The pain, the gag, the drama: Emei at Showbox

The pain, the gag, the drama. While Seattle didn’t get to host Emei for her birthday show, we still got to have a next day after party at the Showbox Market. I’d imagine like many others, I first found out about Emei through her viral 2023 hit, “Irresponsible.” The catchy chorus mixed with jittery electronic pop does a great job of embedding itself in the back of the brain. Emei’s Night at the Opera tour comes following the release of her 5-song EP of the same title. This performance doesn’t just feel like an EP release party, but more of a full-fledged theatrical release with two separate acts.

While Googly Eyes will be the opener for the rest of the tour, the West coast shows were graced with Madelline, a similarly energetic force of theater kid energy. With performance at the heart of her act, Madelline is described as the love child of Lily Allen, Marina, Taylor Swift, with a spoonful of Ashnikko. If you didn’t know, this weekend was World Mental Health Day, which lines up well with Madelline’s ideologies. She’s a frequent advocate for personal mental health using her music and lyrics to talk about what she’s been through.

Madelline’s stage presence was immediately evident as she entered the stage with a beautiful lace umbrella and striking red heels. She consistently made an effort to interact with the eclectic range of people pressed up against the front barrier. Her performance was sprinkled with very animated actions and expressions as she danced back and forth between both sides of the stage. At one point, she had a moment of someone bringing out a chair that they strapped her into. As she continued the song, she eventually was able to break out of the chair and continue her expressive performance. She even included some song verses in French and brought out her flute, aptly named “Flutacious.”

As energetic as she was, and even with the crowd visibly having a good time, she did have to frequently request the audience to erupt in cheers where she left a clear signal for them to do so. The crowd’s joy was evident as she invited them to visit her merch booth in between acts for an impromptu meet and greet with signings included.

While looking into Madelline, I also learned that she was one of many people who have been part of Taco Bell’s Feed the Beat program, which awards touring artists a $500 gift card to help with food expenses along their journey. With rising costs in every industry that actively makes it harder for touring artists to make any money, this was a fun discovery that any artist should submit themselves to if they’re looking for that crunchwrap to sustain their difficult trips between cities.

With a 30-minute break concluded, the lights went down and two ballet dancers dressed in bright white leotards and masks made their way onto the stage with an almost puppet-like approach. Emei’s entrance already felt like a perfectly choreographed Opera play. Her playfulness with the dancers, the audience, and her other musicians was so natural and fluid, and each song continued to be sing-alongs whether it was intended or not.

Emei’s skill is no surprise when you look at her past where she started singing at the age of nine. Her parents, who are originally from rural China, encouraged her to take a year off in High School to partake in the Chinese counterpart to American Idol where she ultimately placed 3rd in the second season of its airing. In an article with PEOPLE magazine, she talks about how that year really helped her become a better performer having performed in front of arenas full of people at a young age. Her popularity in America didn’t follow until years later when she posted some Tik Tok’s for her song “Late to the Party” and had them go viral.

One of my favorite comments through the night was when she mentioned that she “will write a diss track about you if you deserve it” and followed up with a song that was about her best friend’s performative boyfriend. Following this was an entertaining moment where her, the guitarist, and drummer stopped frozen on stage while the two dancers found themselves able to move in this frozen frame. They playfully ran around playing with Emei’s hair and eventually had their own countdown to strum the guitar and bang the drums for their own silent chaotic fun.

Eventually, Emei made her way out amongst the crowd in the center of The Showbox’s main floor. She then encouraged everyone to sit down with her as she sang the next song, “Ginger Tea” which she prefaced with her story about having a difficult year in 2024 where she lost her grandmother as well as some friends. Emei gracefully weaved in a verse with lyrics in Mandarin. She also added a tidbit of info to the story about getting shingles. While this song wasn’t acapella, a few songs later they ran into some technical issues that lasted long enough for her to decide to kick off the chorus as an acapella version that resulted in a beautiful moment for everyone.

While I was hoping for more of a moment between them, Emei’s show was split into two acts, each introduced by the dancers with signs denoting “Act 1” and “Act 2”. While the second half may have felt a bit more pop rock, I can’t say I personally noticed if there was a specific distinction between the two. I had a blast through the whole show, and as she and the fans sang, the performance was filled with “The Pain, The Gag, The Drama!”