Yukimi Nagano, most likely known as a member of the Swedish synth pop band Little Dragon, has long been a coveted guest singer. Your jazz skills used the Gorillaz, Drake and de la Soul. As the daughter of a Japanese, she grew up in Gothenburg, her mother is Swedish American. Now Nagano has recorded her first solo album and it is impressive! Soft and floating circles the songs, never stuck, nevertheless gives the individual tracks confidently different paints.
What she does is jazz without pathos. Against that is light, strong, fragile, she interprets her own texts, which revolve around personal sensitivities, but without any navel show. Discretion is Yukimis creative secret. In “Runaway” a garden is described musically that sends flora and fauna through the boxes. “Rules of School” reminded of the warm New York jazz of the 1970s and “Peace Reign” impresses with 60ies bonds.
Only sometimes the pieces seem a bit pretentious, for example when she sings in “Sad Make Up” about wanting to hide her own sadness from the environment in order not to make everyone else depressed. In “Jaxon” an old acquaintance comes into play: Kelvin “Pos” Mercer from de la Soul raps here and loosens too melancholic. A prof way for you is breaking new ground. It’s great to see that it is also worthwhile for old rabbits to always go to the artistic risk and to grow on it.
You can find out which albums were published in March 2025 via our monthly publication list.