From acoustic singer-songwriter to rising pop star, Emei has carved out a delightfully quirky lane for herself in the music industry. The Yale-educated artist is proudly embracing her “pop girly” label with infectious pop melodies, personal storytelling, and dynamic live performances.
“I write very chronologically,” Emei told EnVi. “I feel like every project of mine is like my journal entries throughout a period of time in my life.”
Emei’s candid vulnerability shines through in her music, with tracks such as “Scatterbrain” and “RABBITHOLE” reflecting her personal experiences with anxiety and the challenges life brings. Yet, it’s not all heavy; Emei’s work is filled with a playful energy that transports listeners into her vibrant and relatable rabbit hole.
In an exclusive Zoom interview, Emei spoke with EnVi about her creative process, artistic evolution, and her love for performing.
From Yale to Full-time Musician
From the campus of Yale University to the stages of sold-out shows, Emei’s journey is nothing short of remarkable. The cognitive science graduate and self-described Type A personality credits her immigrant family background and her love for structure as key influences in her path.
“I think that my Type A-ness reflected through my time at Yale as well,” Emei said. “I think that I’ve always been a very academic person who is pretty hard working. I like organization, I like structure.”
Yet beneath that structured exterior, Emei’s creative spirit and passion for music has always been there. She shared that she’s been singing since she was nine years old.
When she was 15 years old, she competed on the singing competition, Chinese Idol. The experience helped her develop stage presence, as well as confidence on stage and in front of a camera.
“That was a really big part of me, just becoming comfortable with performing and being on stage,” Emei explained, reflecting on how those early performances laid the groundwork for her current tours.
It was during her high school years, after competing on the show, that Emei began to find comfort in songwriting.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I love this and I love expressing myself this way, and if I can have a career out of it then that would be the best case scenario,’” she reflected.
Through her songwriting journey, Emei discovered her passion for music as a means of self-expression.
Emei’s upbringing in a Chinese immigrant family also plays a big role in her work ethic and artistry. The sacrifices her parents made instilled a sense of responsibility in Emei that drives her detailed approach to songwriting and production.
“I think growing up in an immigrant family, it’s just a little bit different in regards to [them having] sacrificed a lot for me to be able to have the opportunities I have,” Emei said. “So there’s always a lot of pressure.”
That push and pull between her meticulous, organized tendencies and her wild creative side is something Emei constantly navigates. It’s a duality that shines through in her lively yet introspective music, full of pop hooks and personal lyrics that touch on mental health and the complexities of young adulthood.
Finding Her Voice
Emei’s musical journey has been one of constant growth, as she balances her Type A personality with a creative spirit that’s always evolving.
Her analytical side often finds itself at odds with her creative impulses as she juggles the demands of her music career. “I have this timeline and I have to hit this deadline, but at the same time, the song isn’t right yet, and I need more time, and I need to figure it out,” Emei explained.
It’s this duality that adds to the music’s emotional core.
A big part of Emei’s artistry is rooted in her heritage. Her stage name, Emei, is a blend of her English and Chinese names, Emily and Mei.
“It feels like very much a part of my identity,” Emei shared, explaining how her mom’s affectionate nickname for her inspired the choice.
In the early days of pursuing music, Emei gravitated towards an acoustic, singer-songwriter sound. “I grew up listening to a lot of jazz and musical theater and so it was more in that world,” Emei explained.
Her early songwriting expenditures were firmly rooted in a mellow style but it didn’t take long for her to want more. Emei told EnVi that while she loved the singer-songwriter sound, she was “getting mildly bored.” She described herself as a chaotic person who loves pop music.
“I wanted more energy, and I wanted drums and weird little ear candies here and there,” Emei explained. “And I realized that I’m just a pop girly.”
This shift in sound also marked a shift in themes of her music. With projects such as End of an Era and Scatterbrain (Deluxe), Emei explored deeper, introspective topics such as her struggles with anxiety and panic attacks.
Vulnerability and Spontaneity in Songwriting
Emei’s creative process is a mix of spontaneity and careful collaboration. She recalled one songwriting session for her Scatterbrain EP, where she showed up with a coffee stain on her pants after spilling it on herself in the car right before walking into the studio.
“I was just like, so scatterbrained that morning,” Emei explained. “And I went into the session and I was like, ‘I want to write a song called scatterbrain because this is how I’m feeling.”
That spontaneous, in-the-moment energy is a key part of Emei’s songwriting style. When working with producer Boy Blue, Emei described a process of back-and-forth edits as they bounce ideas off each other.
“He’ll be like, ‘Okay, I brought this sound.’ And I’ll be like, ‘I love that,’ or I’ll be like, ‘Maybe we can change it to this or that,’” Emei explained. “And then he’ll pick something, we will start humming on top of it and just thinking of melodies that mesh together.”
Emei’s songwriting often blends personal experiences with a spirited style that feels both relatable and raw. For Emei, songwriting is like writing diary entries.
Her EP End of an Era was reflective of the transitional period of graduating college and moving into her first apartment. Emei said Scatterbrain explores, “settling into who I am and being frustrated with myself and learning to have peace with myself.”
Emei tackles her struggles with anxiety and mental health head-on in tracks such as “Scatterbrain” and “RABBITHOLE.” Her latest single “ALL THESE KIDS,” channels her frustration of navigating fame as others try to exploit her success.
“I think that because [mental health] is a big part of my life and something I deal with, then I naturally want to write about it and naturally feel like that’s something I want to share and [it’s something I] feel the strongest about,” Emei said. “I don’t intentionally go out of my way to talk about it, but it’s just something that I think when I feel the strongest about it, I want to write about it.”
From Screen to Stage: Bridging the Gap
As a modern pop artist, Emei navigates the dual roles of musician and social media content creator.
“Social media is weird because success is like… you see numbers online but it doesn’t feel real until you’re literally playing shows and meeting people and talking to people and seeing people saying your lyrics back to you,” she expressed.
Despite the surreal nature of online fame, Emei credits platforms such as TikTok and Instagram with helping her reach a wider audience and build her career. Emei’s breakout moment came when her song “Late to the Party” went viral on TikTok, convincing her to fully pursue a career in music.
“Without social media, I wouldn’t be able to reach the people that I do reach and the fans that listen to my music,” she reflected. “Like that would not have happened.”
She emphasized her love for interacting with fans, whether during a performance or Discord event, and how it makes everything better.
One moment that stands out to her is when a fan tattooed her signature. “That is some crazy stuff. I’m always like ‘Huh? Why?’” Emei reflected. “I feel like, most of the time, I’m just like, ‘That’s crazy.’ I feel like that experience has been really insane and unbelievable.”
Even seeing social media reactions to her songs still takes Emei by surprise.
“I’m always like, ‘This is really sick,’” she said. “I feel I still don’t know when or if that feeling will ever go away. I hope it never goes away and I think it’s important to preserve this feeling.”
For Emei, the excitement of seeing people engage with her music never gets old. “I’m still very much like, ‘holy crap!’” she laughed. “I feel like most of the time I’m just like, ‘I’m just writing silly songs.’ When people listen to it and share it, it’s just so nice. And even when people write about it. I appreciate this interview right now.”
Live performance is the pinnacle of Emei’s artistic journey, a space where she truly feels at home. “It’s for sure my favorite part of my job by very, very far,” Emei said about performing live. “It’s just so much fun. I mean, I have always loved performing. That’s part of the reason why I even write music.”
“When I’m on stage, I genuinely feel like I am meant to be doing that,” Emei continued. “It just feels right for me and I’m just the happiest I ever am on stage.”
What’s Next for Emei in Wonderland?
As Emei looks to the future, her excitement for her upcoming releases is palpable.
Emei’s upcoming EP, RABBITHOLE, releases on November 15, promising a whimsical journey through her artistry. Drawing inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, she’s creating a visually striking aesthetic that reflects her playful persona. “I have never been so excited about my visuals.”
The Alice in Wonderland concept is also a heartfelt nod to her sister, Alice. Emei explained, “But it is also very much like this world I live in that feels like things are proportionally weird and they don’t really make sense sometimes.”
She shared that while she writes about serious topics, she doesn’t like to take herself too seriously sometimes. She said that she’s just singing and making noise; it’s fun, dumb and silly.
“I was trying to find a visual world where all of that came together and made sense,” Emei explained. “And for me, Alice in Wonderland was the first thing that came to mind. And, yeah, it’s fun. It feels like me going through a maze and talking flowers and crazy stuff,” she said.
Emei is gearing up to hit the stage on her 2025 European and North America “THE RABBITHOLE TOUR.” She’ll also be making her festival debut at MetaMoon Music Festival in New York on September 28 and at Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas on October 12. For more 2024 performance dates, check out her website.
Be sure to pre-save Emei’s EP RABBITHOLE. To keep up to date on all things Emei, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and YouTube.
Interested in more EnVi exclusives? Checkout our interview with P1Harmony about their latest EP here!
