Yel is a rising force in the next generation of indie R&B artists. Spending time in both California and South Korea, she effortlessly blends cultures and sounds. Her music fuses jazz, soul, city pop, and modern R&B, crafting a distinct sonic identity that's entirely her own. With emotionally raw, heartfelt lyrics about love and life - often penned in the quiet of her bedroom - and a unique vocal tone, Yel's music strikes a powerful chord with her fans. 

She has connected with her global audience through solo showcases and festival performances in America and Asia. Her talents also caught the attention of American label Soka Records who she has signed with. Yel’s intimate storytelling and authentic expression have garnered a massive global following and have amassed millions of streams.
Photographer: Casiano Atienza (@casiiiano)

Heritage: South Korean
Location: Seoul, South Korea / Los Angeles, USA (CA)

Connect: Instagram

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3 words to describe you:
interesting, confident, authentic

Describe your sound:
nostalgic, sentimental, timeless

Describe the moment you knew that you wanted to pursue music:
I always had a strong passion for music and singing since I was very young, but it wasn’t until 2020 that I understood it was my path. While watching a Netflix music documentary, I had an unexpected moment of clarity—an intense mix of anxiety, nervousness, excitement, and thrill. I was scared, but I had never felt more certain in my life.

How does your heritage impact your art?
I wouldn't say that my heritage impacts my art a lot, but it definitely influences how I process emotion and tell stories. It taught me subtlety, resilience, and depth, and I translate those qualities into my sound and visuals in a way that feels instinctive rather than intentional.

What moment are you most proud of in your music journey so far?
When i realized my self-esteem and identity have been getting more and more solidified doing music. Even though it doesn't seem like it in the moment, looking back over the past few years doing music, I have experienced, learned, and grown consistently which I am pretty proud of. 

Your next music goal:
Make one crazy sick awesome song/album

If you could collaborate with anyone, who and why?
Maybe don toliver or lil tecca. I feel like our voices would sound pretty nice together. I would also love to work with mustard. A classic is babyface!

Your favourite song/lyrics:
Wouldn't say favorite lyrics, but top of my head: "i love you i know this from the first day i saw you, you tell me you love me and you hate me at the same time" 
(you - CKay)

First of all I just love this song and everything about it so much. But the reason why I chose that part specifically is because I could resonate heavily with it. I think it represents a big part of me when I'm in a romantic relationship. Having intense and contrasting emotions at the same time. I believe that it's almost impossible that humans can feel one emotion solely. Maybe it's just me but I think it's a bit unrealistic.  

3 songs you're listening to right now:
on ur time - natanya
A Flor Do Querer - Ed Motta
nxwhere - jenevieve 
 
Your community shout out:
SFC.JGR/zz_opp (@jaguarshit). He's a Korean artist based in Korea. Makes sick music, one of the very few people in the industry I look up to and learn from. I think musically he's someone I resonated the most with and learned the most from in Korea which I'm very very grateful for. He taught me a lot especially in the early years of my music career, and i feel like a small but meaningful part of where I am today is because of him so shout out to himmm.

Anything else you'd like to share:
Fun fact/tmi i am going to tokyo with my college bestie (reunion ahh) then LA for work this month back to back. I am soo excited to see my friends and make new music :D #timetolockin