Hey, You! Don't Miss Out On Yeemz's New EP
Yi-Mei Templeman’s (who releases music under Yeemz) face truly lights up when talking about creating music and working with other artists, whether it’s with friend and live performance video collaborator Adam Melchor (which she is still “pinching herself” about), in the studio with producer Leroy Clampitt, and even just arranging alone: “I learned so much by exploring with just myself and my cello…I don’t know if there’s a zone I put myself in, but I’m so excited and passionate about arranging and writing that it’s addicting in the best way…I think I could do it all day long.”
Last time I got to talk with her, she was gearing up to release her new single “Wondering Why”. The song had already gained traction on social media with audiences becoming truly entranced by the intimacy and uniqueness of her rhythmic cello playing. Combined with her roots in classical music, she finds a way to fit the instrument snugly into the indie folk genre through stripped back story telling over a swirling melody. Logistically and artistically, she learned a lot from the success of that single:
“All musicians absorb things that their audiences enjoy…seeing how people responded, especially with the videos people made with the song, taught me a lot about how they visualize the music I make and the purpose I conserve on social media…I’ve definitely been thinking about that and what musical elements resonated with ‘Wondering Why’ and trying to apply that to what I’ve been writing recently.”
Given the flood of albums and singles that has swept across the indie genre within the last few months, I wanted to dig into what some of her favorites and current inspirations are. She cites artists like The Staves and Lady Lamb, new albums from Adrianne Lenker and Lizzy McAlpine, Adam Melchor’s “Is There Still a Light on”, Tiny Habits’ “Wishes”, and the sonic landscape of Angie McMahon’s albums: “In the summer I’m just going to be blasting ‘Letting Go’ and ‘Slow Mover’...I just discovered her recently and they’re really good summer-y driving songs.”
She has also been keeping busy with her classical trio, going to see other artists in concert, releasing merch, writing, connecting, of course releasing a few other golden tracks of her own in preparation of a full EP that she has been diligently holding onto since last summer, as well as being featured on a special collab version of Shallow Alcove’s “Dream Song”.
“I was on a little bit of a time crunch…but I think I ended up with around 20 parts because I couldn’t stop messing around with it it’s so inspiring…and it’s so cool to get to contribute to people’s music I admire and who are just such lovely people…I definitely want to do more arranging and playing strings on more people’s music!” She confesses.
Literature and the community of people surrounding her work are huge sources of inspiration. Murakami’s world-building and descriptive style has come up in both of our conversations, but this time she also mentions how diving into Priya Parker’s “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” has influenced her next chapter:
“Playing intimate shows is such a blessing because you get to talk to and see everyone…there’s so much you can do with that so I’m trying to be mindful of that and fill my brain with ways to gather people in an influential, positive way and create meaningful spaces.”
When you hit play on Yeemz’s new EP, “Hey, You!” you’re instantly transported to a calmer place. It’s like being right next to her in the studio or at a mega-cozy venue. The two elements of her gentle tone and stunning cello compositions come together to define what it can mean to truly unwind with a piece of music.
“With this being my first project, the whole concept was just imagining how much it could be with such simple tools, so listening to Rob Moose’s string arrangements was really helpful for me in seeing the scope of possibility…also just classical chamber music and quartet playing helped me work on my arranging skills and was more helpful than any other genre of music.”
The 5-piece EP almost behaves like our solar system with a center of gravity and surrounding bodies. Similar to how the Sun gives to our planets, the title track “Hey, You” emits light from the middle of the tracklist and casts it onto the other songs while they quietly orbit around its heavier-hitting energy: “Thematically it’s kind of about finding yourself and your voice” she explains, “…and driving around your car, but that’s not thematically important” she adds with a laugh. She explores a number of different themes as a whole, with the “central focus” being the sound realm formed by the stunning simplicity of her combined cello playing and voice rather than any one concise story. It’s perfect for the stargazers, porch dwellers, back road drivers, sunburnt summer evening walkers, and those who know how to see the biggest beauty in life’s most candid moments.
You can listen to “Hey, You!” now on your favorite music platforms. Be sure to check out Yeemz on social media to stay up to date with all of the exciting things she has in store.
