Little Dragon’s Yukimi Announces Debut Solo Album

Way back in 1996, Yukimi Nagano formed the playfully genre-fluid Swedish band Little Dragon with her high-school friends. It took a while for Little Dragon to release their self-titled 2007 debut, but they’ve been touring and recording steadily ever since; their most recent LP Slugs Of Love came out in 2023. Now, Nagano is stepping out on her own.

In October, Yukimi Nagano released her debut solo single “Break Me Down.” Nagano released that song under her first name, and she co-wrote it with Lianne La Havas and her Little Dragon bandmate Erik Bodin. Now, Yukimi announces that For You, her first solo LP, is coming this spring. She’s also shared two more solo songs.

In a press release, Yukimi says that she wants For You “to really be a force to connect people to each other, and step away from the madness of everything on the planet right now.” The album features guest appearances from Lianne La Havas, De La Soul’s Posdnous, and her father Yusuke Nagano. Even though they doesn’t appear on the tracks, La Havas and Posdnous are actually credited as a co-writers of both of Yukimi’s new singles, along with Erik Bodin and Yukimi herself. Bodin produced both tracks.

“Sad Makeup,” the first of the two new Yukimi songs, is a laid-back jazzy-folky rumination. Yukimi says, “I wrote a song called ‘Sad Makeup’ about those days when you try to push down and control a sad feeling. The more I try to control it, the more it’s felt by others around me, growing bigger as an energy.”

“Winter Is Not Dead,” the other new track, is an expansive minimal pulse. Yukimi says, “Living in Scandinavia, we must face our long, dark winters. The lack of light brings many of us down. At the same time, underground, life thrives. Microbes stay busy breaking down organic matter, recycling nutrients and improving the soil, quietly preparing for spring. I also grow during my personal winter seasons, even though things might feel dead on the surface. Wheels turn as I transform and move through it getting ready for spring and summer.”

Below, check out both new tracks and the For You tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Prelude For You”
02 “Make Me Whole”
03 “Break Me Down”
04 “Runaway”
05 “Elinam”
06 “Steam Of Consciousness” (feat. Lianne La Havas)
07 “Rules Of School”
08 “Sad Makeup”
09 “Peace Reign”
10 “No Prince”
11 “Winter Is Not Dead”
12 “Jaxon” (feat. Posdnous)
13 “Feels Good To Cry” (feat. Yusuke Nagano)

For You is out 3/28 on Ninja Tune.