The heartfelt musician gets ready for her first night on tour with Jhene Aiko while answering questions about her creative process and early musical inspirations.
Try as you might, but you won’t find an artist like UMI. At just 25 years old, the Seattle-born musician has forged a sonic world all of her own, honed to perfection on her latest project, “talking to the wind.” The artist, who masterfully weaves the soulfulness of R&B with folk sensibilities, has returned—and this time, she’s taking a cue from the wind.
It starts as a whisper. As the lyrics come in, it swells, growing louder and clearer with each gust. Here, the wind (its symbolic presence as well as its literal frequencies) appears in the musician’s latest EP. During a period of transition and uncertainty towards the future, UMI turned towards nature for the answers. She shares that she found wisdom and creative motivation for the project by speaking with the wind—and is now encouraging others to do the same.
“Every time I would find myself going back into the headspace of like, ‘What am I doing? Where am I going?’ I would go outside and feel the wind,” shares UMI about her creative process. “The wind is so wise. It would remind me to let go and reassured me that everything always works out. And when it came down to deciding on a title for this project, it felt necessary for me to give my gratitude to the wind and say thank you. So that’s why the EP is called ‘talking to the wind.’”
Throughout the four tracks, nature guides UMI as she contemplates big questions. And in doing so, the wind acts as much as a character in the project as the musician herself. The natural world is not only part of her practice but is ingrained in her being, as “UMI” translates to “ocean” in Japanese. Much like her moniker, her music is as dynamic as a wave and as expansive as the sea. She flows through melodies and allows herself to dive into the human experience in a way that leaves listeners feeling deeply understood. More and more, the songwriter finds herself looking outside for those “things that really matter.”
“I think something I realized while I was making this EP is that while I think I’m good at creating safe spaces for other people, I didn’t have a safe space for myself,” she shares with Mission. “This EP has taught me to back myself and trust my instincts. Now, I think I’ve become a more peaceful person inside of myself. And this is something that I observe about my creative process—every time I work on a project, I also have to learn the lesson that I’m trying to share with people.”
“I think something I realized while I was making this EP is that while I think I’m good at creating safe spaces for other people, I didn’t have a safe space for myself. This EP has taught me to back myself and trust my instincts.“
As her first independent release, the rich and thoughtful EP chronicles her varied experiences in relationships and love. Every facet of UMI’s personality seeps into this project, distilling her heritage, queerness, and passion for nature in eloquent lyrics. As one of her most exploratory projects yet, she meditates on these experiences that encourage her to be open to all of life’s possibilities—and calling in this energy has certainly worked. Earlier this year, UMI also collaborated with V of BTS to create “wherever u r.” The song immediately became popular, debuting at #1 on Billboard’s R&B Digital Songs Sales chart.
“I think the coolest thing about the song is that I could have never predicted it would happen,” UMI laughs. “But then, when it did, the process of working with V was so cool. We were talking in Korean, Japanese, and English. I felt like I could let all parts of myself be seen while working together.”
“The process of working with V was so cool. We were talking in Korean, Japanese, and English. I felt like I could let all parts of myself be seen while working together.”
UMI comes to us from Los Angeles, where she’s pulling into rehearsals for her upcoming 28-date tour with Jhene Aiko. As part of Aiko’s “The Magic Hour Tour,” the pair will embark on stages across the United States. UMI also teases that she’ll be hosting a slew of pop-ups across the country while on tour. The artist comes hot off the heels of her own international tour, which saw her travel across the globe with stops in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Every night on tour, she opened each show with a group meditation—inviting fans to open their minds and bodies for a more transcendent experience. As someone who’s been immersed in the world of meditation and sound baths since high school, wellness proves to be just part and parcel of UMI’s work. With everything she does, UMI seeks to use music as a vessel for healing and human connection.
“For those who haven’t been to my show, I would describe them as a cup of soup—they’re warm and inviting,” UMI explains. “I hope to create a safe space where everyone can come exactly as they are. Every time I perform, I see it as an opportunity to heal people and hopefully touch their souls.”
To learn more about UMI and her tour, click here. Photo of UMI by Joseph Collier.
