Neo-soul singer songwriter UMI is by far, one of my favorite rising artists right now. Only 21 years old, Tierra Umi Wilson, who releases music under her stage name UMI, is slowly gaining more popularity with her addictive vocals and lyricism. Her biggest hit thus far is “Remember Me”, a song that effectively encapsulates both the nostalgia and heartbreak that comes with a breakup. A stark contrast from what we’re used to getting from breakup songs with Taylor Swift’s “Teardrops on my Guitar” and Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”, UMI’s “Remember Me” instead comes off as uplifting and sweet.
Produced by D’Mile, this track starts out with an old-timey sample saying “Please, allow me to show you something.” If you’re a fan of H.E.R., Bryson Tiller, or Anderson .Paak, then this sample must seem pretty familiar and clearly does a great job of setting up the stage for a great track.
“Remember Me” starts out super mellow with a repeated electric guitar melody that, when paired with the drums, makes for a great groove. UMI soon joins in with her signature low, cutting, but indescribably pretty voice. Very soon into the track, we realize it’s acting as a letter to or a conversation with her ex-lover, but one of pure acceptance and sweet nostalgia. Once you get settled in, you begin to find sweetness in her harmonies and comfort within the cyclical feel of her melodies. In fact, it seems as though each of her phrases flows perfectly to the next, as if it all just makes sense.
When we get to the chorus, we get to see more of UMI’s skills as she flaunts a few runs and reaches into higher parts of her range. The impressive part, though, is that her voice rarely seems to jump out of the course of the track as she switches up the melody and further draws us into her calming tone. The first time I saw her live, she even made the audience do a group meditation before she performed and it morphed the experience into an extremely enriching and peaceful time. No wonder her music is so soothing too.
“Remember Me” as well as the rest of UMI’s discography is relatively simple and light, though without ever getting close to cheesy or too bright. Her music is fun and rich in meaning, even despite the ease with which she presents her ideas. For some straight up, uncomplicated and undeniably great music, check out the rest of UMI’s work and follow her as she and her music continue to blossom.
You can learn more about UMI here:
About the Curator: Rhea Patil
As an 18 year old who just moved to New York City to study Music Business at NYU, I’m constantly finding myself in unfamiliar territory and have come to realize I’m not going to settle in anytime soon. So, while I’ve been exploring the city and growing from each experience, I’ve racked up a pretty extensive list of the best music I’ve come across and want to keep sharing this art with you. When I'm not discovering and sharing new music though, I'm writing and creating my own music to share with the world. In fact, I’m working on releasing my debut EP right now! If you want to know more about me or this project, connect with me on instagram!
