UMI, whose real name is Tierra Umi Wilson, draws from both Japanese and American roots, with her identity shaped by a diverse range of cultural influences and musical styles—including Japanese pop and rock, R&B/soul, and lo-fi alternative sounds.
Her artist name and middle name, “UMI,” comes from the Japanese word for “sea.”
Known for her warmth and deep honesty which flows freely through her music, Los Angeles-based UMI uses her art as a vessel for healing. Her name “Umi,” meaning ocean in Japanese, is a beautiful reflection of her artistry—soothing like a day spent in nature. She flows through melodies and allows herself to dive into the human experience in a way that leaves listeners feeling deeply understood. Born in Seattle to a Japanese mother and Black American father, the multi-dimensional artist fostered her sacred connection to music and nature as a child, beginning to write songs at age five to make sense of the world.
With her 2022 debut studio album *Forest in the City*, UMI revealed a mastery of soul-searching lyricism and genre-expansive fluidity. She received praise for the LP’s “wish that i could” for its blissful representation of queer relationships, which is integral to UMI both as a person and within her artistry. After breaking out as an openhearted prodigy with her lush songs of self-discovery, she’s since expanded into social justice advocacy, wellness, and fashion—using all these creative endeavors as ways to connect with herself, with others, and our natural world. 2023 saw her branching out as a leader in meditation and sound baths and emerging as a style icon, snapped at various New York Fashion Week shows (Helmut Lang, Bevza, Private Policy). Plus, UMI teamed up with V of 21st century icons BTS on single “wherever u r,” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s R&B Digital Songs Sales chart & #1 on Spotify’s Top Songs Debut Global. The track also reached #1 across 100+ countries’ iTunes charts for five consecutive days, cracked the Top 40 at US Pop Radio, 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.
UMI has entered a new courageous and exploratory era with her new EP, *talking to the wind*, which arrived January 19, 2024. Written entirely by UMI alongside close collaborator and producer V-Ron, the warm four-track project sees her meditating on a transformative love that emboldens her to accept all of life’s possibilities, as she expresses the full breadth of her emotions in Japanese and English. Made during a time in which she was unsure of her path ahead, *talking to the wind* taught UMI that “it’s OK to create without a map and to live without one too,” she reflects. “To let the wind of life take you where you were always meant to be.”
Following UMI’s success with the release of *talking to the wind* ,she embarked on a worldwide tour that brought her immersive live show to Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Hawaii in spring 2024. In addition, UMI supported Jhené Aiko for her summer Magic Hour Tour which journeyed across North America including iconic venues like Barclays Center and Crypto Arena. The Magic Hour Tour will continue into the end of 2024
UMI will enter the next chapter in her musical journey in 2025 with the release of her highly anticipated, second studio album.
