shine and uniqueness. For a woman of colour, it can be even more difficult to carve a place out in an industry that is used to catering to white bodies. “In the beginning, I definitely had that stereotype going in where I felt I had to make a certain type or genre of music and I have to fit this specific mold,” says UMI. “But as I've grown, I've realized my power comes from being myself.” Always a positive thinker, UMI feels the music industry is changing in a good way. “I think now's
lived experiences; she internalizes the lives of those around her. “I would go out into the world and ask myself, "why am I so sad?" I realized it's because I soak up other people's energies around me or I'm feeling anxious in crowds because I'm just feeling everybody's energy,” states UMI. Spirituality is what grounds UMI; she feels it is what has helped her realize why she’s on the planet: to heal others. “I've learned to navigate that with my writing and expressing, also medi-
a really beautiful time to be an artist because what helps you grow as an artist is being so authentically yourself. There is so much music out there and if you're like everybody else or if you're trying to be like someone else, it's just not going to cut through the sound.”
tating more and just like practicing protecting my aura and my energy. I know I can hold my energy and then be with other people and they can have their own energy. I feel very grateful to be an empath; I think it's my superpower because creativity comes from it and my desire to save the world.”
As a mixed-race woman, UMI’s own heritage has helped influence her art and how she creates it. “I think the coolest thing about being mixed-race and being half-Black and half-Japanese is that the kind of music I grew up on was very diverse,” said UMI. “I grew up on gospel music, J-pop, Japanese jazz, classical music, R&B, and neo-soul, so subconsciously I feel like those melodies are still in me and I channel when I'm writing and creating.” A track on Love Language called Sukidakara is sung completely in Japanese, aside from one verse. It was UMI’s way of embracing both sides of who she is: half-Black, half-Japanese. “It was how I was able to show the world for the first time that you can create art in both forms and in both languages and you can communicate it to anybody,” UMI states. “It doesn’t matter if someone doesn’t understand it, it’s about the energy and emotions behind it. I feel like I felt really inspired by how much K-Pop had made its way into America; it shows you that really anything can translate because it's all about the energy of the music.”
Although she’s just starting out in her professional career, UMI is solidifying herself as a socially conscious and empowering singer/songwriter who is aware of the platform she has. She wants her own listeners to ask the same questions she does when she meditates: Who am I? Why am I doing the things I’m doing? Why do I buy the products I buy? And What difference do I want to make in the world? Seeing as it is an election year, these questions are even more important than ever. “As an artist I feel you have no choice but to stand up for what you believe in,” she states. “Although I’m releasing lots of new music centered around the Full Moons throughout the year, I’m planning on hosting more community events and opportunities to get people involved in more political activism.”
When listening to UMI’s Love Languages, it’s apparent how deeply she feels and how in tune she is with the world around her. A true empath, UMI doesn’t just incorporate her own
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At the end of our chat, we discuss everything from star signs (she’s an Aquarius, I’m a Scorpio), to what we are manifesting for the next year, and what UMI aims to do when people hear her music. “I just want people to feel connected to my music. I want to continue channeling my own ancestors when I’m writing songs, feeling the energies around me, and I want to share that love to the world and to as many people as possible.” I think UMI will do just that.
