ALTERNATIVE POP SINGER-SONGWRITER MADILYN MEI NEW SINGLE & TOUR

Continuing to thread the narrative for her upcoming debut album, innovative singer, songwriter, and visual artist Madilyn Mei delivers an introspective and infectious new single entitled “One Man Circus” out now via Mercury Records. Listen HERE.

The single arrives alongside an official video with artwork provided by acclaimed illustrator Jim Stoten, directed by both Stoten and Madilyn Mei, and animated by Jake Huffcutt. Watch HERE.  Stoten is known for past works with Animal Collective, Lush, Beck, New Yorker Magazine, and the The New York Times, amongst many others.

Photo Credit: Emily Minerowicz

It brings audiences closer to the unveiling of her much anticipated forthcoming album, A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1, out September 12. Pre-order/Pre-save HERE.

Madilyn set the stage for the release of “One Man Circus” with the heightened level of pomp and circumstance that her rapt fanbase has come to expect. Once again, she oversaw the creative, even guiding the rollout itself. She assembled a series of social media snippets to piece together this puzzle, galvanizing listeners.

On “One Man Circus,” echoes cranked from a children’s music box wrap tightly around delicate acoustic guitar. Backed by this inventive sonic patchwork, she professes, “I am a one man circus. I do everything, so incredibly, since I’m the one that’s pulling all the strings,” going on to urge, “Marvel at the fact there’s no list of writers on the screen, there’s just me, only me.” Horns blare loudly, piano sings out, and she reminds, “Hell, I am the show.” The track confidently and gleefully pulls back the curtain on her artistry.

About “One Man Circus,” she said, “I wrote a song about doing everything solo and refusing help until you finally burn yourself out.”

It follows the buzzing “A Can of Worms,” which has earned enthusiastic acclaim and begun to pick up traction on DSPs. In its wake, OnesToWatch extensively spoke to her, hailing “this young and promising artist’s very unique approach.”
Shining on stage, Madilyn just enchanted crowds as part of AJR’s massive summer amphitheater tour, joining a diverse cohort of fellow special guests such as Quinn XCII, Chelsea Cutler, Cavetown, Goth Babe, and Valley. She will grace the bill of the jaunt’s final show at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA.

As a whole, A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1 sees her 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. Download cover art HERE.

Last month, Madilyn Mei released “At Least I’d Be A Cowboy!” which has already generated over 1.2 million streams and counting. Prior, she kicked off this chapter with the release of “What’s Going On?!” Listen HERE. The latter garnered 4.5 million streams as well as 800K YouTube views on the official music video. Watch HERE. 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. Tickets are on sale now HERE.  She will be supported by Rabbitology, Amelia Day, and Scrawny.

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:
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* [SOLD OUT]
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* [SOLD OUT]
11/7     Asheville, NC*
11/8     Atlanta, GA*
11/13   Houston, TX*
11/14   Austin, TX*
11/15   Dallas, TX* [SOLD OUT]

+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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