Emily does an incredible job at putting the message across and at the same time, allowing the creative process to have a similar effect on her. Hinting at the ubiquity of “MEI”, Emily says, “I wrote this song to remind myself and others that you don’t need anyone else to be complete, you don’t need anyone who hurts you, and you are powerful on your own. I feel like everyone has a ‘MEI’ inside them, a darker side they don’t usually show to others, a side that sometimes takes over when times are tough. I hope people watch our journey and feel a release, feel like they have someone to relate to”. What makes this debut even more special and as a matter of fact, surprising, is that it is entirely an independent project. When her debut looks and sounds this good, we cannot begin to imagine what Emily Mei could have in store for us next. Kpopmap had the amazing opportunity of interviewing this young creative genius, to dig deeper into the behind-the-scenes of “My Domain” and learn more about Emily as well as MEI. Keep reading to know exactly why we think she is well on her way to becoming a global phenomenon. Your debut track is called ‘My Domain’, which reminds us of one of the most popular anime this year, ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’. What did your vision board look like when you started working on this project? HAHA I love that you noticed that, it’s actually where I got the inspo for that line which eventually became the title. Domains are where you have absolute power, and that’s how I felt when writing this song from the “Mei” perspective. My vision board had a TON of cyberpunk movie & anime clips, a lot of dark scenes and neon lights. Emily Mei Your music video artfully portrays the duality of good and evil, reality and illusion, this world and the next. Throughout the story, you transition from live action to animation and vice versa. From cosplaying to creating your own anime, how would you describe this dream-like journey? Did you encounter any unexpected roadblocks on the way? If so, how did you overcome them? There were so many roadblocks I could write a book about it. Self-funding was the first biggest issue I had to overcome since this project was very expensive due to heavy VFX and animation but I didn’t want to compromise anything so I waited until I had the means to make this project the best it could be! Editing was also insanely hard, I looked through all the footage we shot in 3 days and 2 countries to pick the best piece to go for each second and it was very difficult to make it all fit since we had so much good footage. The music process was also very long since we were all very invested in making sure the lyrics and drops worked with the storyline while being dynamic enough to listen without wanting to skip after the first hook. Emily Mei How long have you nurtured the idea of this “MEIVERSE” in your head and did you find yourself having to make changes to the initial concept as and when you started the production process? How did you decide on the genre of your debut song? I’ve had this idea for over two years and have made many small detail changes to the storyline but the overall concept has stayed the same. I’ve always wanted it to be about two souls in the same body, the light and dark side I think is secretly in everyone. It’s kinda funny that i went with a very pop/EDM genre actually because I usually listen to jazz or citypop but i wanted to do something that would correlate well with the intense action sequences and I cannot imagine these fight scenes going to slow jazz haha. Emily Mei What would you say are your immediate and ultimate goals when it comes to your music? Immediate goals: I am planning to release more soon, all different genres so I hope everyone can find something they enjoy! Ultimate: I want people to listen to my music, read my lyrics and feel a sense of release. The main reason I started this project is to tell people you are not alone in the way you feel, you are not wrong, you are strong. If I can help even one person feel confident then I feel like I’ve reached my goal! Another SMALL goal … I would love to do a song for an anime please HAHA. Emily Mei
Your talent is truly multifaceted and fans who have followed you from the very start could not be more thrilled about your music. You’re credited for co-writing your debut song, designing your character, creating the storyline for the music video, and co-directing the same. At this moment, what do you want your audience to think of when they hear the name “Emily Mei”? I feel like I sort of just ended up taking so much creative control because this project has been my baby, I couldn’t even imagine this without everyone on my team who worked so hard on this debut project! I don’t want people to think this came easy, I want people to know I worked hard to be here when they hear my name. Also maybe think I’m a cyborg, that’s always a possibility, you never know. Emily Mei The music video for ‘My Domain’ gives us vaporwave ‘Tokyo Ghoul’ vibes. How did you visualise and curate such a brilliant aesthetic that is so unique to who you are? I’ve always wanted to show people what it’s like inside my head, so I just put it all together and formed this project! It’s everything I love from fashion to anime to video games, so it came very naturally! Also perhaps I just wanted another excuse to kick some ass in another world. Emily Mei
‘My Domain’ might be your first musical foray into the world of K-Pop but you’re not a newcomer in the industry by any means. You founded Kapsul Collective and have launched several exclusive jewelry collaborations with K-Pop stars like Park JiHoon, VICTON, Amber Liu, CLC’s Sorn and most recently 2PM’s Nichkhun. Once again, for your debut track, you are collaborating with Amber and Sorn, making ‘My Domain’ a global affair. Can you tell us more about how you, Amber and Sorn met? Why did you choose them as featuring artists for your debut track ‘My Domain’? I actually started Kapsul with my friends Richard and Leonard and Leonard is in my music video as one of the bad guys who tries to take Sorn! I met Amber at a boba shop. Through mutual friends at a boba shop, but let’s just say it was through boba. Sorn I also met through mutual friends while working in Korea and we instantly became close. I wanted them to be on the track because they are two of my closest friends and are female bosses. They work so hard and are multi talented queens, I had to have them on this track that was meant to empower people! Emily Mei Were there any fun stories behind the scenes of ‘My Domain’? I think the funniest moments were teaching the action sequences to Sorn and Amber who have never done these things before. I still can’t decide if I wanted everyone to look badass or I just really wanted to see my friends flail around having a good time. I have some hilarious “training” videos that should never be seen LOL. Emily Mei If you had to consider this interview a time capsule, what message would you send to Emily 10 years in the future? I hope you are doing well and staying true to who you are and what you stand for. Don’t let anyone’s bad opinions stray you from what you believe in. You are doing what you love, so keep fighting!!! Emily Mei Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to your fans, both old and new, who are excited for your music and are supporting you from all over the world? I am so thankful to everyone who’s been supporting me, a smoll potato, all these years. They were all joking about when my mixtape was going to come out and somewhere along the way that inspired me to actually do it, so without them this wouldn’t have happened!! To all my new friends and ghouls, welcome to my domain, I hope you enjoy the snacks we have here and there’s more to come!! Emily Mei We cannot wait to see how MEI’s universe unfolds. Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section down below! Multifaceted Entertainer Emily Mei Unleashes Thrilling Music Debut Featuring K-pop Heavyweights Amber Liu And Sorn NEWS|Nov 10, 2021
