Breakout Singer/Songwriter Mina Okabe Is “Making Plans”
Today, Danish-Japanese singer/songwriter Mina Okabe premieres her new single “Making Plans” — an up-close and unforgettably tender portrait of longing and loss. Out now via Capitol Records, “Making Plans” is the third song released from the globally adored artist’s forthcoming sophomore album (a highly anticipated LP due out next spring).
The latest turn in a triumphant year that’s included being named a Spotify Borderless Artist for 2025 and completing her first-ever sold-out tour of Japan, “Making Plans” perfectly encapsulates the potent balance of sensitivity and self-possession that makes Okabe’s music so magnetic. Like all of her upcoming album, the stripped-back but exquisitely composed track came to life in collaboration with two-time GRAMMY®-nominated producer Leroy Clampitt — a multi-platinum hitmaker known for his work with Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Madison Beer, and more.
“‘Making Plans’ is a song about unrequited love,” says Mina Okabe. “It’s a very vulnerable topic, and ‘Making Plans’ is probably one of the saddest and most emotional songs I’ve ever written. I wrote it at home with my guitar, so when we recorded it in the studio, I only decided to add a few elements and instruments to ensure the song feeling would be as intimate as possible.”
Centered on Okabe’s crystalline vocals, “Making Plans” opens with the wistful strumming of acoustic guitar as she questions her unending infatuation with someone who’s moved on. As the song unfolds, lovely piano lines and subtle yet soulful drumbeats adorn her introspection, lending an undeniable sweetness to her painful confession of yearning and regret (from the chorus: “I couldn’t sleep when you were next to me/Knowing you might leave”). And while each line fully captures the singular ache of unreturned affection, Okabe ultimately unlocks a quiet strength as she makes her way to self-acceptance and a powerful new sense of clarity.
With its folky simplicity and beautifully unhurried melodies, “Making Plans” continues to reveal new dimensions of Okabe’s endlessly colorful musicality. To that end, her recent work also encompasses the breezy and euphoric “Strong” (a luminous piece of dream-pop) and Bossa Nova-infused “Maybe One Day.” At just 24-years-old, she’s built an extraordinary career that includes amassing over 500 million streams and earning recognition as a Spotify RADAR Artist and an Apple Music One To Watch. Earlier this year, the fast-rising phenomenon also received the New Artist of the Year prize at the 2024 Japan Gold Disc Awards and garnered a nomination for the 2025 Music Moves Europe Awards.
“It’s been such an eventful and exciting year to me, reflecting on great moments with audiences at SXSW in Austin, the Seoul Jazz Festival in Korea, and the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan,” says Okabe. “I’m truly grateful for everything I get to see and experience because of my music, and I can’t wait to see what the new year brings.”
Born and raised in London, Mina Okabe has also lived in New York, Manila, and Copenhagen and got her start writing songs on her own as a teenager. In 2021, she made her full-length debut with Better Days — a widely acclaimed album featuring hit singles like “Every Second,” which has surpassed 56 million streams on Spotify alone. As she gears up for the release of her sophomore LP, Okabe is also set to take the stage at the Eurosonic Festival in the Netherlands — a world-renowned event that includes the awards ceremony for the Music Moves Europe Awards.