MASKING HIS VULNERABILITY ISN’T AN OPTION FOR YAVIN
Like many people, Yavin decided to take control of his life instead of waiting for opportunities to present themself to him and the world has been made better by it. From starting his comedy career in Boston to taking his talents to LA and becoming a musician, there isn’t much Yavin can’t do. We got the chance to learn all about how he has gained over 4 million views across his social platforms, being an LGBTQ+ advocate and much more!
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
How did you get your start in the industry? Tell us your story.
I loosely started music back in college in 2016, mostly just as a hobby, but when I had to drop out of school due to no longer being able to afford it, it pretty quickly became a full-time pursuit. I actually started off doing a lot of performance art to audiences of 5 drunk people in Boston dive bars which I’m sure you can imagine went over incredibly well. After realizing I had to switch up my approach, I started to move my shows to more queer spaces and night clubs.
It was then that things started to heat up a bit more for me. I started performing in a lot of drag shows, not in drag myself, but with a lot of comedic and almost drag-style elements in my performances which helped get me booked at more events. Fast forward to 2022 and I was performing more traditional live shows, I was now headlining my own live shows, opening up for touring acts, taking part in Boston’s biggest pride events, and even nabbed a few Boston (as well as New England-based) award nominations for my work in the Boston pop music scene.
What are some of your fondest memories growing up in Boston?
Boston winters are pretty undefeated – and I say that as someone who absolutely hates the cold. So a lot of my favorite memories growing up are of going ice skating with my family at Frog Pond, seeing how beautiful the city is when it’s covered in a blanket of snow, huddling up with friends while waiting in line for shows at the House of Blues – the east coast winters are rough but they’re a lot of fun.
When did you decide to move to LA and how has it been living there so far?
I moved to LA with my husband Kaio back in January 2023. He’s a photographer, he did the photos for this shoot, and I think that at the time both of us just kind of knew that it was time. I had achieved almost everything that I had wanted to in Boston, and I ultimately was fine with leaving the biggest things on the Boston bucket list to achieve later on down the road.
That was a really difficult decision to make, I certainly didn’t leave because I didn’t love it, but it’s really worked out for the best I think. We’re both really happy and this move has forced me to really challenge myself in ways that I’m not used to. But Boston is still home, it’ll always be there, and I look forward to going back there soon.
What happened in your life that made you realize you had to either adapt or lose yourself?
Prior to moving to LA, I felt like I knew myself really well and didn’t picture myself being the type to get “swallowed up by the city” like a lot of people say, and yet during those first 6 months I was honestly pretty miserable. I didn’t enjoy music the same way, I was just going through the motions as an online artist, and I really missed my career back in Boston because who I knew myself as an artist to be was based around how I built Yavin with the people back home.
So I was forced to re-think & figure out who I wanted to be as an artist on my own accord. I started to experiment, and sure enough music felt fun again. And thank god for that because I truly do believe that had I not dug my feet in & pushed myself to adapt then yeah, I would’ve lost myself and completely given up.
What are some of your fave places to go in LA for good food, drinks and music?
Food-wise we really are so spoiled for choices here. Downtown really has some awesome spots, Grand Central Market is an obvious hub, but I have to shout out Massis Kabob in Glendale. I probably go there like 3 times a month because they never let me down.
I’ll be honest I don’t typically go out for drinks all that frequently, I’m more of a glass of wine at home kind of guy, but I love a good trivia night at Hi Tops in WeHo or Los Feliz. And for music, I love The Peppermint Club, but some of my favorite shows in the city have been the small ones for the indie artists out here performing like their lives depend on it. There’s always a magic to that. Shout out to the company Makeout Music for always putting together great shows.
Having over 4 million views on TikTok, if you were to give advice to any content creators on how to build their community, what would be your top 3 tips?
I honestly think that social media is something that a lot of people tend to overthink. People having BS detectors is not BS; people like what they can connect to and if they see that you believe in what you’re doing, they’ll believe in it too.
So it sounds excruciatingly cliché, but just be yourself. Do your best to approach things through the lens of how you would approach it rather than how everyone else is, and seriously just have a good time with it. It’s TikTok, Twitter & Instagram for God’s sake. Have fun, whatever that may look like for you, and let people have fun with you.
Let’s talk about your new song “…Right?”, what was the inspiration for this single and the process of creating it?
“…Right?” was inspired by that wonderful crisis I was going through post-move to LA. I didn’t feel connected to my music at all, I didn’t know who I was supposed to be artistically, and I was watching all of these artists online who either had their shit together or were clearly pretending to. And I just wanted to feel as secure as they appeared to be.
So ironically, this song about me feeling unsure of who to be was the song where I did the most sonic experimentation I had ever done. It’s dark, it’s intense, it’s lyrically heavy, but what I appreciate most about it is that through it all I can still hear me in it. It still feels like a Yavin song no matter how different it may sound.
How does being a part of the LGBTQ+ community reflect in your creativity?
I think overall as a queer artist you can see it in my unabashed vulnerability. I think queer people inherently wear a lot of their experiences on their sleeves because the very act of coming out for many is the ultimate act of vulnerability, especially for those who live in unsafe conditions. So I don’t really feel like masking my vulnerability is an option for me, because anything different would just feel unnatural.
What are a few things you’d like to accomplish in 2025?
In 2025 I’m just focused on community building & putting out as much music as possible so I can really build the world & lore of this newly refined version of Yavin. I have so much sitting on the back burner & I can’t wait to hand it all to all of you.
Outside of working, what are some things you like to do just for Yavin?
Outside of Yavin I’m honestly a little boring, but I like that. I read a lot of comic books, I like to go for runs, and watch a lot of TV and films. Visual media is one of my biggest artistic inspirations, I’m always creating from the vantage point of Yavin being his own TV sitcom character and scoring his life in my head. So in that way, I don’t typically go out as much as I used to and I tend to live with my head in the clouds a bit.
What’s a perfect date night for you?
On dates I’m a talker. If it’s a date that’s intended to spark or further a relationship, I don’t usually enjoy dates that don’t involve much talking, like going to the movies. I’ll only do that if there’s dinner or a drink after. That said, I honestly really like the classic nature of hitting a bar then going for a walk around the city afterwards. That probably sounds a little mushy gushy but I think it makes for great quality time.
What do you look for in a partner?
Well luckily I have a wonderful one. My biggest criteria has always been a sense of humor, we have to be able to make each other mutually laugh. We also have to share the same progressive political values, and my friends and family have to like you. Apart from that, I can work with pretty much everything else.
When it comes to fashion, how would you describe your personal style?
I feel like my personal style is developing more and more every day, but in my day-to-day I tend to really like a colorful edginess while still maintaining a sort of boy-next-door feel. My brand has always leaned more into that adorably-twisted, attainable-alternative kind of vibe and I’m having a lot of fun building on that.
Leave Galore readers with one piece of advice.
If I could offer one piece of advice it would be to always chase the joy. Although our circumstances can’t always change very easily, there’s always little joys we can seek out to ensure that we’re making the ride better for ourselves.
And if you’re lucky enough to be able to change your circumstances, don’t fucking hesitate. Don’t think about your comfort. If you’re living your life and just feel like there’s something more out there for you, find it, grab a hold of that sucker, and live your life the way it’s intended to be lived. You’ve got this babe.
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Photographer: Kaio Cesar (@kaiocsr)
