Madilyn Mei


Elio Mei, known by his stage name 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, 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 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.

Late 2023: ''Promise You Won't Scream'' EP

A six-track Halloween-season EP issued 27 October 2023.

2024: ''The Bard'' era and Side Quest Tour

Concept EP The Bard drew praise for its fantasy storytelling. 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|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. 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. He said that he is "not sure if I identify more with being gender queer or trans masc, but I’m somewhere in that realm".

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" and shared U.S. tour dates.
  • Scrawny – co-writer/producer and co-headliner on the whimsical single "Six Legs " spotlighted by B-Sides & Badlands.
  • cloudkissed – duet “At The Cemetery” from the album “Promise You Won’t Scream”