If you’ve been anywhere near TikTok over the past few years, chances are you’ve run into Emei.
Born Emily Li, the Chinese-American singer-songwriter has been making waves with her blend of alternative pop and storytelling. I sat down to chat with her a few hours before her Chicago show while on tour with her third EP RABBITHOLE. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, the EP mixes surreal visuals with ethereal sounds—but Emei’s live shows are where this dreamlike world truly comes to life.
Emei’s journey to music stardom began in a way most wouldn’t expect, taking third place on the reality talent show Chinese Idol at just 15 years old.
Emei’s journey to music stardom began in a way most wouldn’t expect, taking third place on the reality talent show Chinese Idol at just 15 years old. “It was wild! I was in my freshman year of high school and took a gap year to compete on the show,” she says. “That was the first time I started taking entertainment seriously as a career.”
“It was wild! I was in my freshman year of high school and took a gap year to compete on the show,” she says. “That was the first time I started taking entertainment seriously as a career. It really helped me with stage presence and performing in front of big crowds, which makes touring so much easier now—but it was social media that truly changed the game for me.”
Eight years after the show, her song “Late to the Party,” went viral on TikTok in 2022, gaining over 5.5 million streams and launching Emei into the limelight.
“Posting every day for six months led to my first million-view video,” she says. “Suddenly, I had a foot in the door. It allowed me to connect with producers, reach out to managers, and start carving out a space for myself in the industry. Without TikTok none of that would have happened, so I’m super grateful.
“Posting om TikTok every day for six months led to my first million-view video,” she says. “Suddenly, I had a foot in the door. It allowed me to connect with producers, reach out to managers, and start carving out a space for myself in the industry.”
“Social media feels like a game of chance—you can post consistently, but at the end of the day, you don’t decide what resonates. I think of it like taking shots on goal—every post is another lottery ticket. The only thing you can control is putting yourself out there as much as possible. You just have to make peace with the rest.”
Her latest single, “Crazy Stupid Love,” released in February, marks a new chapter in her evolving sound. “I had that song sitting in my demo folder for a while, and I was obsessed with it,” she says. “The chorus was stuck in my head for six months before I even put it out.” She says fans were already singing along at her live shows before its official release.
“We started playing it live in Australia last September to see how fans reacted,” she says. “Every time we performed it, it was so fun and energetic, so I knew I wanted it to be my first release of the year. Seeing numbers on a screen is one thing. But when you’re on tour and people are screaming the words? That’s when it feels real.”
Emei views her live performances as more than just concerts. A self-proclaimed perfectionist, she ensures each setlist takes her fans on a “journey.”
“I want people to feel like they’re stepping into a new world, not just watching a concert,” she says. “It’s a space to jump, be loud, and forget everything else. I’ve also always been an animated person. Disney, cartoons, exaggerated styles—that’s all me.”
“I want people to feel like they’re stepping into a new world, not just watching a concert,” she says. “It’s a space to jump, be loud, and forget everything else. I’ve also always been an animated person. Disney, cartoons, exaggerated styles—that’s all me. My stylist and I have been collaborating since the ‘711’ music video, and now even my merch reflects those visuals.”
She hopes to one day bring her live show to venues like Madison Square Garden and Governors Ball Music Festival. “I’d tell any aspiring artist to trust their intuition. If you don’t trust yourself, making art becomes impossible. Ed Sheeran once said, ‘songwriting is like turning on a rusty water hose—bad songs have to come out first before the good ones flow.’ You just have to keep going.”
A version of this article originally appeared in Sixtysix Issue 14.
