Italian Pop Sensation Yumeaki Talks Music and Fluidity
There are few people who are an absolute delight to talk to and hyperpop sensation Yumeaki is one such individual. From recent interviews, I’ve learned that musicians and artists are no longer limiting their creativity by strictly adhering to a particular niche, style, or genre. They’re breaking the rules and using the pieces to form new modes of creating. This is what Yumeaki does and does well. Their music is as pleasurable to listen to as their cultured conversational skill.
Though relatively new, this singer, producer, and songwriter has been rapidly making a name for themselves in the underground electronic pop scene. Right now, they’re just getting warmed up. I’ve read between the lines of one of their responses in this interview and it seems as if they’re signifying something awesome on the horizon. I’m so looking forward to it.
I know you live in Japan at one point and now you reside in Italy. Where are you originally from?
In Lady Gaga’s own words, “I’m Italian!” (Laughter) Born and raised in Rome, I moved from the Eternal City to the Land of the Rising Sun in 2017. I stayed there, in Kōbe, until mid-March 2020, then moved back to Italy.
How did you come to travel to Japan for your studies? Was your decision to move there in regards to your music?
I left Italy and went to Japan originally thinking I would further my studies by pursuing a graduate degree—I got my BA in Oriental Languages and Civilizations only a few weeks before moving abroad—so that I could start a new life in a country that seemed so full of professional opportunities for expatriates. Being already fluent in Japanese—I started learning the language at a younger age, way before college—tricked me into thinking it would be easier for me to blend in with Japanese society. How naïve I was at the time!
My career transition to music is something that happened midway through my first year in Japan, while I was taking a college preparatory course—as a foreigner, you are supposed to take one in order to become eligible to apply for university. So, nope, it was not my decision to move there in regards to music—at least, not initially—it was my decision to stay.
Prior to that had you ever considered becoming a musician?
I’ll start by saying yes and no. I somehow grew up to be the black sheep of the family— being the only creative child in a non-creative household often left me feeling like an alien, guilty as if my curiosity, my originality, and my sense of exploration were a mistake, something to be ashamed of. To make matters worse, the fact that I’ve always been an easy target for bullies as a child exacerbated that feeling of being an outsider, shaping me into an even more uptight and closed-off person.
From a young age, I’ve been feeling a magnetic pull towards a tremendous amount of interests related to art—above all, music and figurative arts—but my family suggested that there’d be no money in those fields, so I tried my utmost to suppress my musical urges, deeming my passions as hobbies, and consequently turning to music sporadically—I would spend my alone time with a Fisher-Price tape recorder and a Casio mini keyboard during my childhood days, playing by ear and humming silly songs into the mic. As I grew older, I started to delve into the world of music production self-taught and installed my first digital audio workstation in the late ‘00s—I started making beats, remixes, and mashups every now and then with the then called “Fruity Loops”, just for fun.
Years later, I found myself completely alone in Japan, with a war on my hands against thoughts, doubts, and questions I’d previously buried deep down—“Had I been lying to myself all along?” I asked myself one night, out of nowhere, reminiscing of that child who had to give up their dream prematurely without even trying. When you live in isolation for years, the least you can do is learn to face and embrace the truth, lean into it in the safest way possible, and become an honest ally to yourself. I felt I had reached a point where I couldn’t keep up with all the lies I’ve been telling myself—that’s the exact moment I realized I’d lived an unfulfilled life and decided officially to pursue a career as a professional musician and ultimately went back to school.
In your music as well as your production, you seem to have embraced a number of musical styles. Was this a creative decision, or was it a business decision?
Both a creative and a business decision. Some people say it's best to stick to one genre for marketing purposes—I only partly agree with this.
As an eclectic artist who draws inspiration from a wide range of musical genres, I felt free to experiment from day one, so that people view my differentiation as the norm, as well as one of the key qualities that define my artist brand—i.e. fusing different genres together to create a distinct style that is recognizable across every musical piece of mine.
While it’s true that it may seem like I’m altering my sound drastically as I progress with time, it’s also true that my music has always had mainstream pop-oriented goals.
You make hyperpop as well which seems to be quite popular at the moment. Where do you stand on that spectrum: is it just a part of your musical palette, or is it something more?
I can confidently state that it’s something more than just a part of my musical palette. Controversies around the term aside, the genre we know as “hyperpop” has been able to fluidly blend with a wide range of styles, giving artists room to experiment and expand their boundaries, without depriving them of the feeling of having a mainstream appeal.
The high levels of surrealism and confusion, the maximalist take on popular music that borders on the absurd, the endless possibilities to manipulate your voice to sound however you want, steering away from the traditional production ideas, are all elements I effortlessly borrow from hyperpop, in order to make music that is reflective of my individuality—to cite an example, glitching my own vocals reminds me of what happens inside my head when my brain is overstimulated; pitching them up with an extreme emphasis on femininity gives me the opportunity to tackle and flip harmful gender biases and stereotypes in a way that’s personally and musically empowering.
You’ve worked with other musicians. Yes? Would you be willing to share some of who you’ve worked with, as well as what the experience was like?
Leaving aside the artists I have ghost-produced for, a special mention goes to three artists in particular.
First of all, we have the UK-based hyperpop-adjacent artist and DJ V@LeRiC, who, to my surprise, expressed his will to put his creative spin on my song “Clownery” and asked me to send over the vocal stems of the track back in February 2020—I was so eager to put out a song together and so honored at the same time! We teamed up again the following year for “The Flip Phone Mix”—a hyper punk rendition of my single “Offline” which features some additional vocals by V@LeRiC himself, as well as less-altered, alternative vocals by me that didn’t make the cut for the main version.
Secondly, how could I not mention my longtime friend, colleague, and vaporwave scene representative bl00dwave? I’ve teamed up with them several times—mostly for mixing and mastering, but we also have a release together for a collaborative remix of “Vulnerable”, along with a bunch of unreleased tracks that, in all probability, won’t see the light of day in a near future.
Last but not least, the emerging Italian artist FERROSKIJ, whom I have worked together with on a few occasions as a co-producer, co-writer, and engineer last year—I had a lot of fun with him!
Despite having different views, opinions, interests, and tastes, what I share with these aforementioned artists I have been blessed to work with is a serious commitment to the craft, as well as honesty and transparency while working together—they’ve always delivered feedback with respectful truth, without being harsh, critical or offensive, so I guess that’s what set the stage for healthy and successful collaboration.
One thing that I found particularly interesting is that you’re also a “ghost producer”. I’ve heard of ghostwriters (I employ a few myself), but never this. What does it mean to be a ghost producer?
In a similar way, a ghostwriter pens a text that is credited to someone else, a ghost producer is a music professional that is hired to write, create, and/or produce one (or more) track(s) that are credited to another artist. Usually, there’s an NDA to ensure the ghost producer remains anonymous—in return for anonymity, the ghost producer gets paid by the credited artist(s). In most scenarios, ghost producers are paid a one-time amount for the purchase of their work, but there are cases—like mine—where they keep a percentage of the publishing or mechanical rights associated with the release.
Personally, the main reason I may elect not to obtain credit for my part—and therefore offer ghost production services—is because I don’t feel comfortable with my brand being associated with that specific product and/or artist. I’ve learned my bitter lessons from past collaborations!
There’s another term that I became aware of in a previous interview that I neglected to ask about, and that term is “toplining”. It’s something that you do, correct? What does that mean?
Correct! I love it when I have to talk nerdy! (Laughter) The act of toplining means writing a song over a digitally constructed instrumental track. A topline melody writer is a professional hired to write melody and lyrics over a pre-made beat, who therefore doesn’t have full creative control over its structure—they are somehow forced to adapt.
Since you’ve been involved in an array of tasks related to recording music, I’m curious to know what would say is hard about what you do and easy about what you do?
Beatmaking and writing topline melodies over a beat are two tasks that come quite easily to me—you’re going to laugh, but I often get these short, sudden bursts of inspiration in my sleep that I make sure I put a small digital voice recorder under my pillow when I go to bed, as I hate the idea of letting melodies go away when inspiration strikes! (Laughter) Finding the right lyrics that fit into a topline melody is a little bit more challenging instead, and the same applies to the post-production of my own songs.
On second thought, I’d say that the hardest part is not technical—it’s (not) knowing when to stop. As an incurable perfectionist, I lose myself in this demonic tendency to overprocess everything. On the contrary, when it comes to other artists’ work, my brain automatically cuts down on self-imposed stress, leaving me feeling lighter and focused, and the whole production process becomes paradoxically more enjoyable—unless the client has unrealistic expectations, but that’s another kettle of fish!
I see that you’ve been recognized in other media besides us. How does it feel to be acknowledged for your talents?
Let’s start by saying that I am naturally hard on myself and have pretty low self-esteem. As a person who grew up in an environment where criticism came, and praise was heard rarely, I tend to forget my accomplishments and relentlessly focus on the negative. In addition to this, I’ve gone through a long phase where social media constantly tested my sense of self-worth, leaving me to feel despondent and uninspired at times, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this—it’s no secret that independent artists struggle to gain traction and be discovered on most platforms nowadays, as the algorithms are seldom in their favor.
With this said, I’m still in utter shock and can’t wrap my head around the fact that I made it to my first editorial playlists last year—i.e. “Pride Italia” on Spotify, and “Glitch” on Apple Music—and I’m still asking myself “How is that even possible? What did I exactly do to be featured there?” (Laughter) It sure is a golden opportunity for an independent artist, that’s why I can never thank the editors enough for picking my songs! I’ve grown so accustomed to being snubbed and ignored that it doesn’t still feel real to me. Hard work pays off, I guess.
The past two years have been hell for most of us and we’re all hoping for a better 2022. What projects do you have planned for the year?
I have a lot of stuff planned for the year! I’ll make sure 2022, too, marks my hyperpop era—I’m currently finalizing some singles I plan to release through the year. I may (at last!) put out an EP—or more than one, who knows! Expect pure madness on my upcoming projects!
Some collaborations with artists from the underground scene are in the works as well, but I have to zip my lip for now. If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s about the importance of bringing people together and the power that can be created as a result. There are so many other gifted artists I’d die to work with this year—shout out to Holliday Howe, Donatachi, Alice Longyu Gao, Namasenda, and Rakky Ripper: send me a DM or an e-mail and I’m in!
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