On this episode, Alex and Anna interview Mei, an artist who has been embarking on a rebrand journey filled with emotion and excitement. Formally known as Brandt Orange, this transformation was sparked by the desire to be as authentic as possible by writing songs about his own personal experiences under his real name. Being born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago where he experienced a lack of Asian representation, over his formative years Mei was inducted into the world of music through Youtube, where he absorbed the talents of his heroes through watching covers on repeat and grew his guitar chops through trial and error. Now a master of his craft and based out of LA, Mei is pushing back on the the model-minority box Asian artists are often put into by proudly reclaiming his identity and giving himself permission to be "as creative and universe building as anybody else." You can find him @meijun.e.