UMI Celebrates Queer Love In “Wish I Could” Video

UMI releases an intimate, celebrative music video for her fan-favorite single, “wish that i could,” which follows the love journey of three queer couples, including UMI and her partner/producer Vron.

During Pride Month, the video awakens the emotions within UMI’s diaries, capturing the rush of adrenaline that comes with a blossoming, new relationship. UMI, who identifies as she/they, said, “desire is universal, attraction is attraction, and I simply wanted to showcase that through this video. Love who you want to love, be who you want to be, and do it out of love. ‘wish that i could’ is a celebration of freedom.”

UMI is coming off of her sold-out, 23-date tour, in support of her critically acclaimed debut album, Forest in the City. Named “best new release” by the likes of NPR, MTV, BET, and more, the album was four years in the making, with UMI at the helm of songwriting, production, and creative direction alongside her trusted community of collaborators.

Tierra Umi Wilson —who goes by the moniker UMI (which means ‘ocean’ in Japanese)— builds a space for healing in her music. On her first, full-length album, Forest in the City, released in May, UMI reflects on her journey since leaving her nature-filled hometown of Seattle, Washington for Los Angeles, California. Without the woods and tall trees, she had to look inward to connect with the comfort that buildings couldn’t provide. “This album began with a question: What impact did humans leaving the forest have on our minds?” UMI shared. “By the end of it, I came to realize that the forest never left me, and neither did my peace.” This mentality permeates the album and prompts listeners to find peace within themselves. Each of the album’s leading singles, “sorry,” “whatever u like” and “moonlit room,” served as their sanctuaries within UMI’s Forest in the City. “The themes are more universal and the sounds more expansive, bouncing from sun-soaked electro R&B on “whatever u like” to moody slow jams like “moonlit room,” Rolling Stone reviewed.

The 23-year-old rising artist/songwriter/producer has been releasing music since 2017, finding early success with a string of EPs and songs like “Remember Me,” which has now surpassed 121 million streams on Spotify alone. Vogue offered an early cosign by naming UMI as one of the “young breakthrough musicians making noise in the music industry” and she has continued to raise the bar with her projects, including Introspection in 2020 and Introspection Reimagined in 2021.

The latter was recorded at the legendary Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, with each song rearranged by UMI and created top to bottom with a full band, complete with horns and strings. UMI’s dedication, execution, and ingenuity earned her recognition from Billboard, Interview Magazine, Essence, WWD, and Refinery29, and support from the likes of Chanel and Nike.

Throughout 2021, UMI brought her live show to festival stages including Governors Ball, Day N Vegas, and Head in the Clouds, as well as joining Burna Boy for a performance at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. In May 2022, UMI kicked off her first, headlining U.S. tour, which was highlighted as one of the must-see events of the spring by The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. This summer, she will be at LETSGETFR.EE in Queens, NY, and at Day N Vegas in Las Vegas, NV.