Elio Mei
Elio Mei | |
|---|---|
 Mei in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | November 23, 2002[1] Queen Creek, Arizona, U.S. |
| Origin | San Tan Valley, Arizona |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2020–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Elio Mei[2][3] (formerly Madilyn Mei, born November 23, 2002)[4][5] 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.
Early life and education
[edit]Born and raised in Queen Creek, Arizona, just outside Phoenix, 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, he[a] worked retail and built an online audience of more than 160k followers across platforms.
Career
[edit]2020–2022: Online breakout
[edit]Mei released early demo projects and the EP Where No One Knows My Name (2022)[6] while appearing on the lineup of ZONA Music Festival 2022 in Phoenix.[7]
2023: To Exist With You
[edit]He self-released his debut LP on 23 June 2023 featuring the Addison Grace duet "Sleeping in the Kitchen"[8] and launched his first headlining club dates.[1]
Late 2023: Promise You Won't Scream EP
[edit]A six-track Halloween-season EP was issued on 27 October 2023.[9]
2024: The Bard era and Side Quest Tour
[edit]Concept EP The Bard (6 September 2024) drew praise for its fantasy storytelling ("Call Me The Bard",[6] "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 his "gorgeous vocals" and "emotionally intelligent" material.[13]
2025–present: A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1
[edit]He 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 "What's Going On?!" on Late Show Me Music, a segment of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, created to shine a light on rising music acts.[15] Mei was one of the openings acts for a few select dates on AJR's Somewhere in the Sky U.S. tour (July–October 2025).[16] His album A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1 was released on September 12, 2025 which includes a version of "What's Going On?!".
Personal life
[edit]Mei uses he/they pronouns.[17] On his gender identity, Mei stated that he is "not sure if I identify more with being gender queer or trans masc, but I’m somewhere in that realm".[17]
Musical style and influences
[edit]Critics describe Mei's music as "delicately crafted indie-pop" that blends acoustic instrumentation with bedroom-pop production.[6] His lyrics draw on classic fantasy tropes while maintaining introspective themes of yearning and self-discovery.[10] Live reviews compare his clear soprano to a young Linda Ronstadt and praise his minimalist duo stage setup.[13]
Collaborations
[edit]- Addison Grace – duet "Sleeping in the Kitchen" (2023) and shared U.S. tour dates.[1]
- Scrawny (Jesse Dill) – co-writer/producer and co-headliner on the whimsical single "Six Legs (Tippy Tappy Toes)" spotlighted by B-Sides & Badlands.
- cloudkissed – duet “At The Cemetery” from the album “Promise You Won’t Scream”
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Release year |
|---|---|
| To Exist With You | 2023 |
| A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1 | 2025 |
Extended-plays
[edit]| Title | Release year |
|---|---|
| Where No One Knows My Name | 2022 |
| Promise You Won't Scream | 2023 |
| The Bard | 2024 |
Singles
[edit]Primary artist
[edit]| Title | Release year | Album/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" | ||
| "Elio" | 2026 |
Non-album single |
As featured artist
[edit]| Title | Release year | Album/EP |
|---|---|---|
| "Six Legs (tippy tappy toes)" (Scrawny featuring Elio Mei) |
2023 |
Non-album single |
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Mei uses he/they pronouns. This article uses he/him for consistency.
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- 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.
- ↑ "my name = @madilynmei". Instagram. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ↑ "the album is out!! - vlog 4" (2:42) YouTube. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ↑ "dear 25" (0:18) YouTube. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
- ↑ "im 23! 🙈" Instagram. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Campbell, Caleb. "Madilyn Mei Shares New EP 'The Bard'". Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ "ZONA Music Festival 2022 Lineup – Dec 3 – 4, 2022". JamBase. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ "To Exist With You, by Madilyn Mei". Madilyn Mei. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ Promise You Won't Scream – EP by Madilyn Mei on Apple Music, 2023-10-27, retrieved 2025-05-02
- 1 2 "Madilyn Mei is inspired by bards for his latest single "Never the Muse" [Video] – EARMILK". Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ Radic, Randy (2024-05-08). "Madilyn Mei – "Side Quest Song" [Song Review]". V13.net. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ "Madilyn Mei goes on a side quest at the Observatory!". riversidescene.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- 1 2 Sommer, Eric (2024-08-26). "Live Review of Madilyn Mei in Raleigh, North Carolina". www.musicconnection.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ Poppin Skittles, 2025-01-23, retrieved 2025-05-02
- ↑ "'What's Going On?!' – Madilyn Mei for #LateShowMeMusic". YouTube. September 8, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ↑ Denning, Reagan (2025-03-15). "AJR presents the Somewhere In The Sky Tour »". www.melodicmag.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- 1 2 Knapová, Nicolle (19 November 2025). "Madilyn Mei's One-Man Circus: Queer Joy, Clown Costumes, & 1000 Songs About Everything". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
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