Malaysian pop sensation Yuna has announced her forthcoming album Y5, the follow-up to her defiant fourth LP Rouge. Y5, which reckons with life and death, will be released in five installments, with the first one, Y1, out today. The songs include “Intro,” “Hello,” “Pantone 17 13 30,” and “Cigarette,” all of which are accompanied by a Adam Sinclair-directed visual concept rooted in the beauty of Joshua Tree in California.
About “Hello,” she said, “I wanted to write something around the topic of death especially after losing someone really close to me and it was something unexpected. One day we’re all going to leave this earth, why do we avoid that conversation? This is my message to everyone I love – once I leave the world, I don’t want you to be sad.” She added, about “Pantone 17 13 30,” “I’ve come to a place in my life where I can appreciate my natural beauty (such as my skin tone) and this song is about finding someone who recognizes and sees the beauty that I have already realized within me.”
Y1 focuses on immersing the listener in a sensory experience, as per usual; the opening track is a 15-second introduction that’s much like the beginning credits of a movie.
Stream the EP below, a visualizer for which arrives later tonight.
