In moments of uncertainty, we don’t necessarily search for answers; we look for spaces that allow us to gather, soften and remember who we are beneath the noise. With Yume, vocalist and songwriter Yukimi’s latest EP, she explores the quiet power of dreaming, not as escape, but as expansion. In Stockholm, her music met the table in a sensory dialogue, turning a performance into something shared, layered and deeply human.
After rising to prominence as the vocalist and percussionist of the Grammy-nominated band Little Dragon, she is stepping into a new chapter with Yume, Yukimi’s latest EP. The process though, has remained collaborative. Produced by Erik Bodin, who also worked on her debut solo album, the track ‘Get It Over’ was written with Saya Grey, while ‘All Over Me’ was co-written with artist and guitarist Mia Garcia.

“Every release of new music is a kind of chapter of my life. I go through different things, and so does the music. My songs will hopefully be relatable. I feel like a new person compared to the girl who wrote the early Little Dragon songs. I love and respect her, but I’m very happy to be a wiser version,” Yukimi says and adds:
“I sing about hopes, fantasies, wishes I have for the little biosphere around me, but also for the planet. I hope people can tap into the vulnerable sides of themselves, but also escape to a place with the help of the sounds. Yume has given me a chance to express my dreamy self. The music explores different sides of daydreaming, personal dreams and hopes for myself and the world. I think our world needs us to dream big so we can make it a beautiful place. So much madness is going on that it can easily become paralyzing.”
In times of turbulence, we don’t seek the rational. We look for shared meaning, a sense of belonging and stability. To transcend chaos, we’ve found ourselves gravitating toward experiences that bring us closer to the present and to each other. Throughout history, food and music have been two of humanity’s most powerful social technologies. They allow us to gather, to mark time and ritual, to transmit culture without words, to dissolve hierarchy and invite communion, to transcend the everyday. Neither requires elite access to be meaningful.

In collaboration with Asahi Super Dry 0,0%, Yukimi’s Asahi Sessions performance was no exception to history. Guests gathered not only for the music but for a dream-inspired menu, an ode to Yume, which translates to “dream” in Japanese, turning the evening into a sensory dialogue between sound and taste.
In many ways, the Yume-inspired menu created by chef Ricardo Molteni mirrored life’s chapters. Its textures and flavours moved from the soft innocence of childhood, captured in a bite-sized potato cake with burned leek mayo and juniperberry powder, to the savoury depth of growing older and wiser, expressed through truffle butter served on focaccia with fresh oyster mushrooms, toasted hazelnuts and fine dark chocolate flakes. For Ricardo, it was about balance: blending Japanese flavours while respecting the produce and committing to sustainable practices. Thus, nearly all ingredients were sourced in Sweden.

The hero of the menu, a pork katsu marinated in Asahi beer and miso, breaded and deep-fried, served on toasted sourdough with wild garlic emulsion, charred cabbage and tangy pickles, was, like Yukimi’s sound, soulful, airy and layered all at once.
“I love pairing music with food, and can recall a lot of moments in my life with the two present. I think it gives you more to sense and paint your experience with, sometimes giving a stronger feeling and memory,” Yukimi reflects.
Culinary experiences, like music, allow us to seize the moment while transporting us elsewhere. A form of transcendence not through escape, but through deepening the present, turning the ordinary act of eating or listening into something communal and emotional. Between bites of miso-marinated katsu and the first notes drifting from the microphone, that alchemy felt almost tangible.

For Yukimi, going beyond the conventional limits of art is not about spectacle but sensitivity, about understanding how we function as humans and gently stretching those boundaries. “It’s about using art as a tool for the bigger mass to, for example, feel love or feel pain that has been buried, calming the nervous system so that you can open your mind and think beyond.”
Perhaps that is where transcendence truly lives, not in abandoning the world, but in softening it. In allowing ourselves to gather, to taste, to listen, and to feel just enough to imagine something better. In turbulent times, that quiet expansion may be the most radical act of all.

Talent: Yukimi Nagano

Team Credits:

Photography by John Scarisbrick
Styling by Mili Malinovic
Hair by Francisca Saavedra
Make-up by Sóley Astudóttir
Words by Hannah Magnusson
DOP/short film by Atelier-riot

Fashion Credits:

1 & 9) White shirt by A.W.A.K.E MODE. Black shirt by Maison Margiela. Pants by Samantha Esfandiari. Skirt-shirt by Celine.
2 & 3) Dress by Stinarand. Stockings by Calzedonia. Shoes by Balenciaga.
4) Headpiece by Paco Rabanne. Asymmetrical top by Wilhja. Skirt by Comme Des Garçons. Baotou flats: stylist’s own.
5) Dress by Emma Carling.
6) Leather jacket by Anni Salonen. Skirt by Anna Danielsson. Leotard by Alaïa. Shoes by Sophie Tiné.
7) Dress by Jacob Ploski.
8) Striped blazer by KRIBA. Sheer bralette by Dries Van Noten. Gloves by Tuuli-Tytti Koivula. Skirt by Sacai.
10) Puffer kimono coat by Yakusha.

Team Credits:
Photography by Eizo Kuzukawa
Styling by Itsuka Watanabe
Hair by Hirokazu Endo
Makeup by Mariko Suzuki

Fashion Credits:
1) Top and skirt by KEISUKEYOSHIDA
2) Dress and bodysuit by TOGA
3) Shirt, shorts, necklace and boots by Sacai
4) Bodysuit by FETICO, pumps by YOHEI OHNO, stockings by stylist’s own
5) Car object, jumpsuit, and pumps by YOHEI OHNO, stockings by stylist’s own
6) Shirt dress with a belt by HARUNOBUMURATA, mesh cap by hair stylist’s own
7) Shirt by KEISUKEYOSHID

Team credits:

Photography by Andoni+Arantxa
Styling by Mégal Grouchka
Hair by Kazue Deki (Calliste)
Make-up by Tatsu Yamanaka (Marie-France Thavonekham)
Model: Marie Louise Wedel (Elite) 

Fashion credits:

#1 Coat by Acne Studios. Boots by Isabel Marant
#2 Suit by Dior. Shoes by Tibi
#3 Dress by Nanushka. T-shirt from La Jeanerie. Shoes by Tibi
#4 Jacket and skirt by Mulberry. Boots by Isabel Marant 
#5 Top by Vanessa Seward. Trousers by Acne Studios. Shoes by Tibi
#6 Jacket by Holiday Boileau. Jeans from La Jeanerie. Shoes by Tibi
#7 Dress by Tibi. Shoes by IRO
#8 T-shirt by Sacai. Tights by Dior
#9 Skirt by Sacai
#10 Jacket and skirt by Mulberry. Boots by Isabel Marant 
#11 Jacket by Holiday Boileau. Jeans from La Jeanerie. Shoes by Tibi
#12 Coat by Acne Studios. Boots by Isabel Marant
#13 Jacket and skirt by Mulberry. Boots by Isabel Marant 
#14 T-shirt by Sacai. Tights by Dior 

Team Credits
Photography by: Yuri Tanaka
Styling by: Hitomi Matsuno
Hair by: Chika Ueno
Make up by: Chiharu Wakabayashi
Model: Yuko Nagata

Fashion credits
#1/2/3 Jacket by tiit tokyo, top by Sacai, skirt by United Tokyo 
#4/5/6 Tops tiit tokyo, pants by Atsushi Nakashima
#7 Set by tiit tokyo, top stylist own
#8 Pants by tiit tokyo
#9/10 Coat by Atsushi Nakashima
#11 Top by tiit tokyo, pants by tiit tokyo
#12 All in one tiit tokyo

Team credits
Photography by Kenta Karima
Styling by Hitomi Shidooka
Hair and makup by Akihiro Motooka
Model Nana

Fashion credits
#1/2 Jacket by Saint Laurent, vintage shirt by Kris Van Assche, pants models own, bengle by Marni
#3/4/8 Jacket stylists own, shirt by Junya Watanabe, vest by sacai, shoes by Jil Sander, earrings by John Lawrence Sullivan
#5/6 Top by Doublet, pants models own, belt by Double Standard Clothing
#9/10 Jacket by Cry, top by Issey Miyake, pants models own
#11/12 Coat by Off-White, top models own, pants stylists own

Credits:

Photography by Estelle Rancurel

Styling by Delphine Brossard

Make-Up: Celine Exbrayat at Call My Agent

Models: Kiki and Mila at Supreme, Ollie at Metropolitan and Winslow at 16Men

Stylist´s assistant: Elise Accart

Make-Up Assistant: Florence Benaddi

Retouching: Sophiek

Fashion credits:

1: Top by Maison Standards. Coat (round waist) by Julien David. Shorts by Sacai. Trousers by Wat Pants. Trainers by Vans

2: Ollie wears Coat by Le Mont ST Michel. Coat by Julien David. Top by Wait. Necklace by Regina Dabdab; Kiki wears Kimono by Dunasteia. Dress by Kenta Matsushige

3: Coat, Jacket and Trousers by Lacoste. Necklace by Regina Dabdab

4: Mila wears jumper by Moomin. Poloneck by Tsumori Chisato.

5: Ollie wears jacket by Hed Mayner. Top and Shorts by Bernhard Willhelm. Trainers by Nike; Mila wears Dress by 69. Jumper by Féte Impériale. Trousers by Tsumori Chisato. Boots by Guibert Paris

6: Dress by Kenta Matsushige. Kimono by Christian Wijnants. Dress by Victoria/Tomas

7: Jacket by Andrea Crews. Jumper by Golden Goose Deluxe Brand

8: Ollie wears jacket by Hed Mayner. Top and Shorts by Bernhard Willhelm. Trainers by Nike; Mila wears Dress by 69. Jumper by Féte Impériale. Trousers by Tsumori Chisato. Boots by Guibert Paris