Just a Western— Nilüfer Yanya

#365Songs: September 30th

’Cause there’s something baby please don’t cry
Here’s the silver save me from my kind
There’s no getting off this hook
’Cause there’s no way in and there’s no way out
But if something makes you shook

To be an artist, a true artist, requires a combination of unapologetic ambition, resilience, and a healthy dose of defiance. One needs to shrug off a lot of things: an industry that prioritizes a few stars over everyone else, an audience trained that music is free, and an anonymous public dialogue that can be ruthlessly unkind. It also requires proper expectations: what type of artist you are, and what you expect from your career.

London-born Nilüfer Yanya knows exactly who she is, what she wants, and how to tune out the noise. And that’s exactly why her music is so fucking good. The music industry loves that combination of attractive and talented, and Nilüfer has been shrugging off attempts to market her as a pop star since her early teens.

Life’s not a western
You’re up all night
Beautiful lines that can make you feel something
’Cause there’s no way now
Only burns my eyes
’Cause it shines like your shoes never

Recently, Nilüfer said to the Irish Times on the pressures of turning pop: “You do speak to a major label or a big opportunity seems to uncover itself in that kind of way. I’ve always known I’m not going to be that kind of artist. I don’t have the capacity or desire to do that. Obviously you want more people to hear your music. The people I admire and look up to aren’t necessarily those kinds of [mainstream] artists. The kind of music I make, I don’t think it would ever necessarily be a huge mainstream success.”

She might just be the closest vocal equivalent to Sade that we have in music these days. No matter what she sings about, regardless of the emotional resonance, she whispers with an intimacy that leaves you feeling she’s talking directly to you. Yes, YOU. That’s straight out of Sade’s aura, the way you’re left hypnotized and craving more.

I’m still digesting the full album, but Just a Western feels like a standout. A perfect expression of everything she does well. As with Sade, this is music for any occasion. Early mornings, late nights, on a drive or in a bedroom. About the song, she wrote, “The melody feels freeing to me, but the lyrics are ‘there’s no way in, no way out’ and the concept is about facing your fate. I don’t know if I believe in fate but it feels real in the song.”

Isn’t that exactly what she does as an artist? Faces her fate. Too disinterested in being a pop star, too talented to be ignored.

’Cause the sun on your face never change
There’s a darkness in me
Even more takes up your time
I won’t call in a favor
Won’t do it for free anymore
Shut up won’t you listen, won’t you?
Talk to me your beautiful dream
Little more we leave this life
’Cause the sun on your face never change
Won’t you do it for me anymore?
’Cause if something makes you shook

I never got this right as an artist, this idea of expectations. Or, any understanding whatsoever on what success looks like. I don’t write the sort of fiction that’ll sell enough copies to pay rent or send my kid to college. Rather than write books I wouldn’t read, I stopped writing. Rather than dive deeper into the stories I wanted to tell, in the way I wanted to tell them, I abandoned my craft in search of survival. Ways to make enough money to afford life. And yet, I’ve had a successful career, by almost every standard but my own.

Artists like Nilüfer Yanya recenter me, reminding me that the best art is made by and for the artist. It’s that exact honesty that draws an audience — perhaps not a large audience, but certainly one who appreciates the art itself above the pomp, meaningless awards, and magazine covers.

’Cause there’s no way in and there’s no way out
There’s no getting off this hook
My life’s just a western
You’re born to fight
No luck all night
Can you make it ’til sunset?
’Cause there’s no way now
Only blurs my eyes
Yeah, you sound like a fool in love (in love)

That’s the other beauty of being an artist. We only get wiser with age, through lived experiences, and the stories we tell and as a result the art we make develops alongside us, grows weary and disappointed and sharper over time. As I’ve said before and will say again, a true artist is never too old to produce their opus. 

So for fuck sake, what are we waiting for?

’Cause the sun on your face never change
There’s a darkness in me
Even more takes up your time
I won’t call in a favor
Won’t do it for free anymore
Shut up won’t you listen, won’t you?
Talk to me your beautiful dream
Little more we leave this life

’Cause the sun on your face never change
Won’t you do it for me anymore?
’Cause the sun on your face never change
There’s a darkness in me
Even more takes up your time
I won’t call in a favor
Won’t do it for free anymore
Shut up won’t you listen, won’t you?
Walk to me your beautiful dream
Little more we leave this life

’Cause the sun on your face never change
Won’t you do it for me anymore?
Shut up won’t you listen, won’t you?

La la la la la la la
Mm-mm-mm, hmm-mm

~

Start following the #365Songs playlist today, and listen to each new song with each new article!