Interview: Mei Semones on the release of her gorgeous new double single
As a fall treat, Mei Semones is gifting us with a double single this month. Out last week, the collection completes itself with the release of “Shinju”. Earlier this October Mei presented us with “Okashi,” a gorgeous song about the bitter end of a relationship. Starting soft and sweet, then filling with anger, it’s as powerful as it is beautiful. The build up is subtle but hits hard. “Shinju” sounds like a love ballad as Mei sings “僕には宝物君一人だ” which is translated to “You are my one and only treasure”. But even though things may seem perfect, there is often a sour undertone. It seems that at first this collection was about sparkling love, friendship, and hope; but, by the end it’s transformed into a revelation and a testament to Mei’s own strength as she deals with these fallouts. We were happy to talk to Mei about this new collection, her recent move to New York, and much more. Read our interview below <3
How do these new singles differ from your old releases?
Shinju and Okashi incorporate some new influences / different songwriting styles than my previous releases. Shinju is bossa nova influenced, but I think there are more elements of indie rock in the choruses than my older songs. Okashi has more of an indie rock / indie folk sound. For both songs, me and Kai Tsao (the engineer I have been working with on my last couple releases) experimented more with the arrangement after recording.
When taking new folk / country influences for “Okashi”, did your creative process change at all?
Okashi was different in terms of songwriting style, but I think the process was pretty similar to previous releases. I wrote the song on guitar and brought it to my band, they added all of their amazing parts, and Kai glued it all together beautifully.
What do these songs mean to you?
These songs were written and recorded during a time of transition for me. They represent relationships in my life and how they changed, and how I changed too.
Shinju was written in the winter of 2021/2022. It is a song that now holds a different meaning than when it was originally written. It's about love, friendship, and treasuring someone, but there is foreshadowing in the lyrics -- something that is seemingly "perfect" usually has a bitter side to it too.
Okashi was written in the spring of 2022. It also started as a love song, expressing gratitude for kindness, humor, and compatibility. By the end of the song it morphs into something more angry and expresses the discomfort of feeling fooled.
I think something that really stands out about your music is the instrumentation with the guitar and violin parts. How do these arrangements come about?
I write the song on guitar, and the string players I work with (Noah Leong on viola, Claudius Agrippa on violin, and Kely Pinhero on cello) add their parts. They are all amazing musicians with such wonderful intuition and taste, and I am always blown away by the lines and arrangements they create together.
Your music videos also have so much beauty and personality! What does the process of making these look like?
Thank you! I have been working with Evan Deng from Family Video Store. He is really great -- he puts so much of his own energy and creativity into the videos, which I really appreciate. The process usually consists of me sending Evan the song, the lyrics and translation, and the general direction of what I'm going for. Evan then flushes out the concept and adds his own ideas, and we work together until we find a concept that we are happy with.
The art direction throughout your projects / logo / site is glorious. What inspires this look?
Thank you so much! A lot of it comes from what I like, and my personal preferences. I am very lucky to be able to work with some amazing artists on my cover art, most recently Rhi Ragone for Shinju and Okashi. My logo was created by my mom, Seiko Semones, who is a graphic designer.
You just moved to New York, how has that experience been so far?
It's been good so far! It's exciting to be here and I really appreciate how much variety there is in the music scene, and I've had the opportunity to meet some lovely people. I've been busy working full-time while also working on music, but I'm hoping to find a balance where I will have plenty of time to practice and write.
Recently you opened for Strawberry Guy in one of your biggest shows yet. What was your favorite part of that experience?
Playing at LPR in support of Strawberry Guy was so much fun :) I think my favorite part of the experience was that I got to see all of my band. I don't see Jaden (bass), Ransom (drums), and Claudius (violin) as often because they live in Boston, so it was great to be all together again and playing together. The audience was also super supportive and the venue was really nice -- it was a great first show in New York.
You play guitar with The Brazen Youth. How would you compare playing your own shows to playing as a touring guitarist?
Both are so fun. Playing my own music is very special because I am sharing that part of myself with the audience, but playing The Brazen Youth's music is equally as special because I feel like I'm a part of something very beautiful. In general, playing guitar with The Brazen Youth I don't get as nervous / stressed, because I am more comfortable playing guitar than singing in front of an audience.
You’ve mentioned before that you mainly speak Japanese with your mom. Do you feel like singing in Japanese has connected you to the language in a different way?
I think singing and writing songs in Japanese has helped me maintain a creative connection to the language, as opposed to something more academic like reading, writing, and learning kanji which is how I studied Japanese when I was younger.
Do you have any other projects on the horizon?
I'm working on writing some new songs, and hoping to get in the studio and record them by the end of the year. I'm planning to have another project out by early next year or during the spring, which I'm super excited about :)
Is there anything you want to tell the readers of Sunlight?
Thank you for reading!!!
