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Gothenburg, Sweden-based singer/songwriter
Sumie writes delicate, intimate songs that need little more than her voice and acoustic guitar to make an impact. Born
Sandra Sumie Nagano to a Swedish mother and Japanese father (and also the sister of
Little Dragon's
Yukimi Nagano),
Sumie taught herself to play guitar and sing; after spending some time traveling and becoming a mother, she began recording her songs in her bedroom in 2008. She released a pair of EPs on Bandcamp, 2010's Transit and 2012's Let's Get Lost, before signing to
Bella Union, the label of former
Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde. She recorded her 2013 self-titled debut for the label with pianist
Nils Frahm and producer
Dustin O'Halloran. Following the album's release, she took some time out of the spotlight and returned to her day job. In 2017, she appeared on songs by
Library Tapes ("Cover Hearts") and Tegami ("Screen Dream") before returning with her second full-length,
Lost in Light, which took inspiration from Swedish poet Daniel Klevheden as well as
David Bowie,
Leonard Cohen, and
Ennio Morricone. ~ Heather Phares