tUnE-yArDs is a music project by musician and singer Merrill Garbus. She was born and raised on the east coast of the US. Her music is categorized as world beat, experimental, indie pop, and folk.
While living briefly in Vermont, Garbus was a puppeteer for a theater. Her musical background includes playing ukulele for a band in Montreal called Sister Suvi. Garbus moved to Oakland, CA, US to focus more seriously on her music career and in June 2009 she released an exclusive vinyl and cassette recorded album called “Bird Brains” through Portland-based company Marriage Records.
tUnE-yArDs caught the eye of British independent label 4AD and was officially signed to them in July 2009. By fall of that year “Bird Brains” was re-released internationally with extra songs “Want Me To” and “Real Life Flesh.” The album was recorded entirely by Garbus via handheld digital tape recorder and incorporated ukulele, drums, and her own vocals.
The follow-up album “w h o k i l l” released in 2011 was co-written by Garbus’s partner and bass player Nate Brenner. The live album was recorded in Oakland, CA, US by New, Improved Studios. The singles “Bizness and “Gangsta” were considered some of the top songs of 2011 by magazines like Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times. tUnE-yArDs music expanded to the advertising world when the hit “Fiya” was used for a Blackberry Torch commercial in 2010.
Garbus considers Michael Jackson, Debbie Gibson, and Cyndi Lauper as major influences in her music. tUnE-yArDs music videos contain many colorful elements, with surreal scenes and characters that match the crazy drum beats and global vibe of Garbus’s work. The videos have over a million views on YouTube.
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