The Future is Yeek - An Interview With Your Next Favourite Artist
You’ve heard of Frank Ocean, of Tyler the Creator, and of Clairo. These are just a handful of bedroom pop pioneers who are taking over everyone’s playlist.
During the last few years, the genre has exploded in terms of popularity and variety, birthing the next generation of musical icons. Without any doubt, the Florida-based Filipino-American YEEK will be part of this league. YEEK, born Sebastian Carandang, is the maestro of melancholic tunes, merging elements of hip-hop and alternative rock. True, blue, and undeniably catchy, he’s that kind of artist that simply cannot be boxed into one category, as YEEK is the manifestation of pure passion and creativity.
To be honest, YEEK is painfully underrated. His views on life and his versatility are bound to inspire the bigger figures of today’s music and entertainment industry, and his vulnerability and humbleness are like warm waves crashing over the beach at night. Mixing darkness and life, the sensational artist is a gem you have yet to discover.
This time, the Sabukaru team had the opportunity to chat with YEEK and explore the roots of his art and being.
Hello YEEK! Can you please introduce yourself to the sabukaru network? How does a regular day in Sebastian Carandang’s life look like? Do you follow any habits/rituals?
Each day is definitely one with a sporadic schedule. If I have any rituals as of lately, it’s boxing on the Oculus. It’s become my new daily workout. It feels like I’m playing a video game, but I’m really doing a cardio workout equal to a jog on the treadmill.
Could you introduce us who's the team behind everything “Yeek”? Who are the people you work with and trust on a daily and creative basis?
Big shoutout to my management, BAD HABIT. I have 3 managers & they all provide some of the best & most innovative ideas. Chris Cadaver has been a big part of the creative direction in a lot of my past work; he also plays bass guitar in my band alongside my little brothers Simon & Kevin + a good friend of mine, DJ.
YEEK is a pseudonym you gave yourself as a kid; do you remember where did it come from?
If I’m being completely honest, it came from graffiti. I naturally started writing YEEK when I was younger. That name turned into the name I wanted to identify myself with for my visual art & then it evolved into my musician name.
The song Lumbago, is a beautiful ode to your family and friends. Is that why you chose to start the album Valencia with it?
Thanks! That’s definitely part of the reason, but sonically, I feel like it just sounded like a sick intro to an album. The vision was the beginning of a movie.
Where does the name from your latest album Valencia come from?
I’ve coincidentally lived in several places with that name. It also represents my South Florida background & the color orange, which is something I incorporate a lot in my music.
As you have mentioned a few times, the microphone is your "Psychiatrist”. Listening to the lyrics of your songs is easy to realize that music is your therapy. Has there been a moment in your career when you have been in a really bad/good mood and had run to the studio to sing about it to vent your feelings?
My bedroom is my studio when it comes to me wanting to get an idea out, so I think it becomes really easy for me to get a little vulnerable in the comfort of my room. I feel like if I had to run to the studio to vent with my music, I’d already be over it by the time I arrive haha.
Cover for Valencia Album, 2021.
When you were a kid, you loved to listen to punk and hardcore, among other kinds of music. Your songs have soft rock touches but have you ever created any raw punk or hardcore tracks?
I was in plenty of hardcore/punk bands growing up. I hopped from playing the drums, guitar, & vocals. I haven’t created any under YEEK, but hey, who knows? Maybe one day I will. I think the closest thing I have to that is the live versions of my songs “Shake” & “Cleaner Air”. I encourage mosh pits & rowdy behavior when it’s time to perform those live.
From Jersey to South Florida, passing through New York and LA. All very different cities with extremely different moods. Could you tell us how your music has been shaped within each destination?
I feel like when I tell people that I’m from all these places, they assume that I’m “still figuring shit out” or that I’m “lost”, but if anything, I feel like I know so much more about myself than I would have living in one place all my life. What I’m trying to say is living in all these places has given me so many perspectives & opportunities to create music that feels original.
Tell us a bit about your time in Japan; what are your best memories and what do you like most about the country?
The last time I was there was right before the pandemic started. I took my family to the few places I could remember from my last trip in 2017; Shibuya, Nakameguro, Yoyogi Park etc. I think some of my favorite memories in Japan were experiencing the constant sense of hospitality & respect that Japanese culture always seems to maintain. I made so many new Japanese friends who were all willing to give a tour & introduce us to more friends + places to eat, shop, or hang out. A specific memory I have is this one time me & a group of friends got really drunk & started playing loud rap music on the Bluetooth while walking through Tokyo at night. We definitely felt like we were being loud, obnoxious Americans, but so many people were smiling & showing us love. Some joining us to dance.
Is there anything you especially like about the Japanese subculture? [Manga, anime, Japanese cinema, music…]
I feel like I’ve watched a good amount of random Anime movies. I have the classic Anime series that I like, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo etc., but I definitely need to dive deeper. Japanese fashion has always inspired a lot of my style, though. In high school, I watched the Japanese movie Ichi The Killer for the first time & was really drawn to the styling, even just the darkness of the film itself. Tadanobu Asano, the lead actor, is actually a really sick visual artist. I love his current work posted on Instagram.
At the end of the song "Dirty Pilow", we hear how a piano fragment comes in. When did you have the idea to intersperse rhythms and put this instrument in? Will we hear future songs experimenting with new musical instruments?
I love Gymnopédie by Erik Satie & this other song called Song On The Beach by Arcade Fire made for the movie HER. Those two compositions inspire me so much I wanted to incorporate those inspirations somewhere in the album, so I thought, “why not the outro?”
There will definitely be more experimentation with new instruments in the future! Always!
Which song do you consider the saddest and which the happiest, and why?
“Bed” is my saddest song, I think. The happiest might be “Shake”, but the lyrics still say, “when your heart is black, it's easy to live fast”. Maybe that says a lot about my music.
You mentioned once, "Success is being able to pay the rent, do tours and have my own schedule" After achieving this, what is the ultimate goal you still want to accomplish as a musician?
I feel that with me, there's always a new version of Success to be achieved. Currently, something I hope to achieve is making music with some of my musical heroes; Pharrell, Joe Bataan, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, & I think Drake. Another goal of mine is making a song or album that goes number 1 & finally being able to delete my social media!
You started from zero and have been progressively growing as an artist, being recognized by very popular people. What does fame feel like? Is it something you care about or worry about?
I feel like I still don’t know what fame feels like but perhaps popularity because of my music career. I mostly spend time with people I like & enjoy on a personal level. Some of those people work normal 9-5 jobs & some of those people are what you might call famous. I think I care more about giving back to my family with a fat crib than I do having fame.
We know that movies have influenced you a lot in your life. Could you tell the sabukaru family what are your favorite titles?
Swingers, Climax, Interstellar, Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2, Spirited Away, Fallen Angels, Beijing Bicycle, Lost in Translation, & Manila in The Claws of Light, to name a few.
Is there any new music releasing soon? Any new project you are working on at the moment and can tell us about?
I am honestly playing it all by ear. No concrete plans yet, but always new music coming; I can promise that.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Thank you for interviewing me!
Interview by Marta Espinosa
Text and editing by Mizuki Khoury
