As a singer, songwriter, and sonic healer whose genre-defying sound blends R&B, neo-soul and folk, UMI is leaning into art that is wholly her own. The Seattle-born artist of mixed heritage creates not just music, but an experience that feels as intimate as a journal entry—tender, raw, and rooted in emotional truth.

Born to musically-inclined parents, UMI’s love affair with words began young. After sharing acoustic covers and original songs on SoundCloud during her high school years, she gained a devoted following thanks to her soothing voice and spiritually-resonant songwriting. Her skyrocketing career led the singer to leave USC to continue honing her craft, where soon after, her writing and creativity evolved into groundbreaking EPs. Her earliest projects—Interlude (2018), Balance (2019) and Love Language (2019)—laid the foundation for a career that has remained independent in spirit, even as her reach has expanded.

“I notice that my music becomes the most unique when I’m being true to myself,” UMI explains. “When I try to manufacture something, or make something, because I think someone will like it…it doesn’t feel real”.

After dropping two more EPs at the start of the decade (2020’s Introspection, and its follow-up Introspection Reimagined a year later), her 2022 debut LP Forest in the City gave her the ground to traverse endless musical and spiritual possibilities. Through a chameleonic blend of musical textures and heartfelt expression, the full-length project explores her innermost depths. Its breakthrough single “wish that i could” and its accompanying visual also acknowledges UMI’s experiences as a queer woman of color.

The accolades followed, as did UMI’s first headlining tour across the U.S. and UK/EU—where she transformed vulnerability into a kind of superpower, not just for herself, but for her fans. Through somatic exercises woven into her sets, she invited audiences into moments of collective release and understanding. “You see people shed layers at the shows,” she says of the guided experiences. “Every time I perform, I see it as an opportunity to heal people and hopefully touch their souls.”

UMI’s momentum only continued to grow from there. In 2023, made her debut at landmark festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. Collaborations further expanded her creative reach and deepened her artistic evolution. She linked up with SahBabii and Teezo Touchdown for “Hummingbird,” as well as BTS’ V on the chart-topping “wherever u r,” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart. It also reached #1 on the iTunes’ chart across 100+ countries for five consecutive days and made a strong breakthrough across Billboard’s Global 200, Hot R&B Songs, Digital Song Sales, R&B / Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales and Canadian Digital Song Sales. 2024 saw UMI continuing her domination as a live force, bringing her performances worldwide and opening for R&B superstar Jhené Aiko on her Magic Hour Tour.

Her forthcoming album, people stories, marks a new chapter. Inspired by her loved ones, fans, strangers, and her own experiences, the project explores ego, healing, identity, and connection—all filtered through her signature tranquil songwriting. The album is her most personal and expansive to date, featuring spoken word outros from her therapist and guide—sonic imperfections are intentionally left in as a tribute to life’s beautiful messiness.

“I wanted to be the storyteller, the vessel to express everyone's stories,” UMI says of crafting people stories. “We all live very similar lives, same colors, slightly different hues. I find that to be very comforting. While writing this album, I found myself in every story I was expressing. I was reminded of how colorful the human experience is. For me, learning to accept even the darkest colors of life was deeply healing and possible through relating to others.”

Sonically, people stories is deeply universal, seamlessly weaving through various styles like R&B, folk and pop, with each track offering its own texture. UMI even uses the album’s diverse sonics to reclaim a time in her life she often associates with negativity.

“In retrospect, I noticed that the album is influenced by the songs I listened to growing up in the early 2000s,” says UMI. “Because this album is a sonic reclaiming of those painful childhood memories, I got to use these songs to travel back in time and be the person I wanted to be for myself. I think reclamation of pain is a relatable feeling for a lot of people & I hope it gives fans an opportunity to rewrite their childhoods.”

These inspired sounds can be heard on songs like “IT’S BEEN A WHILE,” “WHAT NOW” & “GROCERY STORE.” people stories’ range is further elevated by a standout collaboration with 6LACK on “HARD TRUTHS,” grounding the project in rich introspection while continuing to push R&B’s boundaries.

“6LACK had sent me a scratch version of “HARD TRUTHS”, and I had gotten really attached to it,” she says of the early stages of their collaboration. “He recut it and changed some of the words. Collaboration teaches me a lot about honoring everybody's process. The same creative freedom you give yourself, you have to give others when collaborating. In doing that, you give it more to yourself. It’s a very circular process.”

As UMI gears up to release new music, she finds herself stepping into deeper layers of vulnerability—an emotional terrain that both challenges and empowers her. “I think this whole album has reminded me that even when I feel the worst of the worst of the worst, I'm not alone in these feelings….When I turn people's stories into songs, it pulls me out of myself in a good way,” UMI says as she reflects on how the creative process has become a form of healing. While moments of overwhelm and breakdown may still come about, her ability to ground herself in her work reminds us that we have the capacity to keep going and it often begins with shifting your perspective and getting out of your head.

“I think people stories has helped me realize how strong I am,” she continues. “I realized my strength is in my capacity to feel all the emotions of life—I couldn’t have made the album without that.
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In embracing vulnerability, UMI has also found a powerful sense of freedom—one rooted not in flawlessness, but in authenticity. “This album has taught me that my worth is not in perfection,” she says. Much of the project was recorded in her home studio, where ambient sounds—from the air conditioner to creaking doors—made their way into the final tracks. (“I was like, ‘Keep it all, I don’t care.’ she shares.) For UMI, these imperfections aren’t mistakes—they're invitations to connect more deeply, both with herself and her listeners. “I’m kind of curious to see where releasing perfection can take me in my life,” she adds, signaling a creative and personal shift that values presence and letting go.

UMI adds, “I let myself play. For the first time in my career, I allowed myself to explore, free of the pressure to create for anyone but myself or to be one thing. This album marks an arrival to my artistry. It’s a demonstration of who I really am in this moment.”

With people stories, UMI reminds us that our experiences—no matter how specific, tender, or difficult—are never just ours alone. Each story she tells, each emotion she unearths, becomes a mirror in which others can see themselves. By laying bare her own vulnerability, she creates space, not just for herself, but for anyone who’s ever felt unseen or unheard. It’s in this honesty, this refusal to hide the messiness of being human, that UMI offers something rare: the reassurance that we are not alone in what we carry, and that through shared stories, even the most fragmented parts of us can begin to feel whole.