Swiss-Polish-Japanese artist Yumi Ito has built an international reputation for weaving together cultures and genres in her music. With Lonely Island, she takes a more intimate turn: for the first time, she performs entirely solo - just voice and piano - creating a stripped-back record that feels both vulnerable and direct.

Set for release on 19 September 2025 via Enja Yellowbird, the album offers a rare glimpse into Ito’s artistry in its purest form. “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.”

The sessions took place in a secluded Ticino studio and were produced entirely by F(L)INTA creatives, an acronym representing women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender creatives. The result is a project centred on radical simplicity and presence.

Ito revisits 10 original pieces that have accompanied her through different stages of life—her “desert island songs.” Works such as Old Redwood Tree, Stardust Crystals, and a reimagined What Seems To Be emerge in new light, with Ito’s voice and piano taking on roles once occupied by a full ensemble.

The sound world she crafts lies somewhere between impressionist textures, Brazilian grooves, and cinematic atmospheres—evoking influences as diverse as Debussy, Tori Amos, Ólafur Arnalds and Norah Jones. Everything was recorded live, giving the album an organic flow that draws listeners into its intimate setting.

While Ito plans a larger ensemble project and international tour in 2026, Lonely Island represents a pivotal moment in her career: a deeply personal statement, rooted in improvisation and storytelling, that may also be her most powerful to date.

Lonely Island is available for pre-order

as a digital download on Bandcamp

or as a beautiful CD Collector’s Edition.

Find out more: https://www.yumiito.com/