
In a world where heavily curated Instagram feeds and expertly vetted artist branding are the most powerful tools to a successful career in music, Boston based pop artist Yavin just wants to organically connect to his fans.
“I want listeners to feel seen,” Yavin explains. “I’m trying to be ordinary and allowing myself to shine through.”
Shine he does.
Throughout the last few years, the artist has put out two full length LP’s in Romance. and Growing Up. On top of that, the singer/songwriter has grown his following through select live shows around the greater Boston area.
When this momentum was exponentially growing, as is the case for the rest of the world, the pandemic got in his way.
“The weekend after [public spaces] began shutting down, I was scheduled to play a show in Pittsburgh, PA,” Yavin remembers in reflecting on the show’s cancellation. His second out of state show, the live appearance would have been an exciting new step for an artist still juggling a day job with his more than full time gig as a musician.
This water tread balancing act has been at the forefront of Yavin’s experience for quite a while.
What started as a hobby in college in 2015 became a serious career opportunity two years later in 2017, the year of his first album, Romance.‘s, release. Yavin began working with a producer at school, recording and releasing his first song during his time in college.
After leaving school, Yavin decided he had to go full throttle with music. Two albums and a few singles later, “Hot.” has arrived.
“Beauty standards can be exhausting,” the artist expresses. While this reigns true across social environments globally, it has an added twist of the knife in the self-proclaimed “safe spaces” permeated across queer pockets around the globe.
“Hot.” dives beneath the often shallow mentality of those on the hunt for conventionally beautiful people in nightclubs, adopting a fantastical narrative of having the courage to approach someone way out of one’s league and succeeding.
“I’m not your type – I’m hardly even mine,” Yavin states on the track. Cheeky and self-deprecating, it’s a pop song that exists as the best ones do; on the surface, it’s bubbly and fun; but, underneath it all, there’s a lot unpack. Structurally, it mimics Yavin’s longing for the beholder to see beyond his appearance and get to know him.
Written entirely by the artist with production from Dephrase, the all too relatable “Hot.” is a bouncy synth pop single with hints of Lorde and Troye Sivan. In fact, Yavin cites Lorde and Ellie Goulding, among others, as having an influence on his work. He combines his passion for contemporary electropop artists with earlier 21st century lyricists like Jason Mraz and Sara Bareilles. Bring these together, Yavin forms a bright, fun, lyrically driven concoction.
That said, “Hot.” is an entirely fresh, forward thinking statement from an artist with a familiar perspective. Working independently, Yavin has been able to navigate and learn about the industry proactively. Some of his best friends to date are musicians he’s met throughout his journey.
On being queer in the music industry today, Yavin expresses his understanding of the challenges and drawbacks that continue to exist, but spotlights the many silver linings.
One such strength is the greater sense of community and belonging.
“A lot of my musician friends are queer,” Yavin celebrates. With a collective understanding, often shared experiences, and an open-minded empathy few can boast, this community is all the artist needs to continue pushing forward his career in music.
Whenever live venues do finally open up, the electro-pop innovator will be off to the races.