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Maya Yenn’s haunting debut single, ‘tiptoe’ is an ode to Zillenial anxiety
April 2021 has seen the release of brand new alt-pop artist, Maya Yenn’s debut single, tiptoe; a self-produced anthem to a brand of anxiety unique to Millenials and Gen Z.
The release of tiptoe comes after the independent artist’s first TikTok videos went semi-viral on TikTok over Halloween 2020. In the initial video, Yenn records “spooky” sounds in and around her parents’ home in Staffordshire where she has been living during the pandemic; in her second video titled, “A beat but make it spooky” Yenn uses the samples to create a haunting beat that would later become ‘tiptoe’. Twigs snapping, a candle being blown out, a pumpkin landing on a table, and a stick dragged across railings all made up the irresistible tapestry that captivated TikTok users, amassing 500,000 views overall. TikTok users keen to hear more encouraged Yenn to add lyrics to the beat. She obliged and a further 55,000 views and 15,000 likes later, TikTok users commented in their droves once again this time begging for the full song. Yenn later explained:
“I never would have added lyrics to it if it wasn’t for TikTok, let alone a whole song and it’s turned out to be one of my favourite song I’ve written.”
Dark, foreboding and somehow still playful, ‘tiptoe’ is written from the perspective of anxiety itself. The song’s lyrics imagine a surreal place where the listener finds themselves playing a high-stakes game of hide and seek with the personification of all their fears and anxieties encapsulating the kind of self-conscious anguish that is all too familiar to Millennials and Gen Z.
“In the bridge of tiptoe the anxiety character says, ‘You’re out of time, your neck is on the line’ but they’re actually just playing a game of hide and seek, the threat isn’t real. They’ve raised the stakes so astronomically, if you take a step back it’s absurd. And that’s what anxiety can do to you.”
The artist spoke about her own struggle with anxiety and wanting to encapsulate generational anxiety in tiptoe:
“It’s definitely a bi-product of growing up in a culture of forced positivity and hustle culture. The idea that, ‘you can achieve your dreams, it’s all down to you!’ is really toxic because it discounts how difficult it actually is for the majority of people and people just burn out as a result of not being able to keep up with this impossible standard.”
Completely self-produced in her childhood home, Yenn’s single is reminiscent of a lullaby, but the track continually dredges up a feeling of unease with each screeching turn. Yenn’s sound design is littered with strange sounds; a near-constant ticking clock, batwing-like fluttering that you almost have to duck for, and intimate whispered vocals along with all the original samples from the first rendition on TikTok.
According to Yenn, much of the production from the original TikTok post has remained the same:
“The original samples I recorded on my phone for TikTok are in the final song! I tried getting higher quality recordings of the same sounds but I just felt like it lost too much of its personality. I guess the track is kind of crunchier as a result, but I really like it that way.”
tiptoe is available now for stream/download on all platforms, listen now.
For immediate release