Madilyn Mei
{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}
{{Notability|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image =
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer-songwriter|musician}}
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|ukulele}}
| genre = {{hlist|Indie folk|Indie pop}}
| years_active = 2020–present
| website = {{URL|https://madilynmei.com}}
| origin = San Tan Valley, Arizona, U.S.
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|2002}}
}}
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.
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.{{Cite web |last=TAYLOR |first=DAN |date=2023-01-19 |title=Promising songwriters Madilyn Mei, M.J. Ward unite at the Phoenix in Petaluma |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/entertainment/promising-songwriters-unite-at-the-phoenix-in-petaluma/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=The Press Democrat |language=en-US}} Before pursuing music full-time, she 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){{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Caleb |title=Madilyn Mei Shares New EP 'The Bard' |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/news/madilyn_mei_shares_new_ep_the_bard/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=Under the Radar Magazine |language=en}} while appearing on the lineup of ZONA Music Festival 2022 in Phoenix.{{Cite web |title=ZONA Music Festival 2022 Lineup - Dec 3 - 4, 2022 |url=https://www.jambase.com/festival/zona-music-festival-2022 |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=JamBase |language=en-US}}
=2023: ''To Exist With You''=
She self-released her debut LP on 23 June 2023 featuring the Addison Grace duet "Sleeping in the Kitchen"{{Cite web |title=To Exist With You, by Madilyn Mei |url=https://madilynmei.bandcamp.com/album/to-exist-with-you |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=Madilyn Mei |language=en}} and launched her first headlining club dates.
=Late 2023: ''Promise You Won't Scream'' EP=
A six-track Halloween-season EP issued 27 October 2023.{{Citation |title=Promise You Won't Scream - EP by Madilyn Mei on Apple Music |date=2023-10-27 |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/promise-you-wont-scream-ep/1711692894 |access-date=2025-05-02 |language=en-US}}
=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",{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Caleb |title=Madilyn Mei Shares New EP 'The Bard' |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/news/madilyn_mei_shares_new_ep_the_bard/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=Under the Radar Magazine |language=en}} "Never the Muse",{{Cite web |title=Madilyn Mei is inspired by bards for her latest single "Never the Muse" [Video] – EARMILK |url=https://earmilk.com/2024/09/05/madilyn-mei-is-inspired-by-bards-for-her-latest-single-never-the-muse-video/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |language=en-US}} "Side Quest Song"{{Cite web |last=Radic |first=Randy |date=2024-05-08 |title=Madilyn Mei – "Side Quest Song" [Song Review] |url=https://v13.net/2024/05/madilyn-mei-side-quest-song-song-review/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=V13.net |language=en-CA}}). The 23-date Side Quest Tour featured immersive cosplay and theatrical staging, documented in a Santa Ana concert review.{{Cite web |title=Madilyn Mei goes on a side quest at the Observatory! |url=https://riversidescene.com/articles/concerts/madilynmeiattheobservatory |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=riversidescene.com |language=en}} A Music Connection live review lauded her "gorgeous vocals" and "emotionally intelligent" material.{{Cite web |last=Sommer |first=Eric |date=2024-08-26 |title=Live Review of Madilyn Mei in Raleigh, North Carolina |url=https://www.musicconnection.com/live-review-of-madilyn-mei-in-raleigh/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=www.musicconnection.com |language=en-US}}
=2025–present=
She issued the stand-alone singles "Poppin Skittles" and "What's Going On?!" in January and May 2025{{Citation |title=Poppin Skittles |date=2025-01-23 |url=https://open.spotify.com/track/4DGzhzGdTIpEHDYynp1hzS?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-02 |language=en}} respectively, ahead of work on a second LP. Mei is set to open selected dates on AJR's Somewhere In the Sky U.S. tour (July–October 2025).{{Cite web |last=Denning |first=Reagan |date=2025-03-15 |title=AJR presents the Somewhere In The Sky Tour » |url=https://www.melodicmag.com/2025/03/14/ajr-presents-the-somewhere-in-the-sky-tour/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=www.melodicmag.com |language=en-US}} The release of their album "1000 Songs About It All" is set for 2025.
Musical style and influences
Critics describe Mei's music as "delicately crafted indie-pop" that blends acoustic instrumentation with bedroom-pop production. Her lyrics draw on classic fantasy tropes while maintaining introspective themes of yearning and self-discovery. Live reviews compare her clear soprano to a young Linda Ronstadt and praise her 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.