Yumi Ito – Lonely Island
Out September 19, 2025 – enja yellowbird
With Lonely Island, Swiss-Polish-Japanese artist Yumi Ito releases her first solo album — a raw, intimate reimagining of her own work.
For this deeply personal project, she revisits ten original compositions from her critically acclaimed albums Stardust Crystals and Ysla, stripping them down to their emotional core. Recorded live with voice and piano simultaneously, the album preserves the acoustic warmth and spontaneity of each performance — a rarity in today’s studio landscape.
As a classically trained pianist who began her musical path at the age of three under the Suzuki Method, Ito draws on a lifelong connection to intuitive, ear-based learning. Lonely Island marks the first time she incorporates extended solo piano improvisations into a recording, allowing space for vulnerability, reflection, and reinvention.
“These songs have traveled the world with me,” she writes. “They’ve grown and changed through countless performances. Now feels like the right time to return to their essence — to complete the circle and open new doors.”
Lonely Island was recorded and mixed by Lara Persia at Lemura Studio, capturing the vivid energy of a live concert. The first three singles — “Is It You (solo version),” “Little Things (solo version),” and “After The End (solo version)” — are already available on all streaming platforms and YouTube, with more music to come ahead of the album’s release on September 19, 2025 via enja yellowbird.
The solo album will be followed by Ito’s next band release, Distant Voices, in 2026, with an international tour planned across Europe, Asia, North and South America. Distant Voices (2026), will present an entirely new body of work, continuing her evolution as a composer and performer.
About Yumi Ito
The Swiss-Polish-Japanese vocalist, pianist, and composer creates complex soundscapes with piano and vocal improvisation that stretch from pop to avant-garde. — Tim Dickeson, Jazzwise Magazine
Yumi Ito is recognized by critics as one of the most original and exciting voices in contemporary jazz. Based in Basel, Switzerland, the award-winning artist performs regularly around the world and has shared the stage with Al Jarreau, Becca Stevens, and Mark Turner.
Her fifth album, Ysla (enja, 2023), weaves personal stories, impressive improvisations, and a unique voice — like an island: proud, stoic, and strong amid the ocean of Art-Pop, Jazz, and Neoclassicism. Yumi Ito performs solo or with her international band, which includes guitarist Alessio Cazzetta, double bassist Nadav Erlich, and drummer Iago Fernández.
Always in focus: the creation of musical worlds in the spirit of boundlessness. Yumi Ito tours internationally, with milestones including the Blue Note Jazz Festival (US), Montreux Jazz Festival (CH), European Showcase jazzahead! 2024, Jazzmandu Festival (NP), Vejer Jazz Festival (ES), Schaffhauser Jazz Festival (CH), Jazzfest Trondheim (NO), Cairo Jazz Festival (EG), and Jazz Festival Basel «offbeat» (CH), among many others.
Recent appearances have included sold-out shows at the JazzArt Festival at NOSPR in Katowice (Poland), Veneto Jazz Festival at the legendary La Fenice in Venice (Italy), Akbank Jazz Festival in Istanbul (Turkey), Euro-Venezuelan Jazzfestival (Venezuela), and ZOA Festival in Ardagger Stift (Austria).
A prize winner of the Montreux Jazz Competition, Yumi Ito was selected for the Focus Year Program under Wolfgang Muthspiel at the Jazzcampus Basel (2017–2018), received the High Priority Jazz Grant from Pro Helvetia (2022–2024), and was unanimously chosen by the jury for the European Showcase at Jazzahead! in Bremen (2024).
Videos & Photos
Love Is Here To Stay (Solo Version)
Is It You (Solo Version)
Drama Queen (Live at Cavatina Hall)
After The End (Solo Version)
Little Things (Solo Version)
Love Is Here To Stay (Live at Unterfahrt)
Upcoming Performances
Selected Past Performances
Blue Note Jazz Festival New York (US)
Copenhagen Jazz Festival (DK)
Akbank Jazzfestival Istanbul (TR)
Cairo International Jazzfestival (EG)
Jazzfest Trondheim (NO)
April Jazz Festival Espoo (FN)
Euro-Venezuelan Jazz Festival Caracas (VE)
Jazzmandu Festival Kathmandu (NP)
Bluenote Sao Paulo (BR)
Jazz B Sao Paulo (BR)
Veneto Jazz Festival Venice (IT)
Cotton Club Ascoli (IT)
Lecco Jazz Festival (IT)
Palermo Summer Jazz Festival (IT)
Trentino Jazzfestival Cles (IT)
Jazz Area Metropolitana Festival Venice (IT)
Pesare et Urbino Festival (IT)
Peperoncino Jazzfestival Calabria (IT)
Empoli Jazz Festival (IT)
Stornarella Jazzfestival Foggia (IT)
Nissa Jazzfestival Caltanissetta (IT)
Castroreale Jazz Festival (IT)
Musica Morfosi Festival (IT)
Suoni Mobili Festival Tremezzina Como (IT)
Pedras Et Sonus Festival Cagliari (IT)
Gezmataz Jazzfestival Genova (IT)
Fuori Festivali Monza (IT)
Castroreale Jazzfestival (IT)
Jazzcafe Posk London (UK)
Jazz At The Blue Lamp Aberdeen (UK)
Katowice JazzArt Festival (PL)
NOSPR Katowice (PL)
Cavatina Hall Bielsko-Biala (PL)
Jassmine Warsaw (PL)
Love Polish Jazz Festival (PL)
Blue Note Poznan (PL)
Sopot Jazzfestival (PL)
Ladies First Festival Wroclaw (PL)
Festiwal Pianistów Jazzowych Kalisz (PL)
Jazztrzebie Festival (PL)
Akademia Letnia Jazzu Festival Lodz (PL)
Wadowickie Centrum Kultury (PL)
Centrum Kultury Piaseczno (PL)
Tarnowskie Centrum Kultury (PL)
Silesian Jazz Meeting Rybnik (PL)
Slaski Jazz Club Gliwice (PL)
Miod Lawenda Biardy (PL)
Jazzclub Nowy Sacz (PL)
12 on14 Jazz Club Warsaw (PL)
Teatr Muzyczny Torun (PL)
Fina Na Ucho Filmoteka Narodowa Warsaw (PL)
Jazz Juniors Krakow (PL)
Summer Jazz Festival Krakow (PL)
Centrum Kultury Dworek Bialopradnicki Krakow (PL)
Palac w Chrzesnem (PL)
NieBoJazz Fest Krasnostawski Dom Kultury (PL)
Vejer Jazzfestival (ES)
Jimmy Glass Valencia (ES)
Canjazz Festival (ES)
Bilbaina Bilbao (ES)
Ball Arte Festival (ES)
Nigran Jazz Festival (ES)
Meidinerz Gijon (ES)
Rvbicon Santander (ES)
Jazz à la Cité Festival Paris (FR)
Pavillon Le Corbusier Paris (FR)
Jazzycolors Festival Centre Culturel Suisse Paris (FR)
FORUM, Ville de Saint-Louis (FR)
Bernardo Sassetti Festival, Porto (PT)
Teatro Mayor Bogota (CO)
Medejazz Festival Medellin (CO)
Jazzfestival Pasto Teatro Javeriano (CO)
Casa Moraima Cartagena (CO)
JazzDock Jazz On Five Festival Prague (CZ)
International Jazzfestival Uzbekistan (UZ)
Porgy and Bess Vienna (AT)
Theater Akzent Vienna (AT)
ZOA Festival Ardagger Stift (AT)
Jazz and the City Salzburg (AT)
Unterfahrt München (DE)
Nikolaisaal Potsdam (DE)
Jazzahead Showcases Bremen (DE)
Bergson München (DE)
New Colours Festival Gelsenkirchen (DE)
Burg Vischering Lüdinghausen (DE)
Burgjazz Festival (DE)
Kemptener Jazzfestival (DE)
Domicil Dortmund (DE)
JazzHall Hamburg (DE)
Welthaus Bielefeld (DE)
Theaterstübchen Kassel (DE)
Jazztage Dresden (DE)
Glattbacher Jazztage (DE)
Women in (e)-motion Festival (DE)
Jazzclub Regensburg (DE)
Leise Am Markt Coburg (DE)
Gustav Lübcke Museum Hamm (DE)
Bayerischer Hof München (DE)
Jazzclub Heidelberg (DE)
Oma Doris Dortmund (DE)
b-flat Berlin (DE)
A-Trane Berlin (DE)
World Town Festival Waldshut-Tiengen (DE)
Theaterforum Gauting (DE)
Montreux Jazzfestival (CH)
Schaffhauser Jazzfestival (CH)
Kaufleuten Zürich (CH)
Offbeat Festival Basel (CH)
Autumn Of Music Festival Montreux (CH)
Jazz Onze Festival Lausanne (CH)
Jazz Au Peuple Festival Nyon (CH)
Moods Zürich (CH)
Am Rank Zürich (CH)
Cully Jazz Festival (CH)
Bejazz Festival Bern (CH)
Live In Vevey (CH)
Eisenwerk Frauenfeld (CH)
Gambrinus Jazz Plus St. Gallen (CH)
Floating Notes Festival San Bernardino (CH)
Chorus Lausanne (CH)
EMA Geneva (CH)
La Fabricca Losone (CH)
LAC Lugano (CH)
Volkshaus Biel (CH)
Wasserkirche Zürich (CH)
Jazz In Sarnen (CH)
Pontisella Kulturgasthaus Stampa (CH)
Die letzten Tage Festival Bern (CH)
Birdseye Basel (CH)
Thelonica Jazzfestival Lausanne (CH)
Centre de Culture & de Loisirs St-Imier (CH)
Isebähnli Baden (CH)
Jazz Im Seefeld Zürich (CH)
JazzChur Postremise Chur (CH)
Kulturmarkt Zürich (CH)
Jazz Club Gallon Osaka (JP)
Musoukan Eniwa Hokkaido (JP)
Aundo Hall, Hakodate (JP)
Ongakudo MAMI Iizuna (JP)
Live Spot RAG Kyoto (JP)
Smalls Bar Bangkok (TH)
Sala Siri Suda Sobha Bangkok (TH)
Centro de Bellas Artes, Maracaibo (VE)
El Sistema, Caracas (VE)
Fundacion Bigott, Caracas (VE)
Asociacion Cultural Humboldt, Caracas (VE)
Press & Reviews
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Fans of Portishead, Tori Amos, Björk, Sade, and the vocal acrobatics of Bobby McFerrin will feel right at home here. The vocal surfing between styles is extraordinary, and it’s hard to believe that all these tracks feature the voice of a single artist. I can’t stop listening. A fantastic album!
— Wprost Kultura Magazine, Maciej Drzażdżewski (about Ysla 2023)
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What made me fall in love with Yumi is the combination of the vocal tones of Björk, Fiona Apple, and Regina Spektor. The most wonderful thing is that despite this, she remains distinct and uniquely herself. I greatly admire her for her vocal courage and the uncompromising approach she takes. ‘Ysla’ is exceptional. Authentic. Beautiful in its essence.
— Jazz Soul, Przemo Urbaniak (about Ysla 2023)
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Very powerful when she elevates her scat singing like in “Drama Queen” and is accompanied only by bass and drums: so much fire, so much expression.”
— Jazzreportagen, Rainer Ortag (European showcases Jazzahead! 2024)
“This is a stunning piece of music, full of sublime musicality and exploding with talent, which in fact is hardly surprising in view of Ito’s earlier work and potential.”
— The Soundtrack of My Life, Adam Baruch. (about Ysla 2023)
“Bird-like vocal sensation!”
— Süddeutsche Zeitung (Album Release Konzert Review Unterfahrt 2023), Oliver Hochkeppel
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Yumi Ito is a multifaceted and visionary musician who has forged a uniquely personal path as a jazz singer-songwriter.
— Radio Bremen Zwei, Till Lorenzen (about Ysla 2023)
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One talent that cannot be taught is Yumi Ito’s gift for writing songs that are grand, layered, significant, enticingly diffuse, sometimes unfathomable, and often quite magical.
— REVIEW Abendzeitung München (about Ysla 2023)
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The Swiss Yumi Ito is one of the European vocal discoveries of recent years. With an irresistible timbre all her own, she sings self-composed songs that combine the simplicity of pop with the complexity of jazz.
— SWR 2, Ssirus W. Pakzad
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