Madilyn Mei

Last updated
Madilyn Mei
Born2002 (age 22–23) [1]
Origin San Tan Valley, Arizona, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • ukulele
Years active2020–present
Labels
Website madilynmei.com

Elio Mei, [a] (born 2002) known by their [b] stage name Madilyn Mei, is an American indie-folk and indie-pop singer-songwriter from San Tan Valley, Arizona, whose whimsical, fantasy-themed music first gained traction on TikTok and YouTube in the early 2020s.

Contents

Early life and education

Born and raised in Queen Creek, AZ, just outside Phoenix, Madilyn Mei went to high school at Heritage Academy Gateway. Mei began writing songs in fifth grade and played coffee-shop gigs by seventh grade while growing up in the Phoenix area. [1] Before pursuing music full-time, they worked retail and built an online audience of more than 160k followers across platforms.

Career

2020–2022: Online breakout

Mei released early demo projects and the EP Where No One Knows My Name (2022) [5] while appearing on the lineup of ZONA Music Festival 2022 in Phoenix. [6]

2023: To Exist With You

They self-released their debut LP on 23 June 2023 featuring the Addison Grace duet "Sleeping in the Kitchen" [7] and launched their first headlining club dates. [1]

Late 2023: Promise You Won't Scream EP

A six-track Halloween-season EP issued 27 October 2023. [8]

2024: The Bard era and Side Quest Tour

Concept EP The Bard (6 September 2024) drew praise for its fantasy storytelling ("Call Me The Bard", [9] "Never the Muse", [10] "Side Quest Song" [11] ). The 23-date Side Quest Tour featured immersive cosplay and theatrical staging, documented in a Santa Ana concert review. [12] A Music Connection live review lauded their "gorgeous vocals" and "emotionally intelligent" material. [13]

2025–present

They issued the stand-alone singles "Poppin Skittles" and "What's Going On?!" in January and May 2025 [14] respectively, ahead of work on a second LP. On September 8, 2025, Mei performed the song on Late Show Me Music, a spinoff series of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert , created to shine a light on rising music acts. [15] Mei is set to open selected dates on AJR's Somewhere in the Sky U.S. tour (July–October 2025). [16] Their album A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1 was released on September 12, 2025.

Musical style and influences

Critics describe Mei's music as "delicately crafted indie-pop" that blends acoustic instrumentation with bedroom-pop production. [5] Their lyrics draw on classic fantasy tropes while maintaining introspective themes of yearning and self-discovery. [10] Live reviews compare their clear soprano to a young Linda Ronstadt and praise their minimalist duo stage setup. [13]

Collaborations

Discography

Studio albums

TitleRelease Year
To Exist With You
2023
A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1
2025

Extended-plays

TitleRelease year
Where No One Knows My Name
2022
Promise You Won't Scream
2023
The Bard
2024

Singles

Primary artist

TitleRelease yearAlbum/EP
"Stolen Smiles"
2019
Non-album singles
"Knotted Constellations"
"One Last Hurrah"
2020
"Lub Dub"
"The Queen"
"Let's Be Friends"
2021
"APPLE JUICE"
2022
"Blue Haired Boy
Where No One Knows My Name
"Nepotism"
"Dress Like A Pirate"
"The Chapel"Non-album singles
"The Milk Carton"
2023
"Sleeping in the Kitchen"
(featuring Addison Grace)
To Exist With You
"Florida"
"call me when you land"Non-album single
"Kleptomaniacrow"
Promise You Won't Scream
"Cryptid"
"Sheep in Wolf's Clothing"
"Garden Jargon"
2024
Non-album single
"Side Quest Song"
The Bard
"Tho I'm A Tortoise"
"Never The Muse"
"Poppin Skittles"
2025
Non-album single
"What's Going On?!"
A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1
"At Least I'd Be A Cowboy!"
"A Can Of Worms"
"One Man Circus"
TitleRelease yearAlbum/EP
"Six Legs (tippy tappy toes)"
(Scrawny featuring Madilyn Mei)
2023
Non-album single

Notes

  1. ↑ [2] [3]
  2. ↑ According to their social media, Mei goes by he and they pronouns; [4] this article uses they for consistency.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 TAYLOR, DAN (2023-01-19). "Promising songwriters Madilyn Mei, M.J. Ward unite at the Phoenix in Petaluma". The Press Democrat. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  2. ↑ "my name = @madilynmei". Instagram . Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  3. ↑ "the album is out!! - vlog 4" (2:42) YouTube . Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  4. ↑ "@madilynmei". Instagram . Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Campbell, Caleb. "Madilyn Mei Shares New EP 'The Bard'". Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  6. ↑ "ZONA Music Festival 2022 Lineup - Dec 3 - 4, 2022". JamBase. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  7. ↑ "To Exist With You, by Madilyn Mei". Madilyn Mei. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  8. ↑ Promise You Won't Scream - EP by Madilyn Mei on Apple Music, 2023-10-27, retrieved 2025-05-02
  9. ↑ Campbell, Caleb. "Madilyn Mei Shares New EP 'The Bard'". Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  10. 1 2 "Madilyn Mei is inspired by bards for her latest single "Never the Muse" [Video] – EARMILK" . Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  11. ↑ Radic, Randy (2024-05-08). "Madilyn Mei – "Side Quest Song" [Song Review]". V13.net. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  12. ↑ "Madilyn Mei goes on a side quest at the Observatory!". riversidescene.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  13. 1 2 Sommer, Eric (2024-08-26). "Live Review of Madilyn Mei in Raleigh, North Carolina". www.musicconnection.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  14. ↑ Poppin Skittles, 2025-01-23, retrieved 2025-05-02
  15. ↑ "'What's Going On?!' - Madilyn Mei for #LateShowMeMusic". YouTube . September 8, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  16. ↑ Denning, Reagan (2025-03-15). "AJR presents the Somewhere In The Sky Tour »". www.melodicmag.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
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