yuniVERSE

Singer and producer yuniVERSE is making a name for herself in the music industry and with fans around the globe. This Australian-based talent has created two atmospheric tracks for 2025 with “back2me” and “in2Oceans.” This work followed memorable dance songs such as “Endless” and “Wasted” to send her sonically down new paths. The road has led to a national tour with Canadian pop band Purity Ring.

Queer fans can feel good about her concert as one dollar from each ticket sold supports The Black Trans Prayer Book, a collection of work from Black trans and non-binary people.

Yuni talked backstage at Metro in Chicago after soundcheck in an exclusive interview to give a glimpse into her world.

JN: (Jerry Nunn) Start off with your background.

Y: (yuniVERSE) I was born in Australia, but I am half Balinese. I describe myself as Indonesian because I lived there. When I was six months old, I moved to Bali and I was there for a few years. I forgot English, so I had to learn it while growing up in Australia.

JN: Did you always want to be in the music business?

Y: From an early age, I wanted to be a singer. I was obsessed with the Janet Jackson “Control” music video and I tried to recreate the same dance moves.

I tried working with beauty products and cosmetic tattooing, even though I wanted to be a singer. Corin Roddick from Purity Ring has been instrumental in teaching me how to produce.

JN: How long have you been producing music?

Y: It is recent and in the last two years. The first songs I had a lot of help with and I was just pushing buttons, but it became a necessity once I started writing songs faster than the tracks could be produced for me.

JN: Is the lesson to just try something new and learn as you go?

Y: Yes, especially when I have been derailed by criticism. I was told to go to college and pick something else as a career. I said, “I can’t go to university, my name is yuniVERSITY!”

My mom is a supporter of the arts, but she looked at singing as a hobby. I ran a business and still have it in Australia, but I wanted to go for it. I would have regrets if I didn’t try to have a singing career.

JN: People can hold us back sometimes…

Y: Yes, sometimes people can’t see it for themselves, so they can’t see it in others. I have learned that it’s not a reflection of my capabilities but a projection of them.

I have surrounded myself with key people who have the same mentality that I do, like my friend Lloyd Galbraith, who shot my music videos for me.

JN: What is your most recent single?

Y: It’s called “back2me” and it’s for my current project. It’s for the five-year-old me who wanted to be like Janet Jackson and dance. I wanted to honor her because that’s why I am here.

JN: Is there an Australian singer that you were influenced by?

Y: Betty Who.

JN: She’s a good one and openly queer. Are there just two new singles out?

Y: There are just the two songs out so far from my 1980s and 1990s-influenced project. I will have a full album coming out next year.

JN: This tour is your warmup for that.

Y: This has been so much fun and I feel very blessed. Purity Ring fans are so kind and very welcoming. We are not even halfway through the tour and I am ready for more.

JN: Where are you off to next?

Y: We are going to Columbus, Ohio.

JN: What is the queer scene in Australia like?

Y: I am from the Gold Coast in Australia and I think they need to crank up the drag scene. Sydney and Melbourne have a big scene.

JN: Do you identify as straight?

Y: To be honest, I haven’t thought about it. I appreciate beauty in women more than men and haven’t had a female partner so far, but I don’t rule anything out. I don’t care to define what I am, but I am a human being who doesn’t hide anything.

JN: I appreciate your honesty. How do you describe yourself as an artist?

Y: My music is electronic and heavily influenced by R&B. I also like hyperpop and I am just borrowing from everyone everywhere. Again, I am fluid with this as well.

I love to perform, so I throw it all on the stage. Someone told me last night that they noticed my talking is very different from my singing voice. They described it as two different people and I explained that I am a real person when I am not onstage.

JN: Lady Gaga puts on a persona when she is performing as well.

Y: I think I am all versions at all times. When I am with my friends, my love of musical theater comes out and I will sometimes break into song.

JN: What is your favorite musical?

Y: I love Little Shop of Horrors and like to sing “Skid Row (Downtown).” I also enjoy Grease and was almost a “Beauty School Dropout.” If everything in life could be a musical, I think it should be.