Elio Mei | |
|---|---|
 Mei in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (2002-11-23) November 23, 2002[1] Queen Creek, Arizona, U.S. |
| Origin | San Tan Valley, Arizona |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| 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
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
2020–2022: Online breakout
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
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
A six-track Halloween-season EP was issued on 27 October 2023.[9]
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",[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
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
Mei said that his inspiration for creating music was from the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," from The Wizard of Oz. Before getting a ukelele, Mei started to record acapella's of song ideas on a MP3 player that his mother bought him.[17]
Mei uses he/they pronouns.[18] On his gender identity, Mei stated that he is genderqueer and "has never owned the term non-binary," and does not identify as a trans man.[17]
Musical style and influences
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]
Mei's songwriting is composed of mainly experiences of being neurodivergent and being queer. His song 'The Chapel' is about being queer in a religious setting, highlighting Elio's unsafe household. "What's Going On?!" highlights the effects of being neurodivergent and feeling lost in a 'normal' society. Mei did not know he was neurodivergent at the time of writing the song.[17]
Collaborations
- 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
Studio albums
| Title | Release year |
|---|---|
| To Exist With You | 2023 |
| A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1 | 2025 |
Extended-plays
| Title | Release year |
|---|---|
| Where No One Knows My Name | 2022 |
| Promise You Won't Scream | 2023 |
| The Bard | 2024 |
Singles
Primary artist
| 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
| Title | Release year | Album/EP |
|---|---|---|
| "Six Legs (tippy tappy toes)" (Scrawny featuring Elio Mei) |
2023 |
Non-album single |
Notes
- Mei uses he/they pronouns. This article uses he/him for consistency.
External links
References
- 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.
- 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
- "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.
- 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.
- elio mei (2026-06-26). QnA :0! songwriting, neurodivergence, gay awakenings and more!. Retrieved 2026-06-27 – via YouTube.
- 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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