Cyborg Entity yeule Has Mastered Glitch and Distortion
Meet the most influential voice of the cyberpop genre
Words and art by Ryan Quan
Musical Artist of the Month: This monthly column is JoySauce social media editor Ryan Quan’s attempt at getting you to love these underrated and under appreciated API artists as much as he does. The series will combine fun facts, conceptual graphic work Ryan’s created as an ode to his favorite lyrics, and a few of each musician’s songs, to give you a crash course on these talented rising stars.
Over the past few years, Singaporean songwriter, producer, and overall sensation yeule has established themselves as one of the main faces of the cyberpop genre. This subgenre of pop music is injected with themes and sounds associated with technology, specifically computers, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.
The non-binary artist’s entire persona has been heavily influenced by digital culture. Their synth-heavy sound often references and draws inspiration from other forms of media, like anime Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell. And the name yeule comes from Paddra Nsu-Yeul, a character from the Final Fantasy series.
Even their appearance is referential and eclectic, while still feeling completely original and natural. You won’t catch them without an avant-garde look, complete with colored contact lenses, painted eyelashes, bridge, lip, and nose piercings, and expressive eyeshadow that extends well beyond their eyelids. They often wear layers upon layers of distressed and shredded clothing, combined with combat boots, corset-style tops, and steampunk goggles. Their posthumanist, almost retro-futuristic style puts your favorite video game character to shame.
Born in 1997, yeule—also known as Nat Ćmiel—grew up with the internet. They spent their childhood online, joining virtual communities that helped them deal with extreme loneliness and social withdrawal. It was through these digital interactions that they started creating and finding solace in alternative personas.
Although they were a recluse in person, likely a side effect of their migrant lifestyle during their early years, these various identities gave them the courage to interact and connect with others. Choosing a new name and adopting a different personality allowed Ćmiel to express themselves freely and avoid feeling trapped. They could be anyone they wanted, all without leaving the comfort of their room and dealing with their fear of social situations.
They’ve also described themselves as a cyborg entity, likely a reference to feminist author Donna Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto. In an interview with MusicTech, yeule explained, “When I started calling myself a cyborg entity, I felt comfortable because then I didn’t have to try to relate to the labels put onto me.” Instead of being pigeonholed as a “female producer” or “Asian artist” by media outlets, yeule wanted an identity free of race or gender.
yeule is specifically known for their glitchy and distorted production. They often integrate stuttering sounds and warped or altered vocals over ambient beats that tug at your heartstrings. Each song has undergone hours and hours of heavy editing to create the perfect blend of echoing words, dissonant background noise, and screeching tones. But the production doesn’t feel overdone. yeule’s soft, angelic vocals and earnest declarations balance out the strident noises that threaten to drown out each song’s message without ever actually doing so.
While you might assume that Ćmiel’s cyborg identity will translate into emotionless and inhuman lyrics, their music is surprisingly personal and heartfelt, often admitting to the isolation and confinement that originally caused them to create yeule. Through the song “My Name Is Nat Ćmiel,” the artist introduces themselves to us, revealing both innocuous facts like “I like the way some music makes me feel” and more explicit details like “I like getting fucked, and I like to fuck.” Their cyborg identity isn’t a resignation to a digital takeover but rather an embrace of the role that technology has played in their development.
Over the years, Ćmiel has collaborated with various artists who have helped them develop their unique sound. yeule’s second album, Glitch Princess, was co-produced by Danny L Harle, whose more upbeat and buoyant style contrasts perfectly with their darker side, resulting in a product that feels beautiful yet deadly, enchanting yet impenetrable.
yeule has also worked with Japanese rapper Tohji twice now, first for the song “Perfect Blue” on Glitch Princess and again for “shell” on Tohji’s debut album, t-mix. At first glance, their individual styles are nothing alike—yeule’s music is ambient and distorted, Tohji’s is fast-paced and effervescent—but their similar penchant for the experimental and dreamy comes through in these two collaborations. yeule has also found humor in the pairing. “I’m so confessional, and he’s just singing about his car,” they said in an interview with Pitchfork. “There’s something quite camp about that.”
yeule’s latest release, “sulky baby,” has people excited for another album and a new era. A press release about the track described it as “2000s alt-rock/shoegaze hybrid tinted in sad satire,” a departure from their typical sound. They’ve hinted at the upcoming album for a while now and have mentioned that it will be sweeter than their previous work.
Although we love yeule for their darker style, a more lighthearted era will showcase not only their growth as an artist, but also their improving mental state. “I’m coming to a point where I’m tired of being self-loathing,” they told Pitchfork about this new direction. “This is no longer Tumblr 2012.”
No matter what, we support whatever this cyborg entity has planned for us. We just know they’re gonna keep bringing us eccentric and impassioned hits, all while looking like a Final Fantasy character.
Published on June 15, 2023
Words and art by Ryan Quan
Ryan Quan is the Social Media Editor for JoySauce. This queer, half-Chinese, half-Filipino writer and graphic designer loves everything related to music, creative nonfiction, and art. Based in Brooklyn, he spends most of his time dancing to hyperpop and accidentally falling asleep on the subway. Follow him on Instagram at @ryanquans.