Yugo Low on Love, Self-Discovery and Finding His Sound as an Independent Artist

Ugo Louw @bushradio
 front desk

For independent artist Yugo Low, music is more than simply creating songs. It is a way of telling stories, confronting different parts of himself and exploring the person he is becoming. Speaking on BackChat, Yugo Low opened up about his journey into music, the inspiration behind his latest single Don’t Make Me Fall in Love With You, his upcoming debut album and why the human element of music remains important to him.

The latest single came from a desire to create something that felt different from some of the more confrontational writing he had been doing while working on his album. “When we started writing and creating for the album, a lot of the writing seemed to be very confrontational,” Yugo explained. “And I wanted to create a song that just kind of feels good, that feels a little bit better, that you can sing along to, that you can dance along to.”

What started as his first attempt at writing a love song eventually became something slightly different a warning to anyone who might want to fall in love with him. Rather than simply saying “I love you”, the song asks someone not to make him fall in love with them if they are not prepared for what he brings into a relationship. For Yugo, knowing what he brings to a relationship is an important part of the song.

“I know what my seat at the table looks like,” he said, explaining that he understands his love languages and what he brings to a relationship. If someone is not ready for that, his message is simple: “Don’t make me fall in love with you.” The song is not based on one particular relationship or experience. Yugo described it as an “amalgamation of different stories”, drawing from his own experiences as well as conversations and stories he has heard from friends and other people around him.

Ugo Louw & Unathi
a journalism intern(co-host)

His writing process is also spontaneous. When inspiration comes, he gives himself a limited amount of time to write freely before going back to shape the ideas into verses, pre-choruses and choruses. That process allows him to take observations and personal experiences and turn them into music that listeners can interpret in their own way.

Yugo’s relationship with music began long before he considered becoming an artist. Growing up, music was a constant presence in his household. There was a radio in his room, another in his mother’s room and another in his sister’s room, while the hi-fi was also regularly playing. Music was part of everything from getting ready for school to travelling in the car and sharing new songs with friends. He remembers discovering music through platforms such as MTV Base and Trace, downloading songs and introducing his friends to the tracks he had discovered.

However, listening to music and deciding to create it professionally were two different things. Yugo says his love for creating and performing developed further while he was at university. He found himself surrounded by an arts-driven residence and creative friends who were involved in arranging music. Eventually, he had to confront a question many aspiring creatives face: what is the purpose of pursuing a passion if you never give yourself the opportunity to try? That pushed him to start writing and creating seriously.

He recorded his first song at the beginning of the year and connected with producer Ollie Vance from Franschhoek, who he says understood his creative vision and helped him begin building his sound. Since then, the journey has been “nothing short of incredible”. Yugo’s first releases have also been part of a bigger story about who he wants to become as an artist.

His debut single, Driveway, introduced listeners to the sound and storytelling style he wanted to establish. While the song can be enjoyed on the surface, he says there is a deeper and more confrontational message in the lyrics. It mostly explores the parts of ourselves that may not be our favourite, but that need to be acknowledged if we want to grow. From there came Mercury, which represents another stage of that journey. Yugo describes it as moving from confrontation into reinvention, recognising the things that need to change and putting in the work to become a better version of yourself.

His latest release, Don’t Make Me Fall in Love with You, represents another stage: emotional maturity, vulnerability and allowing someone into his life while still being clear about what he brings into a relationship. Together, the songs reflect a journey of becoming more self-aware and getting closer to the person he envisions himself becoming. Yugo is currently working towards his debut album, although he is keeping some of the details under wraps. Several songs have already been recorded and are ready for release, while he is now focusing on the visual side of the project. For him, the music and visuals need to work together.

The album will explore three broad themes. The first deals with confrontation and making peace with what is and what should be. The second explores falling out of love and falling back in love, whether that is with another person or with life itself. The final part focuses on self-actualisation. While there are currently no collaborations planned for the debut album, Yugo says that does not mean he is closed off to collaborations in the future. For him, any collaboration needs to make sense creatively and, most importantly, the artists need to be able to align on the story they want to tell.

The conversation also turned to the growing presence of artificial intelligence in music. Yugo admitted that he has heard AI-generated songs that sound good, but said that the creation process is an important part of what makes music meaningful to him. He believes artists need to bounce ideas off each other in the studio, make creative decisions and work towards a final product that reflects their vision.  “I really value the creation process and the way that takes place in the studio,” he said. While he acknowledged that AI has a place in the music industry, Yugo said it is not something he currently wants to incorporate into his own work.

Ugo Louw and
Thomas Cedrick the main
 host of Back Chat

The discussion also touched on the concern that AI could make it easier for people to produce music without going through the same creative process as musicians who spend hours writing, producing and recording. For Yugo, there is something important about the human element of creating music the experiences, emotions and stories that an artist brings into the process.

For now, Yugo Low is focused on continuing to build his sound and establish himself as an independent artist. He has promised more singles before the end of the year, while keeping the release date of his debut album open. His approach is simple: “under-promise and over-deliver.”

Listeners can follow Yugo Low on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook under @you_go_low for updates on his music and upcoming releases. As Yugo continues working towards his debut album, his music offers listeners more than catchy sounds. Across Driveway, Mercury and  Don’t Make Me Fall in Love With You, he is building a body of work around self-reflection, relationships, vulnerability and becoming the person he wants to be.

Written By Unathi Ngomana