We were lucky to catch up with Yel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yel, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Well I grew up doing music at a young age. My father was a musician so me and my siblings were always surrounded by music so I fell in love with it instantly. Although music was a strong passion of mine I was also a basketball player. So growing up my first priority was to play ball and make it to college. Even though my father was a musician I never saw people from my city make a successful career in music so the idea was foreign to me. Through out my life music always stuck around and once I got in h college it became something I was always doing at that point. Whether it was writing lyrics to a beat, or freestylein with the homies I was always working on the craft and talking about how it could be possible to do it full time and succeed. Once I got to college I started to feel like I was continuing this lifestyle as a ball player to please my family and people around me. I always loved sports but was this something I wanted to do for the rest of my life? My following year of college my mother ended up passing away. With all of this going on all I could think of was why I didn’t tell her the truth, why didn’t I let her know before she passed that I felt like I was destined to do this music and that it became more then just a hobby for me? I couldn’t live with the thought of looking at the end of my life and wishing I would of followed my heart/passion. So at that moment I made the decision. The decision to pursue music full time and to put all the heartbreak and pain towards that hustle. Once I decided I wouldn’t go back to college I moved to Los Angeles and started grinding ever since.

Yel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started pursuing my career as a music artist in 2015. I am a music artist/ songwriter/ model/ actress. Once I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my music career I also began freelancing and modeling which I felt go hand and hand with who I am as an artist. I feel what sets me apart is the passion that comes for what I do, also my sound. My father growing up would always tell us to “find our voice” when we began rapping at a young age. I didn’t truly understand what he meant until I got older. But now that statement truly means to know who you are, love who you are and to be proud of who you are. That’s what I live by as an artist. To live and be unapologetically yourself is something I stand for as artist. I am most proud of the relentlessness I’ve been able to carry throughout my career. Life is never easy and growth often times comes from the most challenging moments. And the fact that I’ve been able to continue to put my all into my craft no matter my circumstances is something I’m most proud of.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Losing my mother in 2015 is what made me take the biggest leap of faith in my life which was to drop out of college and pursue my music career. While living and grinding in the industry of La I lost my father a few years later. For a while I didn’t understand why things were happening the way they were in my life but during that same breaking point I realized music is one of the last things that held me close to my parents. So in the mist of feeling like my life no longer made since to me I began to put the pain of loss and heartbreak into my music. Later on in 2020 I released my debut EP “The Life I Live”. At that point the love and support I got from my fans and listeners made the journey I was on all worth it. And gave me the love and support I need to get back on my feet and continue to hustle.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My biggest goal as an artist is to let my fans know that they’re not alone. There’s someone else out there in the world struggling to make life make since. The artist I grew up listening to inspired me to dream and embrace who I am and not who other people want me to be, and I want to continue to do that for my fans In my music as well.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @yupitsyel
• Facebook: @yupitsyel
• Twitter: @yupitsyel
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@yupitsyel
• Other: TikTok: @yupitsyel

Image Credits
Red Photo- @defcampusphotpgraphy Purple Photos-@Rionoir Black&white photos-@jnunnsparks