SUMIE

Originating from Gothenburg, Sweden, singer-songwriter Sumie specializes in delicate, intimate material whose impact rests almost entirely on her voice paired with acoustic guitar. Born Sandra Sumie Nagano to a Swedish mother and Japanese father—and the sister of Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano—she mastered both guitar and vocals independently. After periods of travel and the arrival of motherhood, she started capturing songs in her bedroom during 2008. A pair of Bandcamp EPs, Transit in 2010 and Let’s Get Lost in 2012, preceded her signing with Bella Union, the label founded by former Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde. For that imprint she tracked her 2013 self-titled debut alongside pianist Nils Frahm and producer Dustin O’Halloran. Once the record appeared she withdrew from the spotlight and resumed ordinary employment. In 2017 she surfaced on Library Tapes’ “Cover Hearts” and Tegami’s “Screen Dream,” then issued her second album, Lost in Light, shaped by Swedish poet Daniel Klevheden together with David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Ennio Morricone.