A little drama never hurt anybody — and Chinese-American singer-songwriter Emei proves exactly that on her new EP, ‘Night at the Opera’, out now via Atlantic Records and Nice Life. Fans can listen to the EP here.
‘Night at the Opera’ is a bold and vibrant showcase of Emei’s signature blend of sincerity, emotion, and theatrical flair. Marking a return to her musical theatre roots, the EP embraces the highs, lows, and larger-than-life feelings that have become central to her artistry. As Emei explains, “I wanted to lean into being a theater kid again... you’re going to get all of the pain, emotion, and drama from me!”.
The result is a project that is unapologetically expressive, emotionally honest, and irresistibly fun, further cementing Emei as one of pop’s most exciting emerging voices.
Alongside the EP release, Emei has shared the official visualizer for the single “Noah”, the EP’s self-proclaimed diss track. “If you know me, you know I always slip in a diss track,” she shares. “It’s a letter to my past self and to any girl who comes across an LA performative man who I’m just going to name ‘Noah’. No offense to any nice Noahs out there, but it’s dangerous! There are men out there memorizing dialogue from The Notebook. I had this realization: the character of Noah isn’t actually this awesome, good dude—he’s kind of bad”.
Emei - "Noah" (Official Visualizer)
Created alongside GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter Justin Tranter (Chappell Roan, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez) and GRAMMY Award-winning producer Ricky Reed (Lizzo, Leon Bridges, Phantogram), ‘Night at the Opera’ finds Emei at her most theatrical across five buoyant tracks full of drama, flair, and fun. Candy-coated hooks, honest lyrics, and punchy production lay the groundwork as Emei reconnects with a part of herself she had lost. “Right now, I’m the most truthful version of myself,” she explains. “The music is fun, ridiculous, and honest. I’m doing exactly what I want to do”.
Emei first burst onto the scene with her 2022 single “Late to the Party”, which surged on TikTok and put her on the map. This was followed by 2023’s “Scatterbrain”, which landed on Spotify’s Best Pop Songs of 2023 list (and was recently featured in the hit series ‘Off Campus’), cementing Emei as an indie-pop artist to watch.
'Night at the Opera' Tracklisting
1.Night at the Opera
2. What's The Point!
3. Noah
4. Bloom
5. Simple Request
Listen to 'Night at the Opera' here
Watch the visualizer for "Noah" here
About Emei
Growing up in New Jersey, Emei and her grandmother formed an unbreakable bond. The two shared a room and spent their summers traveling to China together. She primarily spoke Chinese at home and actually studied under her vocal coach, Sally Gu, from the Chinese school she attended on weekends. Chinese culture had a massive influence on Emei - from listening to Chinese pop to actually placing 3rd on Chinese Idol at 15-years-old (and later appearing on China’s Dancing with the Stars). But it was when she found her love for musicals, spinning her parents West Side Story CD on repeat, where she really discovered her love for music and performing.
Emei went on to earn her degree in cognitive science from Yale University and in 2022 she started uploading her original music online. Emei made major waves with 2022’s “Late to the Party”, surging on TikTok and igniting her 'End of an Era' EP. However, she reached critical mass with the release of her single, "Scatterbrain". Touted as one of Spotify’s “Best Pop Songs of 2023”, the title track eclipsed 71 million Spotify streams followed by “Irresponsible” with 31 million Spotify streams. She sold out a series of dates across Australia and throughout 2025, headlined her biggest tour to date, performing to sold-out crowds coast-to-coast in the US and in the EU.
But in 2024 her beloved grandma passed and her world changed. Emei threw herself into what would become 'Night at the Opera'. Collaborating with Reed, Justin Tranter, and more, she held nothing back, processing this particular loss, various friendship breakups, a loss of herself amidst it all, and a “massive quarter-life crisis.”
“It was one of the toughest years of my life,” she admits. “The project was born from grief. It’s a big elevation from my past music, because it was written during a season of intense and extreme emotions”.
She’s center stage, she’s unapologetically in her feelings, and she’s sharing them aloud with no fucks given—and it’s glorious.
“I grew up doing theater, but the vibe changed when my pop music career started,” she states. “I wanted to lean into being a theater kid again. This project is definitely a homecoming. My subconscious bullied teenage brain is always like, ‘You don’t want to try so hard. Just be cool’. But fuck that! I like trying hard. It’s part of who I am. I care about every little detail. So, you’re going to get all of the pain, emotion, and drama from me!”
'Night at the Opera' is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Allow Emei to personally welcome you to the show.
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