Malaysian singer Yuna has appeared in New York City’s billboards for the third time, as part of the American celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM).
She had appeared on a digital billboard in Times Square when she was promoting her 2019 album Rouge. Back in 2016, she also appeared in a Nasdaq billboard in the same location.
This time around, Yuna posted on Instagram a night shot of her face on a sign in New York with the Empire State Building glowing in the background. Music streaming company Spotify used the ad to showcase the talent of artistes with Asian and Pacific Islander heritage.
Yuna, 33, wrote in her post that her face is all over the city. She thanked Spotify for having her as part of this special month together with other talented Asian artistes and that this exposure means a lot to Asian artistes. She added that she is a proud Asian aunty and she is proud of her community. However, Yuna was unable to be in New York to see the billboards in person due to the travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The singer also shared that she will be releasing a new single called Stay Where You Are on Friday (May 15).
Born Yunalis binti Mat Zara’ai on Nov 14, 1986, she was first noticed when her music was uploaded on Myspace and it received more than one million plays. Her success gained attention from the indie-pop label/management company and she was signed on the Fader Label in 2011.
Yuna is known for her collaboration with US singer Usher and her single Crush which hit Number 3 on the US Billboard Adult R&B chart. The singer-songwriter was born and raised in Kedah and Selangor and she started writing songs when she was 14. She also taught herself to play guitar and by 2006 she performed in front of an audience.
Together with guitarist Pa’an, bassist Efry Arwis and drummer Adib Azfar (and later Adil Ali), Yuna made her recorded debut album in Malaysia in 2008 with a self-titled EP. She earned five Malaysian Music Awards nominations (the Malaysian equivalent of the Grammy). She took home four trophies, including Best New Artist and Best Song, for her breakthrough hit Dan Sebenarnya. /TISG