CITIZEN OF THE UNIVERSE
Paris, November 2024
Complexity is at the core of HEN YANNI’s identity.
Hen Yanni, singer and resident DJ at Paris’ Silencio club, reflects on the deeply personal journey behind her debut album Version of You. Written over the years, the record captures various chapters of her life, exploring themes of grief, loss and acceptance. Drawing inspiration from her childhood spent immersed in the music of ‘90s icons, Yanni has crafted a sound that blends soulful grooves with a modern, new-wave twist.
Though she only fully committed to her music career in her thirties, Yanni has since dedicated herself to honing her craft and collaborating with other artists. Dividing her time between Paris and Barbizon, an artist residency in Fontainebleau where she spent the lockdown, Yanni’s surroundings have deeply influenced her creative process. In this vibrant, microcosmic community of artists, she found inspiration, shared ideas, and nurtured her lyrics.
On a cold autumn evening, over a plate of cheese and some hot tea, we sat down with her to discuss the album, whose melancholic yet uplifting lyrics resonate deeply with anyone who has experienced the complexities of life, love and loss.
Left Jacket Nanushka, skirt Ferragamo, shoes Miu Miu
Right Body Wolford, boots vintage Versace, earring Cult Gaia
Music is intrinsically linked to different stages of life: youth, coming of age, etc. What did you grow up listening to?
Me and my brother, in the early ‘90s, used to listen to Michael Jackson, Prince, George Michael, Sinead O'Connor and a lot of different bands. Later, I got introduced to Björk, Thome Yorke, and Depeche Mode. I also loved the classics like Nina Simone. I have been passionate about music since I was a kid.
What made you get into modelling and acting first before choosing music?
I wanted to travel the world and get out of Israel. I'm from Haifa, a small town, kind of a suburb. So for me, it was like I needed to discover, I needed to get out. I needed to get out of the culture, get out of what I knew. So I did it through modelling, and music just tied into that, as I spent a lot of time alone. I was playing my guitar and I was really connected to it, but back then I didn’t see it as a career. It was just a passion. Somehow after that, I got into acting and I went to theatre school. I wanted to explore myself psychologically. So I did some theatre and cinema, but music was always there.
Full look and shoes Miu Miu
You mentioned leaving your home country at a young age. How did that decision influence your life and music?
I left home when I was really young, came back and then left home again five years ago. I'm so grateful that I managed to leave, and that I was privileged to travel, but it was not easy. I was young and modelling, and I was not making money yet. I discovered big cities and different cultures. I questioned a lot of things that I grew up around. It really opened my mind. I always felt like a citizen of the universe, always had this strange feeling that I didn’t belong to just one place. And as an artist, I felt like my voice should speak to the world.
Left Body Wolford, boots vintage Versace, earring Cult Gaia
Right Jacket Nanushka, skirt Ferragamo, shoes Miu Miu
You released your first album Version of You this year – how did you decide that now was the right time to release this body of work?
For me, it just needed to happen. There was an inner voice that followed me for so many years. I didn't start music really young, I became an artist after experiencing life, so I felt like I had stuff to say, you know? I did write when I was younger, but I feel like today it has way more meaning. I could really express how I felt about humanity, relationships and the complexity of feeling like a foreigner. Questions about identity and what we all experience in the world: life, death, love…
Knit top Acne Studios, panty stylist’s own, boots Untitlab
The cover of the album is really cool! How did you choose the image and the title of the record?
The cover is by Katerina Jebb, she's an amazing artist. She scans objects and she does portraits. I was dreaming of working with her. One day, I just asked her if we could collaborate, she loved my album and we had this connection. And then it took me so long to figure out the title. Then, I sat with a friend of mine, she's a musician, Yael Naim. And we just passed around song names from the album, and when I told her about Version of You, it hit me. The album is like different chapters and pieces of me. I realized that I'm the new version of myself and this is the album: versions of me. It's connected to me, to my mother, but also to anyone [listening].
Left Leather body Acne Studios, tights Wolford, shoes stylist’s own
Right Jacket Didu
Do you have a favourite track?
It's called Beautiful Friends. It's just a keyboard and me. I'm talking about leaving my source and making a new life, leaving all my baggage, questioning my identity. When you reinvent yourself again, it takes so much time to let go of other layers of who you were in the past. The song is about that – I'm leaving my past and getting new beautiful friends.
Left Full look Balenciaga
Right Full look Didu
Which song expresses freedom the most?
I am. It’s really connected to my times in New York, questioning who I am. If I'm a boy, if I'm a girl. I arrived there when I was 18 and it was like 2000 or 2001. I felt so much freedom to be in a city, feeling like everything was possible. At that age, I wanted to live and explore life, and I experienced everything with drugs, I discovered my sexuality there. I somehow could have the freedom to do it there and not in my country. I think in all the songs I'm dealing with exploring believing in myself and knowing it's possible. Because this is the main thing, we are really fighting with our minds and the struggle of really getting to do what we want or be what we want. My songs become my therapy as well.
Left Full look Miu Miu
Right Full look Didu
What wounds did this album help you heal?
The biggest one is the death of my mom. Really, like, the synchronicity of her passing and how this was really her dream. And I always knew that I had to release my first album before I turned 40. Everything started to actually be okay, like it was happening and it really healed me, to know that I have music. And then of course relationships… I had a big relationship so I wrote about it a lot, and the process of how we are in a relationship, and how it is the best lesson, the best reflection about yourself, and we grow so much with relationships.
Full looks Acne Studios
Do you maybe have anything that you would do differently for the next album?
I think this one was so intimate and drew a whole chapter of my life, and I would like to go somewhere new. I don't know, surprise myself, maybe be a bit more electronic. I already have a bit in the album because the last tracks that I wrote were a bit more dancey. But I want to break up the structure, maybe go a bit less [traditional] with lyrics and verses. I feel I could be a bit more free, even with the way I sing and the expression, I want to explore different stuff.
Left Earring vintage Alexander McQueen
Right Tank top Dries van Noten, pants and belt Didu, shoes stylist’s own
What is the last album that you listened to on repeat?
I'm listening to Sega Bodega. We just recently met and I think he's very talented. But my current album on repeat has been by Beach House, and for many years. I love her dream pop singing, she's very special. I listen to a lot of ‘90s songs that I used to love when I was younger, discovering new stuff and finding new inspiration.
Full look MM6
Left Leather body Acne Studios, tights Wolford, shoes stylist’s own
Right Full look Balenciaga
Interview by Gabrielle Valda Colas
Photography by Hanna Pallot
Fashion by Christiane Graf
Hair by Clément Billon
Make-Up by Axelle Jérina
Stylist’s assistant Alessandro Ferrari
Make-Up assistant Vénus