Elio Mei

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. Before pursuing music full-time, he 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) while appearing on the lineup of ZONA Music Festival 2022 in Phoenix.

2023: To Exist With You He self-released his debut LP on 23 June 2023 featuring the Addison Grace duet "Sleeping in the Kitchen" and launched his first headlining club dates.

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", "Side Quest Song" ). The 23-date Side Quest Tour featured immersive cosplay and theatrical staging, documented in a Santa Ana concert review. A Music Connection live review lauded his "gorgeous vocals" and "emotionally intelligent" material.

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 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. 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). 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 uses he/they pronouns.

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

Collaborations Addison Grace – duet "Sleeping in the Kitchen" (2023) and shared U.S. tour dates. 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 TitleRelease yearTo Exist With YouA Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1

Extended-plays TitleRelease yearWhere No One Knows My NamePromise You Won't ScreamThe Bard

Singles

Primary artist TitleRelease yearAlbum/EP"Stolen Smiles" "Knotted Constellations""One Last Hurrah""Lub Dub""The Queen""Let's Be Friends""APPLE JUICE""Blue Haired Boy""Nepotism""Dress Like A Pirate""The Chapel" "The Milk Carton""Sleeping in the Kitchen"(featuring Addison Grace)"Florida""call me when you land""Kleptomaniacrow""Cryptid""Sheep in Wolf's Clothing""Garden Jargon""Side Quest Song""Tho I'm A Tortoise""Never The Muse""Poppin Skittles""What's Going On?!""At Least I'd Be A Cowboy!""A Can Of Worms""One Man Circus""Elio"

As featured artist TitleRelease yearAlbum/EP"Six Legs (tippy tappy toes)"(Scrawny featuring Elio Mei)