Seattle-raised, LA-hailing R&B revolutionary, UMI has paved her way to the limelight through tackling themes of race, identity and love through a unique genre lens. The 21-year-old artist, born Tierra Umi Wilson, pens warm velvety tracks, finding her voice amidst the masses and getting it heard.
Her visual EP Love Language, released last year, saw her collaborate with a team including writer Taofik Kolade (“Atlanta,” “Barry”) and director Will Kindrick (Brian Wilson, Ice Cube, Mates of State) who wrote, cast, animated and directed the EP’s four episodic components.
Following her two standalone singles which dropped earlier this year – “Mother” which paid homage to mother nature released on Earth Day, and “Picture Perfect” – she’s diving into some self-contemplation in her latest release “Introspection”. She’s got an EP with the same name dropping late June – and the title speaks for itself.
A hollow, watery synth line pins down the intro, while acoustic percussive textures flesh out silky, sultry R&B vocals. It’s paired up with a neon-lit video. All conversations and curly hair, tipped perspectives and underlying anxiety.
“Introspection is a look into my mind, how my brain sounds,” UMI told us. “Now more than ever, we are being asked to go within. I created this project with the intention to evoke ‘Introspection’, both in myself and in the listener.”
It’s an honest look at self-love and mental health. It’s about having a whole lot of shit to unpack though a chilling chorus line. That EP couldn’t come soon enough.
