“One of the most original and exciting voices of contemporary jazz. ‘Lonely Island’ is a delicate world of sounds – minimalist, intimate, and moving.”
— Era Jazzu - Dionizy Piątkowski (about Lonely Island 2025)
Yumi Ito – Lonely Island
Released September 19, 2025 – enja yellowbird
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 was released 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.
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About Yumi Ito
“Ito creates complex soundscapes with piano and vocal improvisation that stretch from pop to avant-garde.” — Jazzwise Magazine (UK)
Yumi Ito uses her voice and piano to create musical worlds that transcend all boundaries. The Swiss-Polish-Japanese musician is considered one of the most exciting voices on the European scene. Her music lives between art pop, jazz, and neoclassical, imbued with improvisation, intuition, and a deeply personal expressiveness. It's as if Tori Amos and Norah Jones had written the soundtrack to a Debussy biopic with Ólafur Arnalds.
Based in Basel, Switzerland, Ito tours internationally, both solo and with her band - featuring Alessio Cazzetta (g), Nadav Erlich (kb) and Iago Fernández (dr). Milestones include 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 (CH), among many others. Collaborations with Mark Turner, Becca Stevens, and Al Jarreau testify to her versatility, while projects with Sarah Chaksad and other Swiss artists demonstrate a strong local spirit of solidarity.
Stardust Crystals (2020) was listed by Jazz Thing and Bandcamp as one of the best albums of the year. Ysla (2023) continued this success with widespread media coverage and concerts around the world. SWR2 Jazz named Ito “vocal discovery of the year” and, following an invitation to jazzahead! European Showcase last year, further milestones are on the horizon: Lonely Island is Ito's first solo album and will be released in 2025. A new work with her band will follow in 2026, and a tour is also in the works.
Order
Lonely Island
Album Credits & Contact
Recorded
25th & 26th of March, 5th & 6th of July 2024 at Lemura Recording Studio, Montagnola, Switzerland
Yumi Ito
Vocals, Piano, Composition, Lyrics & Production
Lara Persia (Lemura Recording Studio)
Recording, Editing & Mixing
Magdalena Piotrkowska (Hear Candy)
Mastering
Studio assistants
Giuseppe Loi, Shan Fioravera, Melanie Fernandez Otero
Maria Jarzyna
Graphic design & typography
Mady Lykeridou
Photography
Paulina Janiuk
Outfit design
Marta Soltys (Ms Muse)
Creative Direction, Supervision
Stoph Ruckli
Consulting
PR GSA
Judith Kobus
info@cubus-music.de
PR USA, UK, Japan
Matt Ever (Tiny Human)
ever@tinyhuman.com
PR Europe except GSA and UK
Matt Fripp (Jazz Fuel)
matt@jazzfuel.com
Label
Enja Yellowbird
Werner Aldinger
wa@enjarecords.com
Gille Amaral (Dog and Pony Industries)
Management, Coordination
gille@dogandponyindustries.com
Artist Contact
www.yumiito.com
management@yumiito.com
Videos & Photos
Stardust Crystals (Solo Version)
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
“The music recalls the intensity of singer-songwriters such as Tori Amos or Fiona Apple, not only because of the expressive vocals but also due to her narrative piano playing, which not only accompanies but actively shapes. For the first time, Ito has also incorporated extended piano improvisations, occasionally doubling them with her wide vocal range.”
— Melodiva (about Lonely Island 2025)
“Singer, pianist, and composer with great narrative power.”
— Hessischer Rundfunk 2 (about Lonely Island 2025)
“An emotional journey – with nothing but voice and piano. The classically trained pianist succeeds in creating maximum depth with minimal means – a work that does not need to be loud in order to be heard.”
— eReM Online Magazine - HuGe ***** (album review about Lonely Island 2025)
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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)
“One of the most original and exciting voices of contemporary jazz. Lonely Island shimmers with shades of Debussy, Norah Jones, Ólafur Arnaldsn, and Tori Amos. It echoes impressionism, Brazilian rhythms and film landscapes. A delicate world of sounds - minimalist, intimate, and moving.”
— Era Jazzu - Dionizy Piątkowski (about Lonely Island 2025)
„She is a sound explorer. She loves to accompany herself on the piano: repetitive motifs, which she sings wordlessly, are approached with the same seriousness as hymn-like passages. Her music thrives on nuances and fine shades, on beautiful tonal fusions. Guidance through her sonic cosmos is given by her voice – at times relaxed and light, then powerful, incantatory, hymn-like. With just a few notes, she creates a world of her own.”
— Bayerischer Rundfunk - Beatrix Gillmann (about Lonely Island 2025)
“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
Full Discography
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Lonely Island
Solo album by Yumi Ito (piano, voice, composition)
(2025, Enja Yellowbird) -
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Ysla
with Kuba Dworak, Iago Fernandez, Chris Hyson, guests
(2023, Enja Yellow Bird) -
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Stardust Crystals
Yumi Ito Orchestra w/Large Ensemble
(2020, Unit Records) -
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Ekual
Yumi Ito & Szymon Mika
(2021, Hevhetia Records) -
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Ypsilon
Yumi Ito & Yves Theiler
(2018) -
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Intertwined
with Yves Theiler, Gabriel Dalvit, Yuri Goloubev
(2016, Unit Records)
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