Although many fans and critics call his music "new age," Yanni himself has distanced himself from that label. In his autobiography, Yanni devotes an entire chapter to the subject, stating that he prefers to call his music "contemporary instrumental."

Early in his life, Yanni tried to forge a career in rock and roll, touring with locally popular bands in the Midwest United States while a student at the University of Minnesota. His most popular group was Chameleon, a band that earned some modest commercial success touring throughout the Midwest, particularly in the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and South Dakota.

Eventually, Yanni grew tired of the rock and roll lifestyle and focused solely on his instrumental career as a soloist. Most of his earlier music relied heavily on the synthesizer and received little airplay, except on new age radio stations in larger markets.