Check Out Yahra’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yahra.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like most people, I’ve grown up being heavily influenced by music. It’s always been an outlet for me, regardless of the mood: happy, sad, frustrated, etc. Although I had been an avid fan of music during my childhood, I always ended up choosing to focus more on sports and physical activity rather than picking up and learning an instrument (I must say that has been and still is one of my great regrets in life). As I was growing up and discovering new music styles, going to concerts, etc., one thing was always in the back of my mind; and that is the desire to learn how to make music and be a performer in some capacity one day!

Fast forward to 2020 and the infamous COVID-19 pandemic confined us all to our homes and I like most other people ended up having more time on my hand than I would’ve desired. I knew I had to make use of this time in a more productive way (I’ve always been good at executing something that I set my mind to) and that’s when I decided to seriously pursue my passion for making music. With a lot of hard work, practice, and support from a great mentor, I somehow taught myself enough to start making music professionally and pursue this passion of mine in a more serious manner. I’m lucky enough to now have released a few songs on international labels in the electronic music scene along with the opportunity to perform to crowds from time to time!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with any creative process, it is absolutely necessary to be consistent in the effort and work you put into your craft. Practice does indeed make you perfect. However, maintaining consistency requires dedicating a serious amount of time and that often has been a challenge while working a regular corporate job. Creativity requires your mind to be free so that ideas flow in with no restrictions and this can often be hindered by the mental energy that you can drain out of yourself after a long day at work. This has been the biggest hurdle for me ever since I started making music and it still continues to be so!

With some experience over the last couple of years, I’ve been able to manage and focus my mental energy toward creativity in a more regular fashion and that has helped me a ton in finishing my projects quicker. It’s important to get into a groove/rhythm but it’s also important to know when not to push or force creativity out of yourself. A big learning for me has been to put aside projects that I’ve struggled to get into a good rhythm on by starting something else or giving myself a break altogether and then going back to it. Needless to say, it’s been very helpful!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
While there are plenty of artists in the music scene today, it’s really important for one to create a distinct brand image and sound of their own. As an artist, a major emphasis for me has been on bringing something to the table that others may not, trying to differentiate myself from the artist next to me in a sense. The way I look at it: If someone had a choice to pick between going and seeing you perform amongst 2-3 other choices, why would you want them, or what would make them want to choose you? This is how I approach most of my DJ sets and I’ve been working hard to differentiate myself by digging deep through the music web, finding artists relatively unknown, and playing out their music. If someone can walk away from a performance of mine having discovered at least one new song or an artist, that satisfies me more than anything else! I hope to continue doing this for as long as I can.

In a sense, I’ve tried to incorporate this philosophy in my own productions to some extent. As I’ve begun more and more songs, I’m emphasizing creating a distinct and unique sound of my own, something that people could recognize with a few minutes of listening. I’m still a long way from perfecting that but I guess you never succeed until you try hard enough right? I have a few song releases coming up in 2023 and I hope this emphasis on a distinct sound shines through them!

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Apart from music, I have several other passionate hobbies. Motorsport racing, especially Formula 1 has been a sport I’ve followed since my early childhood and I can say I’m as passionate about the sport as I am about my music! Off late, I’ve invested in setting up a basic racing simulator at home and I’ve been enjoying spending my time sim racing! Whenever I need a break from music, I just hop on the seat and go racing.

Additionally, I LOVE exploring new restaurants and cuisines! I often travel (something else I love) and one thing I always make sure to do every place I visit is explore the food scene. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a foodie as I don’t usually eat a lot but trying new cuisines is something that I love doing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://solo.to/yahramusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yahramusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yahramusic
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/yahramusic

Image Credits
Serkan Atrek Photography and Christopher Chance Scott Photography