More Than Just The Sound: Yelpy

Born in Dublin city, Ireland Yelpy moved to Los Angeles to pursue a solo career as a singer/songwriter. Debuting in 2014 with “Feel It” Yelpy set himself apart from most artist out there. His unique vocals, raw emotion, perfect execution and soulful lyrics force you to stop for a moment and just feel it.

After falling in love with the sound I realized I knew very little about the artist. Yelpy was raised in a very musical household. He began playing guitar at the age of 14 and had a genuine love for the craft or music. This lead me to want to get to know the man behind the emotional lyrics, amazing voice and Dublin upbringing. As he is more than just the sound, he is Yelpy.

DiamondKesawn: What current projects are you working on?

Yelpy: Currently I’m working on finishing my 3 track EP and shooting videos for each song. The first track “Feel It” has already been released and the video for this track is one of pure feeling. The video for the second track, which is directed by the award winning director Jonathan Martin and features set & costume designs by Clark Schaffer (who worked on Iron Man, Star Trek, Batman to name but a few), is currently in post-production and was shot in Utah. The third video, which we hope to shoot in Ireland in a Game Of Thrones style setting is currently in pre-production.

DiamondKesawn: What inspired you to be in the Entertainment Industry?

Yelpy: When I was 14 my dad, for some unknown reason bought me a guitar. I hadn’t given music much thought before that moment. But after the purchase of that first guitar I was hooked. I played guitar morning noon and night and within a year I had started my very first 80s metal band. Growing up I primarily loved rock and was in a number of rock bands but as I grew so too did my musical pallet. Now I love pretty much all kinds of music.

DiamondKesawn:  What was your first taste of Industry Life?

Yelpy: My first real taste of the industry at its craziest was with my former band (back in Ireland) Whover (pronounced Hoover). We had a song on Ireland’s biggest radio station which was awarded “song of the week” and was being continuously played on the radio. I remember it was a crazy time, we were gigging a lot. But what really stood out to me, and what is now a defining moment in my life was one day we were playing this gig in Whelan’s of Wexford street (in Dublin, Ireland) and before going on stage I ran across the road to the shop/store to grab some munchies. I stood in line to pay and then my song started playing on the radio. It was the first time I really heard the song on the radio properly in a neutral setting. I started to go red, and had an overwhelming joy come over me. I got to the counter to pay for my purchase and the girl behind the counter was smiling, tapping along to my song and singing all the words. I couldn’t stop smiling, and had the biggest, reddest face. This girl had no idea I was the guy who wrote the song she was singing, who’s voice is coming from the radio and to top it off she was confused as to why I had such a strange expression on my face. She must have thought I was mad.

Lol… I love this. It’s funny how when you least expect it the simplest moment can become a life defining moment.

DiamondKesawn: They say you can tell a lot about a person by the answer to the next question.  What is your favorite color?

Yelpy: ha Blue (sky blue… I love the sky)

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect.

DiamondKesawn: Who are some of your inspirations?

Yelpy: Sting, Damien Rice, Muse, David Grey, Coldplay, Glen Hansard, Hosier, Kodaline, and many more Irish artists…

DiamondKesawn: If you could collab with one person for the ultimate project, who would it be and why?

Yelpy: Sting, every since hearing Roxanne for the first time I just think Sting can make unconventional songwriting into really popular, single style music. He can write songs that are off beats, in weird while still making them catchy and radio friendly. He’s a genius!

DiamondKesawn: Who is in your CD Player right now?

Yelpy: I like to listen to a good mix of world music and find myself tuning in to LluviaFM.com quite a bit. And Of course I like to keep up to date with the newest acts coming out of Ireland.

DiamondKesawn: What is one thing you do when you are alone that the fans would never guess?

Yelpy: ha ok, I’m a total closet nerd, I looooove video games (or computer games as we say back in Ireland). I can’t get enough. I have the Xbox One & PS4 and am currently playing Metal Gear Solid 5, Evolve, GTA5.

DiamondKesawn:  What is one thing you want the reader base to take away from your body(s) of work?

Yelpy: To feel something. I just wanna to invoke emotion. I want them to listen to a song of mine and just feel it (pardon the pun), feel the ups and downs and the bits in between. Find their own meaning and attach that to my songs and maybe in a few years time when they listen back to a song of mine in invokes that same emotion or the way they were feeling. Kinda like how I feel when I listen to a song (for example Coldplay’s Yellow) and reminds me of that exact same emotion I felt when I first heard it and almost teleports my mind back to that time.

DiamondKesawn:  Could you see yourself doing any other occupation?

Yelpy:  No. Musician for life, it’s in my blood, it’s not even a choice, it’s a state of being.

DiamondKesawn:  What is the biggest misconception people think about you before they get to know you?

Yelpy: People seem to think I lead this crazy life of partying. I don’t. In fact I don’t even drink. No, I’d rather sit on the beach in Malibu at night and play guitar while looking out at the waves. Or watch a good movie with a friend etc…

I’m not surprised by this one. With lyrics such as “Feel It” I can definitely see Yelpy being a chill out type of guy. Ha! I win. LoL.

DiamondKesawn:  To the aspiring talent who will read this interview, what are your words of encouragement for them?

Yelpy: If you truly love music and writing & performing it then do it! Don’t make any excuses, don’t let people talk you out of it. It doesn’t matter if you’re great, good, bad, ok, any of that… all that matters is that it makes you happy. Just keep doing it. Life will work itself out as long as you’re honest about what you’re doing and your love for music.

DiamondKesawn:  Behind EVERY Great Artist is a Great Team. Any Shout-Outs?

Yelpy: My manager Ieva Georges, I couldn’t do any of this without her. If it wasn’t for her I’d be playing guitar & writing songs alone in my bedroom and no one would hear them but me. My award winning producer Jonathan Smith (aka TheRealJonSmith), he’s a genius and working with him has been an absolute delight. Also my mom, dad, sisters and brother… who always support me and I miss dearly (they’re all back in Ireland).

It never ceases to amaze me how when you take the time to get to know an artist you find out that sometime their music can tell you a lot about who they are. Like the depth in his lyrics, Yelpy forces you to stop for a moment and take in all that he offers. Not only is his sound unique but so the person behind the sound.

Make sure to keep up with Yelpy at: www.yelpy.net, on Twitter @Yelpy, Instagram, @Yelpy & Facebook @Yelpy