Emily Yacina is obsessed with how we talk about grief and death. It’s why the Long Beach-based singer-songwriter chose to hyperfocus on those heavier topics on her new album Veilfall.
Yacina, who has been primarily self-releasing her music for over a decade, spoke with LAist’s Antonia Cereijido on her decision to stay independent and why she took a more vulnerable approach on her new album.
How TikTok gave Yacina’s music a second life — and a path to musical independence
When Yacina was a freshman at Haverford High School in 2011, she and another student musician named Alex G created a song called “Treehouse.” The song’s premise is simple. It’s about a lonely person not wanting another person to leave their treehouse.
A decade later, the song blew up on TikTok. The song’s lo-fi production, hypnotizing synth and moody lyrics captured a Gen Z audience that resonated with the song’s nostalgic feel. Now, the song has amassed over 410 million streams on Spotify alone…