Yonah Chuang is a Sudanese-Canadian rapper and producer based in Edmonton, Alberta. He is widely known to produce all of his own materials. His single “Gorillas” surpassed 200k streams on YouTube. With an impressive repertoire under his belt, don't sleep on this up and coming artist.
“Miles Away” is Yonah’s latest single that we;re bumping through the office. Yonah Chuang’s laid-back approach to the art-form gives the track a certain calmness but with a subtly uplifting energy during the hook. At the same time, “Miles Away” pulls you into a comforting state of listening, so the lyrics cleverly stand out a little more thanks to this arrangement and set-up. There’s plenty that seems familiar here lyrically, but also more than enough that feels a little more alternative and fresh. Flickers of Yonah’s personality come through in his bars and authentic style. “Miles Away” is a dope new single and we can’t wait to hear more!
Listen to “Miles Away” here and keep scrolling for our chat with Yonah Chuang.
Hi Yonah! Can you start by telling us more about yourself and your upbringing into music?
Well, to be honest there isn't much to me, I got started in music not too early in my life, 17 to be exact. I remember it was 2009 after a basketball game leading to christmas break, I was just thinking about what it takes to get into music and etc, But it wasn't something I took serious. However that same Christmas break I remember my cousin coming and he was on the computer running some music software that he was just getting into, and that kind of just flipped a switch for me. Literally the same day I started practicing how to make beats on a demo Fl studio (fruity loops at the time) and it didn't take long before I started to get the hang of things. Few months later, I can recall one of my brothers friend was selling a MacBook and I was interested in buying one as an investment for music, and things kind of escalated from there. By 2012 I went from only making beats to trying to sing on the hooks because that's what everyone was doing at the time, and that is what basically led to the start of my rap career.
Who are you musical influences? Why?
My biggest influences are 2pac, Eminem, Drake, and the weekend. These artists hit a spark for me sometimes that makes me love the art of music. For example 2pacs passionate way of delivering his message, or Eminem's quirky story telling, these things for me play a huge role in keeping my mind creative.
What inspires your writing?
My inspirations almost always come from what I am going through in life. However, a small part of my writings also come from what my friends and inner circle are dealing with, if it's something that I can relate to or personally involved in a lot of time writing helps to deal with the situation.
What was the overall theme of your track “Miles Away”? What do you hope your listeners take away from it?
The overall theme was, what I have been through and where I can from. Everyone has dealt with things in life, and for me miles away express a small portion of what I have been through. I hope my listeners can understand that where you were isn't who you are anymore, and everyone can change or better themselves and improve whatever situation they are in.
What’s next for you?
I'm hoping to keep consistent with releasing music whether people listen or not, I'm currently working on an album, and my goal is to have that album ready for winter.
Keep up with Yonah Chuang through his social media!