Japanese Breakfast

Born in Seoul, South Korea, on March 29, 1989, Michelle Zauner moved to America as an infant and later launched her music career as the frontwoman of Little Big League. The Philadelphia-based emo band formed in 2011 and released two albums before Zauner left the lineup. Moving back home to Oregon to take care of her sick mother, she launched Japanese Breakfast as a lo-fi solo project. What began as a series of informal, homemade recordings quickly turned into a full-time endeavor, and Japanese Breakfast's debut album, Psychopomp, was released worldwide in 2016. Inspired by her mother's death, the album mixed melancholic lyrics with '80s synthesizers, electric guitars, and pop melodies. Psychopomp was followed by 2017's Soft Sounds from Another Planet, a critically-acclaimed album that featured expansive arrangements, shoegazing soundscapes, and cinematic production courtesy of Craig Hendrix. Japanese Breakfast had fully morphed into an indie-pop project by this point, with a number of collaborators — including a multi-piece horn section — joining Michelle Zauner during the album's recording sessions. Led by the singles "Be Sweet" and "Posing in Bondade," Jubilee marked Japanese Breakfast's third full-length album in 2021, widening Zauner's palette once again with touches of indie-folk, chillwave, and Kate Bush-inspired art-pop. The LP was the band's first release to chart on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 56 and reaching Top 10 positions on the independent charts. Following the end of the Jubilee tour, Michelle Zauner spent a year living in Seoul, where she began writing material for her upcoming album. For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women), Japanese Breakfast's fourth full-length, arrived in 2025 and was supported by the singles "Orlando in Love" and "Mega Circuit."