Mei Semones recently played the Regency Ballroom in SF and Little Big Stan was there to learn about her jazz influenced indie J-Pop creations. Bend your ear to the KALX on Sunday, June 14th at 7pm to hear all about it.
There’s no one doing it quite like Mei Semones, the 25-year-old Brooklyn-based guitarist and songwriter blending jazz, bossa nova, and indie-pop. Named an “artist to watch” by Pigeons & Planes, The FADER, the New York Times, and more.
Her debut album, Animaru was released in May 2025, followed by “Kurayami” and “Get used to it” later that fall. Her songwriting has a specific and recognizable lightness, an ease in spite of its knotted complexities. It’s a testament to Semones’ discipline and dedication to her craft of guitar playing that her music is so cerebral, but with such a buoyancy and accessibility – an amalgamation of guitar lines swinging from jazz to bossa to math-y to grungier hooks, lyrics fluttering between English and Japanese.
To listen to a Mei Semones song is to be delighted, surprised at every turn – it’s the sense that you’ve met an artist with a truly singular melodic point-of-view.
Photo: Ally Wei
