I find a melody that I like, I start developing it into a full song. From there, I refine the melody and lyrics, recording at home until the song feels just right.
When you feel stuck creatively, where do you usually find inspiration?
When I feel stuck, I hang out with childhood friends or go shopping.
Having conversations with friends and taking in the scenery while shopping often inspires new melodies and lyrics.
How do you balance telling personal stories with creating elements that listeners can relate to?
Since many of my songs are love songs written from a female perspective, I often get inspiration by talking about love with my friends or chatting with my female fans when I write lyrics.
Because of that, the songs aren’t just based on my personal stories—I think they’re something many people can relate to.
As an independent artist.
What is the biggest challenge you face as an independent artist?
Because I work independently, it’s very difficult to get my music—and who I am—to reach a wide audience. My biggest challenge is figuring out how to use social media to get more people to listen to my music and to get to know me.
On the other hand, what do you find appealing about being able to control everything yourself?
I think the appeal is the freedom. I can pursue the music I want to make, the fashion I want, and the style I want, and we’re able to create everything on our own.
How do you handle song releases, promotion, and interaction with fans?
For music releases, we register and distribute our songs ourselves through music streaming platforms. For promotion, we mainly use social media, and we interact with fans through live shows as well as TikTok Live and Instagram Live.
From jacket photos and styling to SNS shoots, we handle everything ourselves as part of our promotion.
You connect with many fans through social media—how important is their presence to you?
Because we create everything ourselves, there are times when we feel discouraged, and in those moments, we are supported by the encouragement of our fans. I have a strong desire to pursue my artist career with the goal of reaching the world, and I believe I can keep striving toward such a high goal because my fans continue to believe in me and support me.
Through your music, what kind of relationship would you like to build with your fans?
Through my music, I would be happy if I could become a kind of emotional refuge for my fans. I hope that when they’re feeling down or hurt, my lyrics and music can help them feel that they’re not alone, and that there are moments where they can see their own feelings reflected in the songs.
For people hearing your music for the first time, what feelings or messages would you like them to take away?
Rather than wanting first-time listeners to take away a specific message like “this is how you should feel,” I’d be happy if they could naturally connect the music to how they’re feeling in that moment.
I want to leave space in my music where it’s okay to not be strong, and where emotions that can’t be put into words are allowed to exist as they are.
If my music can gently stay close to someone’s feelings, that would mean everything to me.
Compared to when you first debuted, how do you feel you’ve grown as an artist?
Compared to when I first started, I feel that my vision has become much clearer. In the beginning, I was anxious about creating everything on our own and often wondered if it would really be okay. But now, I create with a strong sense of belief and confidence.
Do you have any goals or challenges you’d like to achieve in the future?
Through social media, I want to create more opportunities for people not only in Japan but all around the world to hear my music. I hope to reach even more listeners globally and eventually perform live all over the world.
Are there any upcoming plans for your activities, such as new songs, collaborations, or live shows?
We’re currently working on new songs for next year, so I hope everyone looks forward to them. Also, although it will be within Japan, I’ll be performing at a live show featuring female artists on February 14, so please be sure to check it out.
Lastly, if you had to choose one song you’d want people to listen to first in order to get to know “Yura,” which would it be? Please tell us why.
It would be “Mirror, mirror.”
This song became the turning point that helped my music reach more listeners not only in Japan but also around the world, so I’d be very happy if everyone could give it a listen.
No label, no limits—just music from the heart. Follow Yura’s journey as an independent singer-songwrite
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