Tierra Umi Wilson, who performs under the name UMI, released her debut album, Forest in the City, on RCA last year. The record pulls a lot of what it has to say from themes like relationships but it is also built on this feeling of being centered and aware of one’s environment.

The Seattle native stepped behind the mic in DC this Friday, opening Sam Smith at the Capital One Arena, and she had the crowd won over in a matter of minutes.

At Capital One Arena on August 4, UMI, whose middle name translates to “ocean” in Japanese, took a moment to ask the crowd to “close your eyes and relax your shoulders… Breath out and breath in.”

Starting the evening with a brief bit of meditation and breathing exercises, UMI kicked things off with “Sorry” from her album. As the lyrical melodies floated across the arena, UMI danced across the stage.

Watch the official music video for “wish that i could” by UMI on YouTube:

Warming things up, UMI introduced the next song as a love song. “A really honest, honest love song,” she told the filling arena. There’s an intimacy to these songs that are easy to get lost in. Even songs like “Love Affair” that she described as “about screaming and having a good ass time” had a smooth comfortable feel.

And in this all too short introduction to the world of UMI, there were other stand-outs like “everything will be alright” as it started out being sung in Japanese with the refrain, “Everything will be alright,” that had a bounce that had a positive and calming message.

I, for one, can’t wait to see more of UMI and hope she comes back around the DC area soon.

More can be found on her website.

Here are more photos of UMI performing at the Capital One Arena on August 4, 2023. All photos copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.