YUUNO : A WORLD OF HER OWN

Moving between beauty, lifestyle and visual storytelling, Singaporean creator Yuuno finds inspiration in the smallest things. A passing conversation, a family moment or a thought that refuses to leave her alone can become the starting point for a story. Behind her playful videos is a creator constantly questioning the world around her and the person she is becoming.

Yuuno has a habit of turning everyday moments into stories. Her mother scrolling through TikTok, an unexpected conversation with a restaurant server, children playing outside as the sun sets: any of these might send her down a rabbit hole of thoughts, eventually finding their way into the Notes app on her phone.

“My mind rarely switches off,” she admits. Some thoughts become video ideas; others lead to bigger questions about identity, human behaviour and the difficulty of understanding ourselves. It is this curiosity that gives her work its distinctive character, moving between beauty, fantasy, fashion and pop culture without losing sight of the everyday.

AN UNEXPECTED BEGINNING

Yuuno’s journey into content creation was anything but straightforward. Before beauty became part of her creative identity, she experimented with comedy, cosplay and different ways of expressing herself online. Then, in late 2023, a collaboration with shu uemura became her first beauty brand deal.

“I had never really considered beauty as a career,” she explains. “I just enjoyed experimenting with makeup.”

The following year, she found herself working in marketing at MBCS, part of IPG, on an account that included Shu Uemura. Her personal interests and professional life had unexpectedly converged. As she jokes, she had turned her passion into two professions: content creator and “wagie”, a Gen-Z term for a salaried employee.

Rather than following a carefully mapped-out plan, Yuuno has let one opportunity lead to another. “I don't think I need to have everything figured out right now.” It is an approach that leaves room for discovery, and for the possibility that her next creative direction might be something she has not yet imagined.

WHEN AN IDEA REFUSES TO LEAVE

One of Yuuno’s videos began with a familiar family situation: after her mother downloaded TikTok, Yuuno and her sister found themselves receiving a constant stream of links and videos. What started as an amusing habit soon made her think about how much time her mother was spending online.

At the same time, Yuuno had been reflecting on her own relationship with social media. After quitting doomscrolling, she noticed improvements in her writing, speech and ability to think clearly. She felt more connected to herself and her creativity.

The two experiences led to a simple idea: you are what you consume. Using food as a visual misdirection, she built a playful narrative that took a darker turn, culminating in an unsettling image of blank eyes.

The video took a full week of scripting, rewriting, shooting and editing, including learning a new visual effects technique. So how does she know when an idea is worth that much effort?

“If I’m still thinking about an idea three days later, I know there’s something there.”

She also asks herself whether a concept is relatable, accessible, educational or thought-provoking. If it ticks a few of those boxes, she is happy to pursue it, even if that means rewriting a script five times.

“The best ideas are the ones that feel personal, but that other people can connect with too. The challenge is finding the right way to tell the story.”

MEET YULLY, BEHIND YUUNO

There are two sides to Yuuno, at least in her own mind. Her real name is Yully: introverted, laid-back and often more comfortable thinking about an idea than acting on it. Yuuno is the one who gets things moving. She makes decisions, follows through and carries herself with greater confidence. Her friends have even noticed that the way she walks changes.

“Yully is the person I am naturally. Yuuno is the version of me that gets things done.”

She loves both sides, although maintaining Yuuno’s energy for too long can be exhausting. Eventually, her introverted nature takes over and Yully’s familiar “hehe haha” returns.

Creating, she explains, gives her a way to explore a more confident side of herself without abandoning the quieter one. The character is not entirely invented; she simply brings certain qualities to the surface.

That same instinct for experimentation shapes her process. Her Notes app contains more than 300 entries, alongside a collection of visual references and techniques saved from other creators. But before thinking about how a video will look, she starts with a question: what should the audience take away from it?

“I always start with the message. Everything else comes after.”

She develops the storytelling and pacing, sketches out sequences using simple stick figures, then moves on to filming and editing. The finished videos might feel spontaneous, but every detail has its place.

When working with brands, she follows a similar principle: “Entertain first, advertise later.” She values collaborations that leave room for her own ideas, particularly when a brand has a message she genuinely connects with. For her, a product should become part of the story, not the reason the story exists.

ROOTED IN SINGAPORE, OPEN TO WHAT COMES NEXT

Yuuno describes Singapore’s creative scene as relatively small compared with markets such as the United States. That scale, she feels, can make opportunities more accessible and give emerging talents room to experiment without the pressure to constantly publish just to stay visible.

Her ambitions are growing beyond short-form content. She has taken singing classes, explored acting and recently found inspiration for an original short film in an interaction with a restaurant server. Unlike her usual videos, it would follow a three-act structure, with Yuuno hoping to write, direct and act in it herself.

“I want to keep trying things I’m not good at yet.” Singing, she readily admits, may be the hardest skill she has attempted to learn. But the appeal lies precisely in the challenge.

Asked what she would create with 24 hours in Singapore and unlimited resources, she does not choose a glamorous fashion film or an elaborate visual spectacle. Instead, she would tell the stories of the people who keep the city moving: public transport workers, estate cleaners and community volunteers supporting older people, young people and people with disabilities.

“I’d want to tell the stories of people we see every day but don’t really stop to think about.”

It is a revealing answer. For someone whose work often plays with fantasy and unexpected imagery, Yuuno’s curiosity ultimately leads her back to real people and the details that make their lives unique.

THE PERSON SHE IS STILL BECOMING

Yuuno describes herself as someone who feels things deeply. An orange sunset or the sight of children playing outside can send her into an unexpected reflection on life, identity and the difficulty of getting out of her own head. She collects these moments, sometimes turning them into stories that allow others to recognise something of themselves.

If her life were an anime, she would call it Doppelgänger. In her imagined story, she travels back in time to influence her younger self, changing the decisions that will shape her future. She becomes her own hero, villain and supporting character, while her younger self remains the protagonist. The premise reminds her of the German series Dark, though she is quick to joke that it does not make her a narcissist.

The idea captures something essential about Yuuno. She is interested in the different versions of herself that might emerge if she takes another path, learns an unfamiliar skill or follows an idea to its conclusion.

“I’m still figuring out who I am, and I think that’s part of the fun.”

From beauty to filmmaking, from Yully’s quiet observations to Yuuno’s more assured presence on screen, she has built a creative practice around that uncertainty. She does not need to settle on one identity or stick to a single format. She simply keeps looking, questioning and trying.

And perhaps that is where her stories really begin: in the moment she notices something everyone else has overlooked, and decides it deserves a closer look.