Start Listening To: Naya Yeira

The London-based artist discusses angel numbers and the surreal city-in-the-sky world behind her latest single, twenty9.

Indonesian-born, London-based artist Naya Yeira has never been interested in staying in one lane. Blending alt-R&B with digital artwork and experimental electronic textures, her latest single twenty9 marks the beginning of a bold new creative chapter. Built around the search for closure and the manifestation of new beginnings, the track transforms personal frustration into something hopeful and optimistic. Ahead of the release, I caught up with Naya to discuss angel numbers, creative independence, Indonesian and London influences, and the surreal universe that she's building around twenty9.

You've described twenty9 as the beginning of a new chapter. What felt different about making this song compared to Hopefully or Wicked Games?

What felt different about writing this song was that I sonically knew exactly what I wanted. It was a much less collaborative process, just me and the producer, with no other writers involved. The song came from this burst of emotion that completely overtook me, and it felt like I was finally saying everything I needed to say in that moment. There were people in my life I wanted to confront, and writing a song felt like the best way to do it. I was also trying to manifest new beginnings — new friendships, new relationships, and a fresh start.

The title twenty9 is pretty unusual. What does that number mean to you?

For me, twenty9 is an angel number about manifesting new beginnings and trusting in Divine Timing. It means a current phase is ending, and what follows is better. And 99 takes that further: an important phase, relationship, or situation is concluding right now. It's about closing everything out completely.

Was there a specific lyric or moment in the song where you felt you'd finally articulated what you were trying to say?

I think the first verse paints a pretty good picture: "imma put ur life in the shredder / watching it burn got me feeling better / writing dear John as the header / saying fuck off all through this letter / sign it 29." I wanted this person out of my life and I used angel numbers to manifest that new beginning.

Were there any artists whose approach to storytelling you found yourself returning to while making twenty9?

I've been listening to a lot of Oklou. I love how experimental she is electronically, but also how she balances that with beautiful vocals. Destin Conrad for his musicality and songwriting, and definitely Sailorr for her songwriting too. I love how candid, and sometimes even funny, her writing is. Ariana Grande has really influenced me, specifically her vocal placement and her relationship with instrumentals.

There's something slightly hypnotic about the production. Were you consciously trying to create a feeling of being trapped in a loop?

Yes, I was consciously trying to create the feeling of being stuck in a loop, with numbers repeating and a bit of a fever dream quality to it. I also wanted it to have something slightly jazzy to it.

You work across music, visual design and digital art. Do you see all of those as separate creative outlets, or do they all inform the same overall artistic practice?

They're all different media I use as tools to create one overall thing. I'm just an artist with a selection of tools in my toolkit that I happen to use all by myself. For this release, I've decided to do something I've never done before, which is make a web series so I can bring everything together: Blender 3D, projector art, and music. I want to create a story that shows people what the song is about and immerses them in both the song and the world around it.

Growing up around film through your father's work, do you think visually before you think musically, or does the imagery come afterwards? And if someone could step inside the world of twenty9 visually, what would they see around them?

That's actually exactly what I'm building right now with the digital world that people can step into. For twenty9, the world is a surreal city in the sky with clocks everywhere. Everything loops. It looks like reality, but it's distorted, like being suspended between two places. For this project, I was really inspired by the art style in The Nightmare Before Christmas. I love how eerie and playful it is at the same time. A lot of 80s film snippets I've found online have been finding their way in too.

You moved from Jakarta to London to pursue music full-time. How much of your artistic identity was actually formed in Jakarta, vs how much was actually discovered once you moved here?

I think most of my artistic self was formed in London, in terms of songwriting and sound, and I think you develop most as an adult wherever you grow up. But Jakarta will always be in me. My references and background come from there, and I notice a lot of my melodies are influenced by traditional music from home in ways I don't always plan. I think Indonesian influence shows up a lot in the instrumental, but not in an obvious way. It influences the rhythms I gravitate towards, and sometimes I sample it. I'd love to one day make a song in both languages.

Is there a particular milestone you're working towards at the moment?

I'd love to build a more solid relationship with my fanbase, to have people really connect with my music and stand behind it. I can feel it getting there. Beyond that, I'd love to make a web series for the whole EP: a full DIY visual story for every song. It would make me feel creatively alive, and honestly, it's the kind of challenge I've never given myself before.