Yuna is teaming up with Frank Ocean‘s ‘Channel Orange’ producer Malay for her upcoming album.
In a cover story with Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia, which was partially published online on April 6, the Malaysian artist revealed that her fifth studio album was about halfway done.
“I want to say maybe 70 (percent), but it can be 50,” she told the publication. “I don’t want to put a deadline on it, because I’ve just managed to start working with this producer that I really love. His name is Malay and it’s been my dream to work with him since maybe 2012.”
“He produced Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel Orange’ which to me is one of the best albums ever made. So I’m a huge fan. We have just started working on maybe three songs, so let’s just wait and see what we can come up with. I’m trying not to rush the process. Let things happen naturally.”
For ‘Channel Orange’, Malay – real name is James Ryan Ho – won a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2013, among other accolades.
Malay is also known for his production work on John Legend‘s 2008 album ‘Evolver’, ex-One Direction member Zayn Malik‘s 2016 debut solo album ‘Mind of Mine’ and more.
That said, Yuna also revealed that she has been doing some production for the album herself, adding she started learning how to use digital audio workstation Ableton during the recent lockdown. “I’m having so much fun with it. I’m such a tech geek!”
Yuna also said that she’s working on her new album with producer Robin Hannibal, whom she’d worked with on the singles ‘Blank Marquee’ and ‘Forevermore’ from her last album, ‘Rouge’.
‘Rouge’ was heavy on guest artists, including Tyler, the Creator, G-Eazy and more, but Yuna’s next album may be less so. “We had maybe nine collaborations then, but this time around I really want to keep it super personal and minimal,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
She added that she would likely have one or two collaborators on the release and that a “very exciting” collaborative single is in the pipeline.
She also described the album as “a little bit more minimal, easy listening” as compared to ‘Rouge’, which was “very energetic”. She added, “This time around, I want it to be kind of pure and natural, fun and laid-back. Because essentially, that was how I was feeling last year. We’ve been going through a lot, so let’s just take time to relax.”
Yuna has spent her 2021 so far dropping collaborations with US producers, namely Charlie Heat’s ‘Angry Hearts’ and Zhu’s ‘Sky Is Crying’. Her last solo track was ‘Dance Like Nobody’s Watching’, which she released in December. That same month, she performed a live-streamed concert from an aquarium in Kuala Lumpur.