Yaniza is an acoustic pop artist from NYC. She is half Dominican, half Black (Kittitian) and Jewish and often has a huge smile on her face. Yaniza’s tunes bring joy and sunshine to its listeners through catchy lyrics over ukulele or acoustic guitar. The singer-songwriter initially grew her fanbase by posting acoustic covers of pop songs on YouTube, which still garner tens of thousands of views and supporters across platforms. In 2020, Yaniza’s covers gained attention from celebrities and acclaimed music blogs, such as Glamour and PopSugar. Posting covers paved a path for Yaniza’s original songs to shine. Chill ukulele tune, “Fly Away (Free Bird),” produced by Billboard’s #1 producer of 2020, Gian Stone, and mastered by GRAMMY winning engineer, Joe LaPorta, is Yaniza’s most popular song at 150,000 streams and counting. Yaniza went on her first tour in 2019. She played local venues across the US, radio shows, and festivals, such as Musikfest, where Earth, Wind & Fire, The Chainsmokers, Phillip Phillips and many other household names headlined that same year. She signed with college booking agency, Degy Entertainment, in 2020 and is fortunate to perform all over the US. In 2022, Yaniza was contacted to sing for luxury brand, Kate Spade NY, at their Cabana pop-ups around NYC.
With her single, “Paris,” out now, we took some time to hear more from Yaniza. Read below to learn more about Yaniza, the story behind her latest single, and what’s to come.
Hi Yaniza! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Luckily, there was no work on my end! It’s just the name my parents gave me, haha 🙂 I will say though, I used to go by my first and last name, Yaniza Doré, but dropped my last name a few years ago to detach myself from my preschool teacher days. They called me Miss Doré, so I wanted my full-time teaching identity and artist identity to be different. Now that I teach music lessons under my own business, some of the kids call me by my first name though, which is fine!
What city are you from and where are you based now?
Born and raised in NYC and still here! These rent prices are crazier than ever though, so blow up my songs, so I can stay here please! 🙂
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
I always loved music since I was a kid. I loved singing along to TV, my CDs and cassette tapes, haha. Whenever I watched live performances, I was always itching to get on stage myself. I liked putting on shows with my cousins in our homes, and I took a guitar and songwriting elective in high school. That was where the interest really grew. I started watching teens just like me posting covers on YouTube and figured “I could do that!” I decided to pursue it seriously in 2013 when I performed my first solo show at a bar, and released my first EP that I recorded in my bedroom. In 2013, I decided that I would upload a YouTube video every single week. In 2014, I released my first EP recorded in a legit studio. In 2015, I decided that I would also perform live once a month. In 2016, I released my first 10-track album. In 2017, I decided to quit teaching to pursue music full-time, but failed. In 2018, I burnt out and took a break, and came back stronger with a song that’s still my most popular. In 2019, I decided that I would stop doing unpaid gigs. In 2020, I left my full-time teaching job to spend all day doing what I love and haven’t looked back since.
Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?
I think so! I was raised by one logic-oriented parent and one dreamer-oriented parent, so it gave me a really good mix. I grew up listening to Pop music on the radio, and it’s what I still mostly listen to now (just on Spotify rather than on the radio, haha). Apparently, I really loved ballads when I was a toddler, and I definitely love slow songs and coffeehouse style songs. It’s been a challenge figuring out my exact sound because I like so many different styles, so it’s hard for me to focus on a clear sound. I tried a little bit of everything that I loved in my first few compilations, but now, I’m zeroing in on the Acoustic Pop and Singer-Songwriter vibes for my future releases.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
My sound is Acoustic Pop! My songs have catchy Pop melodies, but the majority of them center around organic and acoustic sounds. “Paris” goes in more of the Singer-Songwriter direction, which is a sound I want to explore more these days.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
Yes, so many! Dancing, crafting, and reading are the first that come to mind. I like taking low-pressure dance classes, adult coloring books (and kid coloring books, let’s be real!), scrapbooking, and journaling. I love to read fantasy, mystery, thriller, and the book equivalent of a chick flick, not sure what that genre would be!
Who are some of your main musical influences?
A lot of people say my sound reminds them of Colbie Caillat and early Taylor Swift, which I’m definitely not mad about – I’m a huge Swiftie! Lately, I’ve been loving Jensen McRae, Aisha Badru, Joy Oladokun, and Mega as I write new music.
What are some of your future music career goals?
I really struggle with this honestly! Some days, I want to go on huge tours, win GRAMMYs, and collaborate with big artists. But, other days, I’d like to remain a bit small and know that I can leave my house without security, but still share my music with listeners from all over the world. I guess I can potentially do both. I would love to collaborate with my favorite artists, whether that be a feature on a song or an opener on their tour. I definitely would love to go on my own summer tours annually, and play music festivals and other venues. It’d be cool to travel on a tour bus one day!
Now onto your release, “Paris.” What inspired this song?
“Paris” was inspired by the unpredictability in the pandemic. I started with the first line, “I was supposed to go to Paris, but then life had other plans for me.” Then, I continued to sing about other things that I thought were going to happen and didn’t happen or happened differently than what I expected.
What is “Paris” about in your own words?
It’s about how, even though we have very little control over this ever-changing world, we can still look on the bright side. We can look at the unexpected as surprises, and remember that it’s all going to turn out just fine 🙂
What is your favorite lyric in “Paris” and why?
Oooh I have a few! But, if I have to pick one, I think I’d pick, “sometimes we lose the things we want, sometimes we gain the strength that we really need.” I’ve had to learn time and time again that there is always a bright side to losing the things we want. It might take a while for the bright side to show up, but it’s there! There are lots of other little clever references that I hope listeners pick up on! Or, at least I think they’re clever 🙂
What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from “Paris?”
I just hope my music makes people happy! I do have a few sad songs sprinkled into my discography, but for the most part, my goal is to cheer people up even if it’s just for 2-4 minutes. I hope “Paris” reminds people how important it is to just let things go and move on to all the amazing adventures that are waiting for you. You just need to say goodbye to the past in order to make room for new things.
What’s one of your proudest moments of your music career so far?
I’ve had a lot of great moments, but I’m honestly so proud of my decision to go full-time with music in 2020. I didn’t exactly know what the plan was, but I had just signed with booking agency, Degy Entertainment, and stumbled into teaching music lessons on the side. Little did I know how far I would come with having those things (and others) be my bread and butter while I have the flexibility to make music and live in my own apt in NYC. I have to pinch myself sometimes, and I’m so grateful everyday.
What would you say are the greatest lessons you’ve learned so far?
One, being myself has gotten me way further than trying to be like anyone else. Two, saying no sometimes is crucial to avoid burnout. Three, money will come, but rest and time with loved ones is fleeting. Four, focus on building a dedicated audience before throwing a bunch of music out there. It’s like in relationships – there should be a balance between giving and taking. I don’t need to give the world or social media algorithms so much if I don’t see a return. It’s not selfish, it’s only fair that there’s a give/take balance.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
Next, I’m going to explore this slow song side of me a bit more. I have two songs on deck that I’m super excited about, but I’m saving them until the social media algorithms help me reach more excited listeners. I plan on putting out a lot more cover songs and ukulele play-along videos in hopes of spreading the word about myself as an artist. I have a few shows booked through Degy that are for students only, so if you go to Kutztown University (Oct 18th) or Bates College (Nov 17th), I’ll see you there! Any other shows will be added to my website, yanizamusic.com/tour 🙂 I also have a mini merch collection at yanizamusic.com/store – I plan to turn it into a lyrical sticker shop and turn some of my favorite lyrics into stickers. For now, you can enjoy stickers for just one song (“Fly Away (Free Bird)”) and some cute items for ukulele lovers!
Where can we follow you on social media?
https://www.youtube.com/Yaniza
https://www.tiktok.com/@yaniza.music
https://www.facebook.com/YanizaMusic
https://www.instagram.com/yaniza_music
Before you go, let’s ask you something random. What is your ideal vacation?
I love nature/tropical over cities. I’ve really been craving either a woodsy vacation at a modern Airbnb with a campfire and hot tub out back or a tropical resort steps from the beach with bottomless drinks! Of course, I love any Disney Parks trips or cruises too 🙂 Who’s coming with me?!
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
