UMI talks activism, Frank Ocean, and remaining authentic

Tierra Umi Wilson, or “UMI,” is a 19 year old Seattle native that is making waves in the neo-soul genre; she has gained the attention of thousands of fans, artists, and producers alike. UMI has already garnered a total of 1,964,906 views on YouTube; 102,000 monthly listeners on Spotify; and released her first EP, Interlude, on January 25, 2018. It is clear that UMI is a powerhouse musician that will make her mark within the music industry.

UMI sat down with the B-Side to discuss her process, style, and her dreams of reshaping culture through her music.

How would you describe your style and your music?

The sound I’m going for and the sound I want to continue to make is a mixture/fusion of R&B and neo-soul, with influences of lo-fi and alternative within my music. I think using lo-fi and alternative aspects make my sound unique within the neo-soul genre. I try to make my music universal and relatable so anyone could listen to it and relate to it somehow, that’s really important to me. As far as my style, I want to keep a sort of nostalgic, vintage vibe which you can see in my music videos and, definitely, fashion.

You write and record all your music. Describe your artistic process while creating music.

The process usually starts off with a beat that I found or someone sends to me. From there, I add lyrics; I have a bunch of voice memos in my phone where I’m humming or singing and I just start to layer them together until I get something I like. I definitely have to listen to the vibe of the song to see what kind of lyrics I want to use and just piece it all together from there. I also use a songwriting journal which helps me choose the right lyrics for each track and that’s really helpful to get my ideas out and generate more content.

You’ve captured the attention of Frank Ocean and Steve Lacy, how has that been? Who have been some of your biggest influences for your music?

Oh wow… Okay definitely Frank Ocean, just everything about him I love and try to emulate a little bit in my music. Jhené Aiko, too, I think she has a really great sound and I could listen to her on repeat for hours. SZA for her music and lyrics. Miguel… I don’t know if I would say he’s really an influence,, but I just really love him. If I feel stuck, I’ll listen to Frank Ocean or Jhené Aiko though and just try to see how I can bring some of their influences into my music.

How has your community affected your music?

My friends have definitely been my biggest support system throughout this whole process – especially back home. I wouldn’t be here without my friends Max and Jade – honestly, they’re so wholesome – because they really encouraged me to put myself out there. Max kind of acted like my first manager in a sense because he was telling me how important it was to get my music online and to post regularly, and then Jade also was just so encouraging throughout the whole process. I don’t think I could really be here without them. Since being in college though, all my friends serve as such a support system and hype team. Honestly, I still have terrible stage fright but I used to do small “shows” at my friend’s family’s house when I was younger because of my friend’s family’s encouragement, and now I’ll do shows with my friends’ encouragement. My friends have always just been such a support system and given me such assurance in myself and my music.

How has LA shaped your music?

Definitely since being in LA I’ve been challenged a lot more and it’s made me put out a lot more content. When I was home in Washington [state], there were a couple musicians but it was still pretty easy to stand out, and I didn’t have to keep putting out content. In LA though, everyone is a musician, everyone sings, everyone plays some kind of instrument, everyone is always making content so you really have to work hard and step up your game to make sure you’re at the top. Being here has definitely pushed me to create more music and put out this EP which is really cool, but it definitely forces you to challenge yourself.

How does your activist work affect you and your artistic projects?

This year I’m making more videos and I’ve been very conscious about representation in my videos and making sure that I have people of color at the forefront of my videos. Also, I strive to be more authentic within my music and personality. By me being more authentic, I feel like I can help other people be more authentic in whatever is oppressing them whether it’s their race, or whatever they feel like they can’t talk about… like mental illness or anxiety, or things like that, especially in the black community where I feel like it’s being stigmatized and being a voice for that through my music is very important. So, again, definitely just representation and being authentic so I can give voice to people.

Do you have any advice to anyone who looks up to you?

For people who are trying to make music – and I’m still trying to figure everything out too – but a lot of musicians hold on to their music and they wait and wait and wait until it’s absolutely perfect and so I would say if you are making art or music to stop holding onto stuff and being an over perfectionist because it doesn’t matter how perfect it is.  If you’re trying to make it in the industry, you can’t wait. it’s constant content that will get you out there. But also… do what you love. Especially in college, I see a lot of people who keep saying, ‘well my mom wants me to do this, or my parents want me to do this, or this is what’s going to make me money. But take the time to really look at yourself and ask if that is really what you want to do with your life because in the end we all die, ya know? Your life is insignificant unless you do something with it.

Written by Makaila Heifner