Queer singer-songwriter Baby Yors, a dynamic performer and genre-defying soul-pop-rock star who’s on the rise in the music industry and is one of a kind. Born in Argentina with a Spanish, German, Chinese, and French heritage, he has released just three singles and has been able to create a name for himself as an artistically inventive artist. Baby’s determined drive, his taste for the dramatic, and his need for artistic escapism all go back to his adolescence in Jujuy, a place that, for him, is tied to tragic memories of bullying and discrimination. At a young age, Baby started singing in a choir and acting, and with the inspiration of Madonna, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears he began taking dance lessons years later.
“Music has always been the main part of my life, even at the time when I was doing more acting… then it was more like a personal outlet that I had. I write all of my lyrics, so I look at my music as poetry, as a way I have to communicate with the world, and the musical aspect of it allows me to channel more intangible things, things that I might not be able to put into words,” he explained to This Bitch
At the age of 17, Baby moved to the city that never sleeps, New York and sought a career in classical ballet but soon turned his attention to acting. Shortly, after landing acting roles in several TV and film projects – including The CW’s The Carrie Diaries, CBS’s The Good Fight, The Wolf on Wall Street, the Martin Scorsese-produced Revenge of the Green Dragon, and the 2017 Cannes selection, Antofagasta, New York, the androgynous musician shifted his focus back to music exclusively by turning his poetry into songs and honed an appearance steeped in glam-rock romanticism on peroxide blonde hair and patent platforms and adding his voice to a marginalized part of the entertainment industry. Being a Director and drawing inspiration to his music from films, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, David Lynch, Pedro Almodovar, and others!
“I like the sound that matches complete the visual elements. When both mediums become one. I also love Argentinian folklore, soul music, and electronic music.” Baby’s love of film is especially apparent in his latest music video, for “Bad Influence.”
The visual, which he co-produced and co-directed, pays homage to Jean Genet’s 1950 queer classic Un chant d’amour.
Red trench: Yohji Yamamoto | Jacket: Uma Wang | Gloves: Loewe tassel
What is your musical background?
I started singing in the choir when I was 7 still in Argentina and started dancing right after that. Music has always been the main part of my life, even at the time when I was doing more acting… then it was more like a personal outlet than I had. I write all of my lyrics, so I look at my music as poetry, as a way I have to communicate with the world, and the musical aspect of it allows me to channel more intangible things, things that I might not be able to put into words.
How would you describe your sound?
People say it’s Rock-soul-pop. I keep experimenting and I feel like I have absolutely no boundaries. I think that my words and voice are what link the music sometimes. I’ve been experimenting with Latin rhythms, very cinematic sounds, and some songwriting Spanish too, which of course comes super natural to me.
What’s your songwriting process like? How does it differ from the co-writing process?
Usually, I write the songs fully and then I bring them to a session with another musician and we work specifically on the arrangements. Sometimes those arrangements make me come up with a new section of the song. When it comes to lyrics, I haven’t found anyone I feel comfortable writing them with. And I probably never will, because it’s a deeply personal thing. Sometimes a collaborator will come up with an initial phrase or idea, but it takes me a long time to process it and make it mine to finish writing the song. However, there’s nothing better than creating with other musicians and letting them inspire you at the moment and vice-versa. I love doing that and I usually have a notebook with me where I have lots of poetry and essays to feed me lyrics when I am finding melodies.
Jacket: Local pervert jacket | Vest: Haider Ackermann | Pants: Yang Li
What else do you do in your downtime besides music?
I dance as much as I can. I was a professional dancer at some point and it’s something that will never leave me. I just can’t help it. I also love making movies with my friends and for other artists, I spend some time with fashion too because I enjoy it so much. I feel exactly like when I was a kid dressing up. So I like to find out who the designers are, what they believe, why they make what they make, what materials are the clothes made of and so on. And there’s so much out there
What or who are the biggest inspirations in your music?
Music from films. Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, David Lynch, Pedro Almodovar, and others! I like the sound that matches complete the visual elements. When both mediums become one. I also love Argentinean folklore, soul music, and electronic music.
To date, which of your songs is your favorite? Is there anything in particular that makes it your favorite?
One called “Mother” that will be out in a few months, just because it’s fresh out of the oven and it’s very special. But you know… it’s like picking a favorite child. They are all too close and personal for me to pick.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
I would love to do something with David Lynch. We both do transcendental meditation and I feel like that would give us at least a strong initial conversation.
Jacket: Evan Clayton | Jeans: Loewe | Choker: Ashengrey | Gloves: Yang Li
What are some key components to your creative process?
First and foremost being happy and in an environment where I can sit back and observe. I am a very meditative person and I think that that’s how the best things happen. Technology tries to make that harder for me, but I try even harder to make sure I have silence.
Do you have any new music or projects in store for the new year? Could you indulge us in any information or small hints?
Yes! I have an EP ready to go… just doing some tweaks and will be out in a few months. I shoot a video for it next Monday. It involves lots of naked people and if you ask me about the sound… it’s BIG. Also, there’s a short film I directed some time ago, and as I was making music for it became a musical project. So I have another EP there and I cannot wait for that to see the light! That’s very much in Spanglish with a bit of Latin influence. And a few more things I don’t want to talk about yet.
How did you get discovered? What was the process? How did it make you feel?
That’s an interesting term these days. “Discovered” I get discovered by my audience, every time a new person pays attention. I think I found myself piece by piece as if I had been scattered around a timeline. It happened for a long time and it keeps on happening. I like to think of it like I am the one who needs to discover every person that joins my journey. A manager, an agent, a cameraman, or a sax player.
Jacket: Evan Clayton | Jeans: Loewe | Choker: Ashengrey | Gloves: Yang Li
What hobbies do you have? Any special talents no one knows about?
I am a pretty good tennis player and rock climber. My buddies and I like to go upstate New York and enjoy the wildlife. I also try to cook and bake as much as I can. It gives me more silence time.
Other than music, is there anything else you would like to pursue?
I’ve always been a filmmaker. I started it when I was a child and it never left me. I am also a trained actor and if the project is right, I enjoy trying to become another person. Being an actor is the profession of empathy and I like that. That makes you a better human being. I have done lots of theater in NYC.
Jackets: Comme de garçons | Pants: Alyx | Gloves: Undercover | Bracelet: Monies
Your music has received a significant amount of streams, how does it feel to receive such positive responses for your music?
The chances of people having the same life experiences that I’ve had are very slim, and sometimes it can seem hard to relate to each other. To 6 billion of us on the planet. But that’s the great thing about being a human. We are all a whole lot similar, and these similarities show themselves in the strangest ways. Having said that, I don’t like to look at the numbers, but when someone shares with me how deep something I made affected them, even if it’s one person, that’s when I smile the widest and I want to write more. I know how that feels because I’ve felt the same way with artists that have touched me and I know how important the job of the artist is.
Where does your sense of style come from?
From the crib. I always bought my clothes from the women’s section because the variety was so much bigger. Also, growing up in a small town, there were just a few stores and they all got the same clothes. So everyone had the same damn clothes, and I can’t stand fashion in the sense that I don’t want to be wearing what the brands tell me to wear this season or what everyone else is wearing but to wear whatever Baby wears. Whatever pieces or designers I feel connected to.
What do you want people to know about you as an artist that doesn’t know you?
That I am completely unpredictable
Turtleneck: Balenciaga | Pants: Yang Li | Bags: Balenciaga | Rings: Ashengrey | Myewear: Mykita
