- 3:58 PM
- June 16, 2026
Bingkai Karya – A little drama never hurt anyone, and Emei proves exactly that with her latest EP, ‘Night at the Opera’, released today via Atlantic Records and Nice Life Records. Through this new project, the Chinese-American singer-songwriter delivers her signature blend of honesty, overwhelming emotion, and theatrical flair that has become the hallmark of her music.
Marking a return to her roots as a self-proclaimed “theater kid,” ‘Night at the Opera’ embraces life’s highs and lows, along with the big emotions that have always been at the center of Emei’s artistry.
“I wanted to embrace the part of me that loves theater again. So you’re getting all the pain, emotion, and drama from me!” says Emei.
The result is a project that is unapologetically expressive, emotionally honest, and immensely fun to experience.’ ‘Night at the Opera’’ further cements Emei’s status as one of the most exciting emerging voices in pop music today.
Alongside the EP release, Emei has also unveiled the official visualizer for “Noah,” a song she describes as her signature diss track. “If you know me, you know I always sneak in a diss track,” she explains. “This song is a letter to my past self and to anyone who’s ever met a performative Los Angeles guy I’ll call ‘Noah.’ No offense to the nice Noahs out there, but this type is dangerous. There are guys who memorize lines from The Notebook. Then I realized that Noah’s character isn’t actually the dream guy people think he is, he’s kind of annoying.”
Created alongside GRAMMY® Award-winning songwriter Justin Tranter, known for his work with Chappell Roan, Justin Bieber, and Selena Gomez, as well as GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Ricky Reed, whose collaborators include Lizzo, Leon Bridges, and Phantogram, ‘Night at the Opera’ presents Emei at her most theatrical yet. Sweet pop hooks, candid lyricism, and dynamic production form the foundation of the EP’s five tracks, showcasing Emei’s journey back to herself. After years of trying to be someone she thought was “cool enough,” she now fully embraces her emotional nature. “This is the most honest version of myself,” says Emei. “The music is fun, silly, and completely authentic. I’m doing exactly what I want to do.”
If 2022’s “Late to the Party” introduced Emei to audiences through TikTok, then “Scatterbrain” solidified her place as one of pop’s most promising rising stars. The track was included in Spotify’s Best Pop Songs of 2023 and was recently featured in the popular series Off Campus.
Now, with ‘Night at the Opera’, Emei has stopped apologizing for who she truly is. Because sometimes being too emotional, caring too much, or being overly dramatic isn’t a flaw, it may actually be the best part of who we are.
About Emei
Raised in New Jersey, Emei shared an exceptionally close bond with her grandmother. The two shared a bedroom and spent summers traveling together throughout China. At home, Emei primarily spoke Mandarin and studied singing with Sally Gu, a vocal teacher at the Mandarin school she attended every weekend. Chinese culture played a significant role in shaping her life. From growing up with Mandarin pop music to placing third on Chinese Idol at the age of 15, which later led to an appearance on China’s Dancing with the Stars, her roots have always been deeply embedded in her artistic identity. Yet it was her love of musical theater that truly sparked her passion for music and performance. As a child, Emei repeatedly played her parents’ West Side Story album, imagining herself on stage one day.
Emei later attended Yale University, where she earned a degree in Cognitive Science. In 2022, she began sharing original music online and quickly gained attention with “Late to the Party,” which went viral on TikTok and became the starting point for her EP End of an Era. Her momentum continued with “Scatterbrain,” which was included in Spotify’s Best Pop Songs of 2023 and has accumulated more than 71 million streams on Spotify. This success was followed by “Irresponsible,” which has surpassed 31 million streams. Throughout 2025, Emei sold out her Australian tour before embarking on the biggest tour of her career to date, performing to packed venues across the United States and Europe.
However, Emei’s world changed in 2024 when her beloved grandmother passed away. She poured that grief into the creative process that ultimately became ‘Night at the Opera’. Working alongside Ricky Reed, Justin Tranter, and other collaborators, she held nothing back, exploring themes of loss, friendship breakups, uncertainty, and the quarter-life crisis she experienced during that period.
“It was one of the hardest years of my life,” Emei shares. “This project was born out of grief. It’s a major evolution from my previous music because it was written during a time when I was experiencing incredibly intense emotions.”
Today, Emei performs without restraint. She is no longer afraid of being seen as too emotional or caring too much. In fact, she celebrates it.
“I grew up in theater, but everything changed when my pop music career started,” she says. “I wanted to embrace the part of me that loves theater again. This project truly feels like coming home. There used to be a voice inside me saying, ‘Don’t try too hard. Just be cool.’ But forget that. I do try hard, that’s who I am. I care about every detail. So you’re getting all the pain, emotion, and drama from me!”
With ‘Night at the Opera’, Emei delivers her boldest, most personal, and perhaps most honest body of work yet. More than just a collection of songs, it is a performance that invites listeners to experience every emotion alongside her.
Read more about the music here
