20 Facts About Emi Meyer

Emi Meyer was born on March 1987 and is a Japanese-born American jazz pianist and singer-songwriter who is based in Seattle and Tokyo and active in both the Japanese and American markets.

Emi Meyer's mother is Japanese and a professor of art history while her father is American.

Emi Meyer began learning classical piano at age six but expanded to Jazz.

Emi Meyer studied ethnomusicology and international relations at Pomona College in Los Angeles County, including Indian ragas, African drumming and Japanese gagaku.

Emi Meyer wrote her thesis on the division in the modern Japanese music scene between hogaku and yogaku.

Emi Meyer first lived in Japan when she took a study-abroad program in the city of her birth, Kyoto.

In 2007, Emi Meyer won the Seattle-Kobe Jazz Vocalist Competition, which kick started her career in Japan.

Emi Meyer's 2007 self-produced debut album, Curious Creature reached the No 1 spot on the iTunes Japan jazz chart after the single "Room Blue" was selected as the Single of the Week.

Emi Meyer was already actively performing at events such as the Seattle's Northwest Folklife Festival, the Sundance Film Festival and Kobe Jazz Festival.

In 2009, Emi Meyer performed as the opening act for Yael Naim's tour in Tokyo and played at the Fuji Rock Festival.

In 2011, Meyer released her third album Suitcase of Stones, this time in English and described as a mix of "Jazz, blues and reggae-influenced original compositions" and produced by Grammy winning engineer S Husky Hoskulds.

Emi Meyer began her 2011 tour of Japan on May 21, as well as performing showcases at Tower Records stores nationwide.

Emi Meyer embarked on the tour despite trepidation after fans sent her messages concerned that artists were staying away from Japan following the March 11,2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

In October 2011, Emi Meyer performed two shows in Seattle, including at the Kizuna Benefit Concert to raise funds for victims of the Tohoku earthquake via charity organization Peace Winds America.

Emi Meyer released her fifth studio album Galaxy's Skirt in 2013, produced by David Ryan Harris.

Emi Meyer released a jazz standards album Monochrome, Her latest album Monochrome, recorded at Studio Ferber in Paris and produced by Legnini.

Emi Meyer then went on a national tour of Korea and TV appearances in 2016 as part of the Korean release of her album "Galaxy's Skirt" on Sony Music Entertainment Korea.

In 2019 Emi Meyer performed at Big Feastival on Blur member Alex James's farm in the Cotswolds, UK.

Emi Meyer is featured on DJ Okawari's track Midnight Train with a music video shot in Tokyo in January 2017.

Emi Meyer will be featured on HBMS's full-length album later this year.