Two years after her TikTok sensation "Late to the Party," alt-pop artist Emei has ventured down her own rabbit hole, only to emerge transformed.
Her third EP, RABBITHOLE, is a high-energy, glittering exploration of her inner world. It delves into the deepest corners of her mind. But beyond its lyrical depth, the making of RABBITHOLE has also marked a turning point in her artistic journey, signaling the dawn of a new creative era for Emei. You can catch her live on her international tour, starting February 2025.
By Lyna Allet
“Rabbit Hole” feels like a deep dive into anxiety and personal transformation. Can you tell us more about the creative process behind this project and why now felt like the right time to release it?
I wrote these songs as journal entries over the past two years. Each one felt like its own world and explored different subjects. When I looked back at my demos and started putting them together, it all clicked and made even more sense as a cohesive project. It’s very chronological, and now just felt like the right time to share it.
You’ve described this EP as a metamorphosis. How does it represent an artistic evolution compared to your previous projects, like “End of an Era” and “Scatterbrain”?
This was the first time I felt like these songs really walk you through a world. The first track, “Rabbithole,” is about falling into this journey, into the rabbit hole. As it goes deeper, it moves into songs like “All These Kids” and “Nine Lives,” before coming back up through “Sugarcoat” and “The Part” Creating this continuous journey made it feel different from my past EPs, where the projects weren’t as interconnected.
The EP seems to follow an emotional journey, moving from the chaos of anxiety to redemption. How did you approach writing the songs to reflect this cycle of struggle and release?
I usually start by brain-dumping and writing journal entries, which is the most genuine and vulnerable way for me to create. I wrote these songs over the course of the last two years, capturing different moments of that time. Then, in March or April, I looked back and shaped them into the cohesive project that it is now.
The title “Rabbit Hole” evokes the image of descending into the unknown. What does this metaphor mean to you personally, and how did it manifest in your own experience during the making of the album?
Once I wrote “Rabbithole,” and as I continued writing the other songs, I realized I wanted them to live in this whimsical, slightly otherworldly space. That’s why I named the project “Rabbithole.” It also ties into my experiences with panic attacks and anxiety spirals. That metaphor just captured everything I was feeling.
In songs like “Nine Lives,” you explore feelings of guilt and personal dilemmas, especially in your romantic relationship. How does this vulnerability play into your artistic process, and why is it important for you to share these intimate moments with your audience?
“Nine Lives” has always meant a lot to me—it was the first song I wrote for this project. I try not to overthink my creative process; I just follow my instincts and intuition. That day, I walked into the session feeling ready to be very honest and vulnerable about a fight I’d had, and I just unpacked it in the song. It felt natural, and the song came to life from there. I’m absolutely obsessed with it.
You’ve mentioned your transition from a family rooted in STEM fields to a career in music. How does this duality between logic and creativity influence your musical approach and your view of success?
My whole family are engineers. My mom and dad immigrated to America from China with $50 in their pockets, and I’ve always been inspired by their hard work and ambition. That realistic yet determined mindset has definitely influenced my own career. I also studied cognitive science at Yale, and understanding the human brain and psychology has really shaped my approach to music and how I connect with people. For me, logic and creativity are intertwined—they both fuel my drive and my artistry.
The project is accompanied by strong visual elements, including the use of red, which symbolizes both celebration and success in your culture. How have you integrated these cultural elements into the visual side of “Rabbit Hole,” and what role do they play in your artistic narrative?
I grew up singing a lot of C-pop and staying deeply connected to my Chinese culture, so incorporating red into this EP made a lot of sense. It’s a callback to my heritage and a way of honoring my roots. I’ve also been experimenting more with including Chinese lyrics in my original songs, and I make it a point to sing Chinese songs when I’m on tour. For the visuals, I had so much fun playing with braids, Chinese hairpins, and other traditional elements. These details are an undeniable part of who I am and what this project represents. It’s always been important to me to integrate these cultural aspects into my work, and “Rabbithole” gave me the perfect opportunity to showcase them in a really authentic way.
You’ve described “Rabbithole” as being inspired by anxiety, panic attacks, and the pressures of young adult life. How did these personal experiences shape the overall sound and tone of the EP? Did you approach the music differently because of these themes?
As I mentioned before, I try not to overthink my creative process. I go into a session with a certain vibe or feeling, and that naturally translates into the lyrics, production elements, chords, and overall sound. For this EP, I followed my intuition—if I was feeling anxious about a specific situation that day, I’d write about it, and the music would naturally reflect that theme. It’s all about being honest and letting the sounds match the emotions.
The connection to “Alice in Wonderland” seems to be a central influence on the project. How did you translate the surreal, dreamlike elements of the story into the music and visuals for “Rabbithole”? Were there specific moments in the book that inspired particular songs or concepts?
Absolutely. When I was writing and then listening back to the songs, I knew I wanted the project to exist in this whimsical world inspired by Alice in Wonderland. It was so much fun reflecting that in the sounds we used and especially in the visuals. We created five visualizers for five songs, and they all tie into each other while referencing that world. Definitely check out the visualizers—they’re such an important part of bringing the project to life.
After such a busy year of international touring and sold-out shows, how did you balance the pressure of your career with the personal themes of the EP? Did touring influence your creative process or the way you approach the themes of self-doubt and personal growth in the project?
Touring definitely influences my creative process. It’s such a big part of my life, so it naturally becomes part of my experiences, which turn into journal entries and eventually into songs. Beyond that, touring also makes me think about how to translate the songs live. I consider whether a song will be fun to perform, or if certain lyrics stand out and would be fun to scream with my fans! So that definitely shapes the way I write and create.
'RABBITHOLE' Out Now
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