Meet the ACL artist: Emei

By Arman Saxena     10/29/24 11:11pm

“This is me and my band’s first festival, so it’s a big moment for us,” Emei said at her Austin City Limits show Oct. 12. “We’ve never ever done a festival, so it’s going to be awesome.” 

On a hot Austin afternoon, Emei brought vibrant energy to the stage and thrilled the crowd. For the 24-year-old artist, interacting with her audience is at the heart of every performance. 

“It’s fun to watch people light up,” Emei said. “That’s always been my favorite thing about performing — seeing their faces change as they get into it.” 

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Throughout her set, Emei kept the crowd engaged with call-and-response bits, and even sent a camera through the crowd, capturing the joyful chaos she stirred up. 

“It sometimes feels like catching Pokémon,” Emei said. “Some people don’t know my music at first, but then I play, and my job is to make everyone light up. Every time someone gets excited, I’m like, ‘Yesss, did that.’” 

Though she tailors her music to be engaging for live shows, Emei emphasizes that having fun comes first in her songwriting process. 

“If I’m having fun while writing, it’s usually easy to turn it into something fun to perform,” she said.

Her most recent music, including tracks from her EP, “Scatterbrain”, leans heavily into pop with experimental touches. 

“It’s ear-candy focused, whimsical, and a little trippy — I wanted to stay in this ‘Alice in Wonderland’-inspired world.” 

Emei’s musical journey started early. Born to Chinese immigrant parents, she started singing at age 9 and gigging in New Jersey as a teenager. Her family’s unwavering support has been a key part of her journey. 

“They’re really proud of me,” she said. “They’re here today, actually. My whole family flew in, and there’s like ten of them watching my set.” 

During her ACL performance, Emei gave a shout-out to her family, even playing a half-Chinese cover of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” in their honor. Reflecting on her path to music, Emei admitted that college wasn’t always easy. 

“At one point, I had a panic attack in microecon and was like, ‘I need to drop this class or I’m gonna lose my mind.’” 

Still, she credits those years with helping her grow creatively. 

“I knew I wanted to do music, but I didn’t know what that meant. A lot of college was me experimenting … writing, collaborating and even putting on band shows.” 

Emei said she had moments of doubt along the way, though. 

“Coming from an immigrant family, music didn’t feel like a path I knew how to take. I’d think, ‘Maybe I should be a consultant, move to New York, make some money.’ But my best friends were like, ‘This is where you shine. You should at least try.’” 

The artist said that she is grateful for the support system that has helped her pursue her dreams. 

“A lot of people rooted for me, and I don’t think I’d be here without them.” 

With her whimsical style and love for connecting with her audience, Emei’s journey is just beginning. 

“I want to push myself with this next project,” she said. “It’s more of a growing-up EP — some songs are serious, some are just fun. It’s about panicking, going down the rabbit hole and coming back out again.” 

Whether she’s performing at ACL or headlining her own shows, Emei said she is all about bringing joy to her fans. 

“At the end of the day, I just want to jump and have fun on stage,” she said. “And if the crowd is having fun too, then I know I’ve done my job.”

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