Nilüfer Yanya: "I don't want to create music purely for entertainment..."

Yanya - one of our five exciting Ones To Watch for 2017 - is a mesmerising talent. The 21-year-old Londoner creates immense works with spaced-out guitars (somehow they're shiveringly intimate and worlds away) and ASMR-y vocals; it might be early days but we can't keep our eyes and ears off her.

"Small Crimes", her debut track (not counting the thrilling Pixies cover), is one of our 50 Best Songs of 2016.

Check it out below and find out a bit more about Yanya after.

Could you introduce yourself for us please?

Hi, I'm Nilüfer Yanya - a singer/songwriter/guitarist from London.

What do you try to do with your music and how do you achieve this?

I don't think I'm consciously trying to do anything with my music apart from making it sound like what I want it to sound like. I find the more honest I am to myself about what I want a song to sound like, the better the result. However at the same time I don't see the point in existing in the 21st century with all this information surrounding us If I'm not going to create music that reflects the time we live in, or at least attempts to talk about it.

Can you tell us what musical and non-musical influences have shaped your sound?

Personally I think, in a both musical and non-musical sense, a lot of this influence comes naturally from being aware and able to soak up what is going on around you. I don't want to create music purely for entertainment, I don't want to create music in a vacuum. I'd like to create work with more weight behind it - which I think we all have a responsibility to do. I can't say my music definitely does this at the moment.

What should people expect from your Five Day Forecast show?

My set will be with a full band but you can still expect it to be quite chilled, no mad solos I'm afraid.

What are you working on now/next?

Can't wait to release my upcoming EPs and create the artwork for them too.

How is 2017 shaping up?

I'm really excited for next year, there are a few shows booked abroad already, in France and Istanbul, as well as some UK festivals...