Yumi Ito | Lonely Island | September 19, 2025
Swiss-Polish-Japanese singer, composer, and pianist Yumi Ito has long been celebrated for her ability to blur boundaries between genres and cultures. Now, with the release of Lonely Island, she strips everything back to its essence. For the first time in her career, Ito performs completely solo—just voice and piano—offering a deeply personal album that is both a retreat and a revelation.
Lonely Island is set for release on September 19th via Enja Yellowbird.
“I wanted to make an album that felt like a house concert,” says Ito. “As if the listener is sitting in the room with me—honest, vulnerable, pure.”
Recorded in a secluded studio in the Swiss region of Ticino and produced entirely by F(L)INTA creatives – a German acronym referring to women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender individuals – Lonely Island is a portrait of radical intimacy.
Drawing on her classical training, jazz improvisation, and a lifelong practice of learning by ear (from early childhood under the Suzuki method), Ito reimagines ten of her own songs that have accompanied her over many years – pieces she says she would take with her to a desert island. Among them: the meditative Old Redwood Tree, the impressionistic Stardust Crystals, and a transformed version of What Seems To Be, where she replaces the original saxophone lines with her own voice and piano.
The result is music that shimmers and breathes – somewhere between Debussy, Norah Jones, Ólafur Arnalds and Tori Amos. There are echoes of impressionism, Brazilian rhythms, and cinematic landscapes. Every sound was recorded live, creating a delicate sonic world that draws the listener closer with each phrase.
Lonely Island marks both a homecoming and a new direction. Rooted in improvisation and guided by storytelling, the album opens a new chapter in Ito’s genre-defying career. While a full-band album and international tour are planned for 2026, this is Ito at her most stripped back – and arguably most powerful.
Line up
Yumi Ito | Voice, Piano, Lyrics, Composition, Production
Track Listing
What Seems to Be
Little Things
Is It You
Rebirth
Stardust Crystals
After The End
Old Redwood Tree
Seagull
Love Is Here To Stay
Tiki Taka
PR Quotes
UK Vibe (UK)
“an atmosphere of honesty, vulnerability and direct connection… shimmers between impressionist delicacy and cinematic breadth, echoing Debussy as much as Norah Jones, Ólafur Arnalds and Tori Amos“
Era Jazzu (PL)
“a delicate world of sounds that captivates the listener with every single phrase”
TSF Jazz (FR)
“a real discovery!”
Off Topic (IT)
“An album that becomes companionship, comfort, but also a mirror, in which to find fragments of yourself.”
Esensja (PL)
“instilled so much optimism in listeners’ hearts. And that’s exactly what we need in these crazy times.”
La Habitacion del Jazz (ES)
“This isn’t an album to be consumed quickly. Transport yourself to an imaginary island and listen attentively. An emotional sonic journey.”
Jazz Soul (PL)
“The album is a self-presentation of an extraordinary artist whose emotion, sincerity, passion, and technique make her stand out among the top European vocalists, artists, and pianists. Phenomenal!”
Jazz Rozhlas (CZ)
“blurs the boundaries between cultures and genres”
Blue in Green (UK)
“a captivating piece of art that serves as a powerful reminder that profound connections come often from moments of absolute solitude”
Jazz in Family (IT)
“one of the brightest and most innovative voices on the contemporary jazz scene”
Bluebird Reviews (UK)
“A record to cherish every day, to help making ourselves feel more alive and to be in touch with our emotions at every stage of our existences, through the mesmerizing, mystical and soulful atmospheres created by an outstanding artist like Yumi Ito.”
Adam Baruch (IS)
“She offers sublime vocal qualities, moving over the octave range with astounding flexibility, ease and elegance, which is extremely rare. One might speculate why she is not a worldwide superstar by now”
Cuttings
