Maya Unagi – Stumbling (2025)
Maya Unagi offers something radical: stillness, in a world addicted to velocity, where songs are often built to sprint through our feeds. Her latest single ‘Stumbling’ doesn’t clamour for attention, it waits for you. Like a sunrise through half-closed blinds, it finds you where you are and gently invites you in.
The track opens with a hush, not a bang. Harp notes glimmer like light bouncing off water. Soft percussion cradles the space between beats. Analogue textures shimmer in the background, not showy but soulful. And then comes Unagi’s voice, clear, tender, full of grace. She doesn’t belt. She doesn’t break. She simply offers. Each word is delivered like a secret kept safe too long, now finally ready to be shared.
‘Stumbling’ is a ballad for the middle places, the uncertain, unfinished chapters we so often rush to escape. But Unagi reminds us that there is beauty in not knowing, in trying again, in soft starts and slow growth. The lyrics don’t just explore healing, they honour it, in all its imperfection.
The musicality is just as thoughtful. Produced by Curran Sinha (known for work with Noname and Common), the arrangement breathes with intention. There’s no clutter. Every instrument – whether it’s Karim Hutton’s smooth, grounding bass or Sara Kawai’s ethereal harp – feels like a brushstroke on canvas. And yet, Unagi herself is the throughline: she composed, co-produced, and plays keys on the track, grounding it with her distinct sonic fingerprint. This is not a song crafted by committee. It is a creation, personal, layered, and lovingly made.
It’s rare to hear something so gentle feel so complete. The song unfolds without ever demanding direction. Like memory, it loops and lingers. Like emotion, it swells and softens. Listening to ‘Stumbling’ feels less like pressing play and more like stepping into a dream that was waiting for you. It’s not just about what’s said, it’s about what’s felt. And perhaps that’s what makes this single feel so essential right now. In a time when noise masquerades as meaning, Maya Unagi is offering refuge. Her work isn’t rushed because she knows the worth of time. It trusts that listeners will come to it not for escape, but for reflection. This is not background music. It’s a foreground feeling.
‘Stumbling’ is the first glimpse of Unagi’s upcoming EP, Pieces, and if this track is any indication, we’re about to receive a body of work that doesn’t chase trends; it chisels truth. Each note, each lyric, each silence is intentional. And together, they remind us of something easy to forget: that being in progress is not a flaw, it’s a form of grace. Maya Unagi isn’t here to shout above the noise. She’s here to sing beneath it, and in doing so, she permits us to slow down, to feel deeply, and to stumble forward, softly, honestly, beautifully.
Find out more about Maya Unagi on her Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
