ALTERNATIVE POP SINGER-SONGWRITER MADILYN MEI ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM & TOUR
Building a sonic and aesthetic world without comparison, innovative singer, songwriter, and visual artist Madilyn Mei serves up a new single entitled “A Can Of Worms” out now via Mercury Records.
Listen HERE. It also notably sets the stage for the release of her much anticipated forthcoming album, A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1, on September 12. Pre-order/Pre-save HERE.
Imparting a piece of herself on every element, she personally drew the single and album art by hand, working with artist Karla Radanovic. Moreover, the album’s physical version boasts a limited-edition trading card, which she also designed and drew. 1-in-10 cards include a special-colored foil backing.
On “A Can Of Worms,” a furiously tapped xylophone twinkles until Madilyn’s swooning delivery overtakes the spotlight. Strings only boost the dramatic flair of the production played out through intensely introspective lyrics. Between the ethereal instrumentation, she wrestles with confusion on the chorus, “I’m a can of worms, I don’t know the right words.” The emotion practically overflows during the last crescendo as she wonders, “Would I know I’m going mad if I were?”
It’s just one layer of A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1 though. These twelve tracks unflinchingly process anxiety, alienation, identity, loneliness, and love by projecting such emotions in widescreen across a galaxy-sized sonic palette where creative boundaries are effectively irrelevant and feeling reigns supreme.
About the upcoming album, Madilyn Mei commented “A Thousand Songs About It All: Act I is about the dichotomy of how well my career has been going while my mental health and personal life have been deteriorating at the same time. It’s about burn out, the pressures I feel both in music and my personal life, identity, mental health, family and the overall life and feelings of a touring 22-year old queer musician trying to find their place in the world.”
Check out the full tracklisting below.
Last month, Madilyn Mei released “At Least I’d Be A Cowboy!” which has already generated over 840K streams and counting. Prior, she kicked off this chapter with the release of “What’s Going On?!” The latter is approaching 4 million streams as well as 800K YouTube views on the official music video. Plus, the lyric “I am an alien, my rocket ship is human bone and skin” sparked a viral fever on TikTok and Instagram, with over 9,000 uses and countless fan-made animations.
This fall, Madilyn Mei will launch The One Man Circus 30-date headline tour, kicking off on September 17 in Tucson, AZ, visiting major markets coast-to-coast, and concluding on November 15 in Dallas, TX. She will be supported by Rabbitology, Amelia Day, and Scrawny. She is currently on the road supporting AJR on a massive summer amphitheater tour alongside fellow special guests Quinn XCII, Chelsea Cutler, Cavetown, Goth Babe, and Valley. It kicked off on July 20 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA, visiting major markets coast-to-coast, and concluding on October 4 at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA.
Check out the full confirmed itinerary below.
A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1 TRACKLIST:
1. My Only Sense Of Purpose
2. One Man Circus
3. A Can Of Worms
4. What’s Going On?!
5. Quarters
6. Velcro
7. Comfort Food
8. Playing Dead
9. Speak Of The Devil
10. At Least I’d Be A Cowboy!
11. My Name
12. Intermission (Adieu Until Act 2)
TOUR DATES WITH AJR:
7/26 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/27 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
7/29 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre
7/31 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center
8/6 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
8/8 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre
8/9 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
10/4 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
THE ONE MAN CIRCUS TOUR DATES:
9/17 Tucson, AZ+
9/19 San Diego, CA+ [SOLD OUT]
9/20 Anaheim, CA+ [SOLD OUT]
9/21 San Francisco, CA+
9/23 Sacramento, CA+
9/26 Portland, OR+
9/27 Seattle, WA+
9/30 Boise, ID+
10/1 Salt Lake City, UT+ [SOLD OUT]
10/3 Denver, CO^
10/15 Minneapolis, MN*
10/17 Chicago, IL*
10/18 Columbus, OH*
10/19 Ann Arbor, MI*
10/22 Toronto, ON*
10/24 Burlington, VT*
10/25 Portland, ME*
10/26 Montreal, QC*
10/29 Boston, MA*
10/31 Brooklyn, NY*
11/1 Philadelphia, PA*
11/2 Washington, D.C.*
11/4 Richmond, VA*
11/5 Carrboro, NC*
11/7 Asheville, NC*
11/8 Atlanta, GA*
11/13 Houston, TX*
11/14 Austin, TX*
11/15 Dallas, TX*
+Rabbitology
^Scrawny
*Amelia Day
ABOUT MADILYN MEI
The artistry of Madilyn Mei encompasses multiple dimensions of sound, sight, and most importantly, connection. Breaking stylistic barriers, her music circulates through a whirlwind of feelings, with theatrical inflection stretching from moments of vulnerability to expressions of vitality. The otherworldly production darkens or brightens the mood to match emotional pitch, embedding relatable feelings within a fantastical framework.
The Arizona singer-songwriter stresses intense candor and unabashed honesty, exploring grounded and earthly experiences of anxiety, alienation, identity, loneliness, and love. At the same time, her music blasts off into the embrace of extraterrestrial soundscapes and wondrous visuals, all stemming from a singular mind. At 16-years-old, she released her debut song “Stolen Smiles,” paving the way for “Knotted Constellations” and “The Queen.” Single “Let’s Be Friends” became a fan favorite, building additional buzz, before breaking through with 2022’s “Blue Haired Boy,” which has generated 16.5 million Spotify streams to-date.
The latter was the first building block for her debut EP Where No One Knows My Name. In 2023, she maintained her momentum with “The Milk Carton,” which has since amassed 16 million Spotify streams. A series of projects followed, including her full length studio debut To Exist With You [2023], and 2 EPs: Promise You Won’t Scream [2023], and The Bard [2024]. Indicative of her impact, Mei’s fanbase hangs onto every word, going as far as to dress up “fantasy-style” to see her at live shows. It’s no wonder AJR tapped her as support for their 2025 “Somewhere In The Sky Tour.”. Eclipsing over 100 million streams independently and earning critical acclaim, Madilyn Mei fashions a space for these emotions to run free on her forthcoming debut via Mercury Records.
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