The UMI universe: self-reflection, selenite, and Seattle skylines

written by Storm Nguyen and Kate Coli || photographed by Storm Nguyen on July 7

Sitting upon a rooftop in front of a pink and clementine sunset is a Sade-singing songstress. As she smiles at the camera, she begins to sing the infamous “By Your Side” effortlessly. For the next four minutes, you’re welcomed into their world of warmth, good energy, and overall beauty. This is UMI.

UMI, a rising multi-dimensional artist from Seattle aims to create meaningful music that connects listeners to their inner conscience and allows them to escape to a world of calm. The neo soul and R&B artist has garnered popularity over recent years, accumulating over 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. UMI (whose name translates to “ocean” in Japanese) began posting singles for streaming in 2017 and later started to garner the attention of R&B and alternative music lovers in 2018 with the single “Remember Me.”

After appearances at festivals such as Coachella, UMI graced her hometown, Seattle, with a free concert on July 7. The show, which was part of the “Downtown Summer Sounds Concert Series,”aims to breathe life into the city through live and local music. Before the show, Rice & Spice had the opportunity to catch UMI for a conversation prior to serenading members of the Seattle community.

While imagining her album “Forest in the City” (released in May 2022), UMI found herself inspired by mental health and self-reflection. These themes are woven throughout the warm, soulful 15 tracks in the album and are prominent on tracks such as “birds eye view” and “everything will be alright.” These concepts from “Forest in the City” can also be found in UMI’s everyday practices.

Before our conversation, UMI knew she “needed to get [the audience’s] energy right.”  She told us her process, explaining that she takes an extra five minutes to collect themselves. By taking the time to do this, she is able to be her “highest self” everywhere she goes, including her shows.

“When my art amplifies this energy, people feel it and hear it, and then can incorporate that into themselves,” UMI said. A few months after the release of “Forest in the City,” UMI embarked on a meditation tour for listeners. “I am passionate about being of service to people,” they explained.

The energy flowed through the Seattle crowd not only through the music itself, but also through UMI’s overall approach to their setlist. When creating her set lists, she aims to leave people with an experience. She begins by thinking about the healing process.

UMI explained this process to us: “First, it requires feeling safe, then you feel open and connected. Then you tune into your emotions and are able to feel a greater sense of joy.”

Prior to each show, UMI dedicates a couple minutes to center the energy of their audience by providing a few minutes of silence and a quick breathing exercise. “I like to have people leave with a ‘sense of increase’ after coming to my shows; they feel more energetic and happy,” UMI said.

While the process of creating music is accessible to her now, UMI shared that it was not always that simple. In order to truly embody performing, she had to undo all the fears inside themselves.

UMI’s experience on their headlining “Forest in the City” tour acted as a catalyst for them. Creating art and music continues to be a period of growth and self-discovery for UMI, both mentally and vocally.

“I’m still taking vocal lessons,” UMI said. “I felt like I didn’t deserve an audience until I was the best singer or my voice didn’t crack.” While these voices of doubt surfaced, UMI continued to grow and overtake them: “During the tour, I said, ‘You know what? fuck it. Why wait to be my best self to enjoy life?”

UMI’s commitment to a nostalgic and comfortable atmosphere is especially notable to larger audiences. A song that is important to UMI is “everything will be alright” from “Forest in the City.” The self-written and composed track has been sung on every setlist for the past 24 shows (as of this interview). She spoke on the repetition of the song, saying that it gives her the feeling that everything will be okay. By performing it for others, she hopes to create that same feelings in others.

For UMI, this song came to fruition during a difficult period of time with their partner. As reflected through “everything will be alright,” UMI’s music acts as a mirror of their personal life. These messages of positivity, growth, and overall self-reflection connect with a wide audience of listeners and encourage introspection and peace throughout their audience.

As seen in a scattering of movies, documentaries, and TV shows such as “A Star is Born” and “The Idol,” the music and entertainment industry can take budding artists in directions they don’t see coming. Many find themselves losing creative control over their image and sound. UMI prides themselves on being an independent artist, allowing them to take full control of their music and image.

“I want to encourage young artists to be involved in the process of negotiation and distribution of their music,” she expressed. “Being an artist is being a business owner, so if you’re involved, you can ensure everybody who works for you feels fairly compensated, and that creates better art.”

After learning what makes up the world of UMI, we asked the artist about any upcoming projects and where she sees herself in the next two years. In the fall of 2023, UMI plans on dropping an EP redefining the concept of being lost. While they were not quite sure about the direction they were going for their next album, the EP serves as a symbol of their pure joy and happiness. Shortly after the EP, UMI has her forthcoming second studio album slated for 2024 filled with folk-R&B infused sounds which she describes feels like an embodiment of Seattle.