Yuna makes it to VOGUE Singapore's April cover
1 Apr – Yuna is elated to finally make the cover of VOGUE Singapore, making it another milestone in her music career.
On 30 April, the singer shared the said cover with the theme of RHYTHM on her social media account, and wrote, "I recently spoke up about representation in Hollywood.. or anywhere actually. If you want to play the Southeast Asian game, you gotta have Southeast Asian players."
"In my 15 years working in the international music industry I have been 'trying' to prove my worth to the world that yes- I'm a Southeast Asian woman and I too can be great at what I do. Southeast Asian women sometimes get little or no respect for our efforts because of where we come from (this is where third world country, sexualization of SEA women comes to mind) or the colour of our skin. We needed to go above and beyond to have a seat at the table. Now that the entertainment world is starting to recognize SEA talents and the richness of our culture- it's important that we are involved in carefully telling our story and not let anyone else write our narrative for us."
Yuna stated that it is important for Southeast Asian people to be in on the conversation, rather than let others pick and choose whatever narrative they want to tell the audience.
"When I'm out there and I tell people I'm southeast Asian, and Malaysian, I'd get different reactions. "Wait how are you Asian but dark skin? Wait how are you Asian but you're Muslim? Wait how is your English so good?" People still have no idea (or a skewed idea) of who we are so let's find every opportunity to make our mark in whatever field we want to excel in. Demand a spot to tell our story," she said.
Lastly, the singer thanked VOGUE Singapore for choosing her as their April 2021 cover, jokingly added that she will buy 20 copies of it to distribute to her family members.
Fans and friends took to the comments to congratulate the singer, including sister-in-law Bunga Citra Lestari, Malaysian actress Daiyan Trisha, Filipino actress Coleen Garcia, as well as actress-turned-entrepreneur Tiara Jacquelina - the latter who expressed, "Way to go sista. So proud of you."
(Photo Source: Yuna Instagram)
