Peking Duk's Reuben Styles Launches Side Project: A Bit Of A Mental Health Escape For Me'

Peking Duk's Reuben Styles has today launched new side project YOGA and debut single, Your Devotion.

YOGA – an acronym for the phrase “You’re Only Great Always” – is a project that holds special meaning for the Canberra producer.

"I’ll be releasing plenty of music with the project, but I also want to use it to create spaces where we can talk about mental health, share art and come together to support and uplift each other. It’s about working through the bad and celebrating the good," Styles said.

“In the last couple of years, two people I know from school days have lost their battles with depression and even a family member of mine tried to take their own life. Since then, I've got a slight grasp on how these things happened, but I still can't quite figure out why. I probably never will.

“That’s why I’ll be making online spaces that are different to the ones we normally see. Because although life on Instagram can look perfect, these so called perfect lives rarely tell the whole story. I want You're Only Great Always to be a form of antidote to the smoke and mirrors that people are using to pretend everything is wonderful – something real, where we can be honest and put it all on the table.

“The project is also a bit of a mental health escape for me.

"For a long time I've been making anthemic dance music bangers, which is great, but with this side project I’ll get to explore entirely new sounds and try some new things. Really though this is about more than just music. It’s about opening up and sharing both the good and bad bits in life through art and discussion.

"Things are never better left unsaid, so let’s talk about it all.” 

YOGA will release the debut EP, You're Only Great Always, on 23 October.