BY DEAN VAN NGUYEN Yukimi, the longtime frontwoman of Little Dragon, steps out on her own, taking inspiration from Prince, De La Soul, and the frosted bliss of Swedish winter.
A solo debut titled For You ? That sounds familiar. Yukimi Nagano, the Little Dragon frontwoman now striking out on her own as the mononymous Yukimi, uses the prelude of her first album to explain that the title is a humble dedication to you, the listener.“And here we are, spinning on a planet together,” she recites in a playful tone. “All I really, really wish for is that we remember to be connected.” Still, I couldn’t help but detect the purple influence of a certain pop demigod’s debut record by the same name. “ Always a Prince influence,” Yukimi informs me. “I’m a big Prince fan. I have been my whole life, ever since I was a child. I love his songwriting. I love his voice, the dynamics, the range, the
quirkiness, the originality. For me, he was really someone who, in his own way, expressed himself and made it easier for me to express myself in my own way.” More than a fan, Yukimi is a true disciple, calling Prince a “leading star in my life.” And so when it came to naming this project, she saw a beautiful symmetry in drawing from the celestial. “I love his first album,” she says. “It’s one of my favorite albums ever. I thought it was fitting.” There are some clear differences betweenYukimi’s For You and Prince’s 1978 album. The Kid was but a nineteen-year-old pop protégé when he unveiled his exhilarating mojo to the world, an alien talent but far from the finished product.Yukimi, in contrast,
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( opening spread ) Still from Yukimi’s “Break Me Down” video (2024), directed by Fredrik Egerstrand.
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