Mei Semones

Japanese-American jazz and pop guitarist and singer Mei Semones was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She began playing piano at the age of four, before discovering electric guitar at eleven. After graduating from Boston's Berklee College of Music with a degree in jazz guitar, she met her accompanists Noah Long (viola) and Claudius Agrippa (cello). Now based in Brooklyn, New York, the singer and guitarist sings in Japanese and English, recording the Tsukino and Sukkikirai EPs in 2022, followed by Kabutomushi in 2024, which reveal the influences of bossa nova, jazz fusion and alternative rock. Hailed for her virtuosity, Mei Semones released her debut album Animaru on May 2, 2025 on Bayonet Records. It reached number 13 on the Billboard jazz charts.