Mei Semones

Last updated
Mei Semones
Mei Semones.jpg
Semones performing at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, 2025
Background information
Born2000 (age 24–25)
Ann Arbor, Michigan, US
Genres
Labels Bayonet Records
Website www.meisemones.com

Mei Semones is an American jazz-influenced indie rock musician producing lyrics in English and Japanese. Semones was named by Paste as "The Best of What's Next" in 2024. [1] She has received praise from Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. [2]

Contents

Early life

Semones was born in 2000 [3] in Ann Arbor, Michigan. [4] Semones' mother is Japanese, and during summer breaks they would travel to Japan to study and visit her grandmother. [5] Encouraged by her grandmother, she studied the piano growing up, but ultimately switched to the guitar at the age of eleven. [5] In high school, she joined the award-winning Community High School jazz program, which led her to study at Berklee College of Music, where she majored in professional music. [1]

Musical career

Semones released her debut EP, Tsukino, in 2022, during her last semester of college. [6] Her style of music, present in this first EP, includes jazz-influenced rock and bilingual lyrics in English and Japanese. Later that year she release Sukikirai as a graduating capstone project. [7]

In 2024, Semones released her second EP, Kabutomushi, through Bayonet Records. [8] [9] [10] In 2025, she released her debut studio album, Animaru . [11]

Personal life

Semones was living in Brooklyn as of May 2025. [12]

Discography

Albums

EPs

References

  1. 1 2 3 Natanawan, Grace. "Mei Semones: The Best of What's Next". Paste . Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  2. ↑ Boisvert, Lauren. "Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea Showcases the Emerging Musician He Says "Gives Me So Much Hope" for Today's New Music". American Songwriter . Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 "GEN F: Mei Semones can face anything with her guitar". The FADER. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  4. ↑ "Mei Semones". Monster Children. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  5. 1 2 Wright, Lisa (March 24, 2025). "Mei Semones: the jazz-loving indie star connecting the dots of life and language". WTYE FM. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  6. 1 2 Lewis, Nora. "Ann Arbor native Mei Semones fuses jazz and indie-pop on debut EP 'Tsukino'". The Michigan Daily . Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  7. ↑ DeLaRosa, Emma. "An Interview with Mei Semones". Boston Hassle . Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  8. ↑ Ludwig, Jamie. "Mei Semones couches straightforward emotion in the flowery sounds of romance". Chicago Reader . Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  9. ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan. "This Preschool Teacher Is Making Smart, Surprising Music Beyond Genre". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  10. ↑ Sharples, Grant. "Indie Mixtape 20: Mei Semones Balances Strife And Utopia On 'Kabutomushi'". Uproxx . Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  11. ↑ "Animaru - Mei Semones | Album". AllMusic . Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  12. ↑ Zee, Michaela (2025-05-05). "Japanese-American Singer Mei Semones Blends Cultures — and Languages — on Her Debut Album 'Animaru'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
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