Inspired by the curiosity and determination of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland, Emei is descending into her own mad metamorphosis on her new EP RABBITHOLE.
Following the success of her debut album, SCATTERBRAIN, this EP serves as a continuation of her brand of alt-pop confessionalism. Across five tracks, Emei unapologetically dives into her own struggles with anxiety, insecurity, and relationships.
On our latest episode of ECHO – The Podcast, we sat down with Emei to chat about writing and producing the EP and its five part visualizer series, as well as her upcoming THE RABBITHOLE TOUR.
Excerpt from podcast:
You have your new EP RABBITHOLE, which I love, borrows some inspiration from Alice in Wonderland. Was that something that you went into the EP thinking that was your concept or was it a through line that you saw after you created these songs?
Definitely after. When I’m making music or working on a project, I like to just throw paint on the walls—creating things daily that feel genuine and right to me. Then, afterward, I look back at everything I’ve made and piece it all together. That’s when everything starts to click. Once I wrote “Rabbit Hole” and realized the song I wanted it to be, everything kind of came together. All the songs felt like I was falling into this hole and then coming back out of it. So yeah, “Rabbit Hole,” Alice in Wonderland—it all just clicked as I was going through it.
And how did you go about planning the track order for the EP?
One of the things I do to figure out track orders, setlists, or anything like that is use post-its. I write out my favorite songs on them and map them out, trying different orders until it feels right. Then, once I’ve imagined the setlist or track order, I listen through to make sure it really flows well. That’s how I plan that kind of stuff.
What about Alice in Wonderland did you really resonate with?
I was watching it again the other day, and it’s so interesting. I think it’s mostly this feeling of being scared in a new space but also incredibly curious and excited. It felt like that—like Alice is supposed to be 10 or 11 years old, very young in the story, and you forget that. She goes through everything with curiosity, feeling sad she’s not at home but also excited, as she experiences so many different things. I really like Alice quite a bit because a lot of music and making art feels like it’s your inner child creating it. And yeah, I feel like that’s what this project was for me.
To listen to the full interview, listen to ECHO – The Podcast.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Featured Photo Credit: Jordan Kelsey Knight