# Emei (musician)

Emily Li (born October 3, 1999), professionally known as Emei, is an American alternative pop musician based in Los Angeles, California.

## Early life

Emei was born on October 3, 1999, in New Jersey to Chinese immigrant parents. She grew up listening to Amy Winehouse, Ella Fitzgerald, the Jackson 5, Sara Bareilles, and Taylor Swift, and has been singing since she was 9 years old.
As a teenager, Emei competed on Dancing with the Stars in China.

## Music career

When Emei was 15, she took a year off from school to compete on Chinese Idol and placed third. She attended Yale University, where she was a member of its a cappella group Mixed Company.
In 2022, Emei’s single “Late to the Party” went viral, gaining 5.5 million streams on music platforms and 9.5 million views on TikTok and Instagram Reels. Her 2024 single with Whethan, “SUNNYD”, was also a smash hit. It was adopted by SunnyD, the orange juice company, as its song of the year.
In January 2023, she performed at the halftime of a Los Angeles Clippers game against the San Antonio Spurs. In November 2023, Emei teamed up with production duo NOTD on "Hold On Me".
Emei's stage name is "a cross between her Chinese name, An Mei, and her English nickname, Emmy."
In November 2024, Emei released her third EP, RABBITHOLE. She described it as “going through this journey of going down into panic and anxiety and then coming out of it.”

## Personal life

In 2022, Emei graduated from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science.
In 2024, Emei lost her grandma who was a big part of her childhood. The song "ginger tea" is a dedication to her.

## Discography
### Albums / Extended plays

| Title | Year |
| End of an Era | 2022 |
| Scatterbrain | 2023 |
| Scatterbrain (Deluxe) | 2024 |
| RABBITHOLE | 2024 |

### Singles

As lead artist :
| Title | Year | Album / EP |
| "9 LIVES" | 2024 | RABBITHOLE |
| "SUNNYD" | 2024 | Non-album singles |
| "ALL THESE KIDS" | 2024 | RABBITHOLE |
| “RABBITHOLE” | 2024 | RABBITHOLE |
| "Love Me Not" | 2024 | Non-album singles |
| "Don't Know About The World" | 2023 | Scatterbrain |
| "Cynical" | 2023 | Scatterbrain |
| "Irresponsible" | 2023 | Scatterbrain |
| "Scatterbrain" | 2023 | Scatterbrain |
| "Backtrack" | 2022 | Non-album singles |
| "End of an Era" | 2022 | End of an Era |
| "Regrets" | 2022 | End of an Era |
| "Trust Issues" | 2022 | End of an Era |
| "That Girl" | 2022 | End of an Era |
| "Better People To Leave on Read" | 2022 | Non-album singles |
| "Late to the Party" | 2022 | End of an Era |
| "Distracted" | 2021 | Non-album singles |
As featured artist :
| Title | Year | Album / EP | Source |
| "Hold On Me (feat. Emei)" (NOTD, Emei) | 2023 | Non-album singles | |
| "RE-IGNITION" (VALORANT, ARB4, Jazz Alonso, Emei) | 2023 | Non-album singles | |

### Notable Tracks

Released within Album / EP only :
| Title | Year | Album / EP |
| "SUGARCOAT" | 2024 | RABBITHOLE |
| "THE PART" | 2024 | RABBITHOLE |
| "Agree to Disagree" | 2024 | Scatterbrain (Deluxe) |
| "You Are Bad" | 2024 | Scatterbrain (Deluxe) |
| "Human Being - Demo" | 2024 | Scatterbrain (Deluxe) |
| "711" | 2023 | Scatterbrain |
| "Dear Emily" | 2023 | Scatterbrain |
| "Picky" | 2023 | Scatterbrain |
| "Ferris Bueller" | 2022 | End of an Era |