Yvette Young

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Yvette Young

| image = A Portrait of Yvette Young by ZRubinPhoto.jpg

| caption = Young in 2022

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|06|28}}

| birth_place = San Jose, California, U.S.

| years_active = 2009–present

| genre = {{hlist|Math rock|art rock|progressive rock}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|composer}}

| instrument = {{hlist|Guitar|violin|piano|vocals}}

| associated_acts = Covet, Archaeologist, Analogue Dear, Mario Camarena, Scale the Summit, San Holo, Polyphia

}}

Yvette Young (born June 28, 1991) is an American musician from San Jose, California.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-09 |title=Silicon Valley Rockers Covet Unleash a Genre Mash-up |url=https://www.goodtimes.sc/silicon-valley-rockers-covet-unleash-a-genre-mash-up/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Good Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2023-12-15 |title=SXSW 2016 music lineup: Here's the complete list – The Mercury News |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/03/10/sxsw-2016-music-lineup-heres-the-complete-list/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215164838/https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/03/10/sxsw-2016-music-lineup-heres-the-complete-list/ |archive-date=2023-12-15 }} She is the front-woman for the math rock band Covet.{{cite web|last1=Harrington|first1=Jim|title=SXSW Bay Area spotlight: San Jose's Covet delivers magical math rock|date=22 February 2016|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_29547810/sxsw-bay-area-spotlight-san-joses-covet-delivers|work=Mercury News|access-date=19 July 2016}} In 2023, Rolling Stone named Young the 155th greatest guitarist of all time.{{Cite magazine |date=2023-10-13 |title=The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/ |access-date=2025-01-04 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}

History

Young is of Chinese heritage and comes from a musical family: Her father Phil is a singer, accordionist, and composer, and her mother is an organist and accordionist. She began taking piano lessons at the age of four, and violin lessons at the age of seven. She graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Fine Arts{{cite web|last1=Salvatin|first1=Lorisa|title=The Sound of Odd Numbers: Yvette Young|url=http://xpress.sfsu.edu/xpressmagazine/2015/01/30/the-sound-of-odd-numbers-yvette-young/|work=XPRESS Magazine|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=31 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531160323/http://xpress.sfsu.edu/xpressmagazine/2015/01/30/the-sound-of-odd-numbers-yvette-young/|url-status=dead}} and began her career by posting videos of herself playing music in 2009.{{cite web|last1=Carnes|first1=Aaron|title=Guitarist, Yvette Young, Leads Math Rock Band, Covet, With Piano-Like Finger-Tapping|date=17 December 2014 |url=http://activate.metroactive.com/2014/12/guitarist-yvette-young-leads-math-rock-band-covet-with-piano-inspired-finger-tapping-technique/|work=Metro Silicon Valley|access-date=19 July 2016}} In 2014, Young released an EP, Acoustics EP{{Cite web|url=http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/e25e0af7-3116-4e6d-b068-24b8dc0fb6b9|title=Release group "Acoustics EP" by Yvette Young|publisher=MusicBrainz|access-date=2016-08-29}}{{cite web|last1=Glob|first1=Cletus|title=ALBUM REVIEW: YVETTE YOUNG - ACOUSTICS (2014 EP)|url=http://www.theaureview.com/albums/yvette-young-acoustics-2014-ep|work=The AU Review|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=12 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012181535/http://www.theaureview.com/albums/yvette-young-acoustics-2014-ep|url-status=dead}} and further expanded her discography with the release of a split EP with Natalie Evans in 2015.{{cite web|last1=Frosh|first1=Joel|title=LITTLE L RECORDS INTRODUCES NATALIE EVANS|date=2 November 2015|url=http://circuitsweet.co.uk/2015/11/little-l-records-introduces-natalie-evans/|publisher=Circuit Sweet|access-date=19 July 2016}} In June 2017, Young released a second EP Acoustics EP 2.{{Cite web|url=https://yvetteyoung.bandcamp.com/album/acoustics-ep-2|title=Acoustics EP 2, by yvette young|website=yvette young}}

Young used her background in piano to use polyphony on a guitar. She taught herself guitar by ear after being hospitalized for an eating disorder.{{Cite web|url=https://guitar.com/features/interviews/yvette-young-covet-technicolor-why-the-guitar-was-her-saviour/|title="I picked up the guitar when I was really sick in the hospital": Covet's Yvette Young|website=guitar.com|access-date=21 December 2022}} She notes, "I write with my ear, so I’m not really in a box in terms of chord shapes. And I don’t use [traditional] shapes at all, which freaks a lot of people out! I have a million different tunings I work in too so I didn’t really put in the time to learn every shape in every tuning, that would be ridiculous".{{Cite web|last=Laing|first=Rob|title=Yvette Young: "I jokingly call myself a hack because I figure everything out by ear and I don't really have a formula I follow"|url=https://www.musicradar.com/features/yvette-young-i-jokingly-call-myself-a-hack-because-i-figure-everything-out-by-ear-and-i-dont-really-have-a-formula-i-follow|access-date=2021-04-07|website=MusicRadar|date=18 November 2019|language=en}} She uses a technique of singing the part out loud and then replicating it on guitar to decipher the parts of the songs she writes.

Young also creates unique illustration and art pieces, including work on some of her own guitars.{{Cite web|url=https://yvetteyoung.wordpress.com/|title=Artwork of Yvette Young|website=Artwork of Yvette Young|language=en-US|access-date=29 August 2016}} One of her paintings serves as the cover for her band's album Technicolor, released in June 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/yveyoung/photos/a.696045563782266/2924258924294241/?type=3&theater|title=Yvette Young Official Facebook Page|website=Facebook|language=en-US|access-date=5 June 2020}} She has also painted Willow Smith's guitar.{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/yvette-young-designed-the-eye-popping-artwork-for-willow-smiths-out-of-this-world-st-vincent-signature-model|title=Yvette Young designed the eye-popping artwork for Willow Smith's out-of-this-world St. Vincent signature model|website=guitarworld.com|date=29 April 2021 |language=en-US|access-date=21 December 2022}}

Young has begun to teach a master course on guitar and finds that her style resonates with many of her students.{{Cite web|title=Yvette Young {{!}} Guitar Lessons & Master Course|url=https://jamplay.com/guitar-lessons/yvette-young|access-date=2021-04-07|website=JamPlay.com|language=en}} Before this she was mainly an art teacher, but by teaching while on tour she has become a music teacher.

Young was featured in a Super Bowl LV Commercial in February 2021 for Logitech.{{cite AV media| url-status = live| archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211210/UpCIEY9xgTY| archive-date = 2021-12-10| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpCIEY9xgTY| title = Logitech x Yvette Young (Extended) | via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} She is also featured on their website as a partner with tutorials and tips on how to use their equipment.{{Cite web|url=https://www.logitech.com/en-us/promo/streaming-content-creation-tips.html|title = Logitech for Creators}}

Young was featured in the song "Tongue Tied" on Gone Are The Good Days by Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!.{{Cite web |title="Gone Are The Good Days" Translucent Tigers Eye Vinyl |url=https://store.fearlessrecords.com/products/chunk-no-captain-chunk-gone-are-the-good-days-translucent-tigers-eye-vinyl? |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=Fearless Records |language=en}}

Influences

Young has cited an array of guitarists who have influenced her style, including Joe Reinhart of Algernon Cadwallader, Mike Kinsella of American Football, Robert Smith of the Cure, Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen.{{Cite web |author1=Michael Astley-Brown |date=2023-04-05 |title=Yvette Young names the 10(+) guitarists who shaped her sound |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/yvette-young-names-the-guitarists-who-shaped-her-sound |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=guitarworld |language=en}}

Gear

As of 2019, Young plays two Ibanez Talman Prestige guitars with Seymour Duncan Five-Two single-coil pickups and custom sparkle finishes, and a 7-string, fanned-fret Strandberg that she has painted. During the 2020 NAMM Show, Ibanez announced her signature model, the YY10, a Strat-style Talman electric guitar. Her second signature model, the YY20, was released in late 2021; she calls it the YY20 OCS (Orange-Cream Sparkle).

{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFIGHVLEeZc|title=introducing... my signature YY20 OCS talman (not edible)|date=December 2021 |via=YouTube|access-date=2022-05-03}} She also plays a Yamaha A5R acoustic-electric guitar.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/youyve/status/1391454166837465088|title=Always amazed at the resonance in harmonics on the @YamahaGuitars A5R!|via=Twitter|access-date=2023-01-17}}

Young plays through Vox AC amps. Her touring amp is an AC30.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxJ2EB5sfug|title=Rig Rundown - Covet's Yvette Young|date=3 September 2019 |via=YouTube|access-date=2019-09-03}} On her Catharsis album, this was joined by a Roland JC-40.{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/yvette-young-covet-catharsis | website=guitarworld.com/total-guitar |author=Jenna Scaramanga

|title=Yvette Young: "I'm really optimistic about the future of guitar. It's being used in a creative way and people don't know all the cool sounds you can get from it"| date=9 May 2023 }}

{{Gallery

|width=300 | height=225

|align=center

|File:Yvette performing in Hamden, CT - 2022.jpg|Young performing with Covet in 2022

|File:Covet Phono Del Sol Festival.jpg|Young performing with Covet, 2019

}}