Listening with intent to the debut single ‘Like Honey’ from London-based singer-songwriter Yuneki, it’s hard to believe she is only 17 years old. A self-professed oversharer, Yuneki’s talent for straight-talking lyricism belies her age, presenting her in an uncensored, raw and honest manner. The emotion in her delivery on the pillowy indie-pop ballad ‘Like Honey’ is palpable, as the young artist sings over twinkling synths and meandering keys. It’s the perfect introduction to a relevant and necessary Gen-Z star who won’t stay under the radar for long.

Speaking about the meaning behind the song, Yuneki explains, “’Like Honey’ is about the idea of right person, wrong time. Me and a boy who I’d recently got back in contact with when we wrote it would somehow always go back to each other and it would never work out. I’d always be left thinking about him, hoping I’d see him again or bump into him and romanticising the time we did have together. The last time this happened it felt like I wasn’t ready and I needed to learn to love myself first.”

Whether Yuneki is singing about teenage situationships, cyclical behaviour patterns or her personal struggles with mental health, she’ll be the first to tell you that you can either have the real her, or not at all. You only have ‘Like Honey’ to know that she isn’t one to mince her words. “Last year was fuckin’ rough / But you know that,” she deadpans in reflective moment that sounds like a candid voicenote from a friend.