arts&life
music
Big Voice
Fifteen-year-old Sami
Mei backs up her
compelling vocals
with impressive
songwriting,
instrumental and
performing skills.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
details
Puppets is available through digital
download retailers including iTunes, and
physical copies are available at samimei.
com. Sami Mei will appear at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 23, at the Berman in
West Bloomfield. $28. (248) 432-5673;
theberman.org. Sami Mei’s Album Release
Concert runs 7-9 p.m. Thursday, March
30, at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion. $10.
Samimei.com.
S
ami Mei Lofman is 15 years old. And while her high-school
friends are going to movies, doing homework and hanging
out, she has an additional extracurricular activity —
singer/songwriter/recording artist.
Using the stage name Sami Mei, this Farmington Hills teen-
ager with a gorgeously lilting voice finished recording her first
EP, Puppets, late last year and is currently finishing up work for
her second album, still untitled. She appears at local venues and
has been heard on radio stations in and out of the state. This
month, she will perform at two concerts that will feature music
from both recordings.
Tonight, March 23, Sami Mei opens for Jayme Stone’s Folklife
as part of the JCC Ethan and Gretchen Davidson Music Festival
at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts. Next Thursday,
March 30, she will be the headliner, backed by a full band, at a
release concert for Puppets at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion.
“We gave the album the title of one of the songs because that
song has the most meaningful lesson of the six songs that are
included,” says Sami Mei, a 10th grader at the Frankel Jewish
Academy.
“If there’s anything I want people to take away from my
albums, it is the lesson to be who you really are and make your
own path in life. Each song is different, but the album as a whole
really stresses finding out what’s right for you.”
Sami Mei, to be joined in Lake Orion by the Paco Higdon
Band with Lia K. Catallo as the opening act, blends pop/rock
with undertones of blues, jazz and soul. The album being spot-
lighted was recorded at the Pearl Sound Studios in Canton
under the guidance of producer Chuck Alkazian and producer-
engineer Josh Karpowicz.
“I’m excited because we’ll be performing my full album for
the first time,” Sami Mei says in summarizing the themes she
expressed through individual songs.
While “Impossible” vocalizes the idea of not being discour-
aged by others, “Palaces” involves going with what feels right.
“Taller” has to do with always improving, and “Don’t Care” is
about doing what makes you happy. The ballad, “Too Late,”
boosts the idea of hope.
“Inspiration for songs comes from all around — every experi-
ence I go through and every person I meet,” Sami Mei says. “The
songs are reflections of my ideas, and they’re really all me.
Sami Mei performing
“Most of my songs are written at the piano, but some come
while I’m sitting down with a guitar. I write the lyrics and the
melody at the same time. It just kind of happens naturally.”
While composing has seemed to follow her inclinations, Sami
Mei attributes a special exterior motivation to admiring the
music of Elton John. Her favorite song is his “Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road” because of the way it’s crafted.
Elana Lofman, Sami Mei’s mom, noticed her daughter’s com-
posing abilities when Sami Mei was 8 years old and writing her
first song, “Pieces of the Puzzle.” After a teacher asked to record
the number so others could hear it as well, Lofman decided to
help explore this special interest.
As Sami Mei was studying at the Axis Music Academy,
Lofman networked with singer-songwriters and identified
places where her daughter could perform. She talked with musi-
cians and producers connected to various aspects of the busi-
ness who were willing to provide directions.
“When I saw how she kept writing, loved what she was doing
and drew audience attention, I knew we would have to keep
pursuing opportunities,” Lofman says.
Sami Mei’s first public appearance, at age 10, was for a pro-
gram planned by the Birmingham Bloomfield Community
Coalition Youth Action Board. Open mic showcases and local
bookings followed. Recent appearances have been at the Maple
Theater in Bloomfield Township, The Bird & The Bread in
Birmingham and the Rust Belt Market in Ferndale.
Larger audiences were met at the Fox Theatre in Detroit dur-
ing the opening ceremonies of the JCC Maccabi Games/Artfest
and at Madison Square Garden in New York for the celebrity
audition of America’s Got Talent.
Sami Mei’s vocals have been featured in a back-to-school
commercial for J.C. Penney.
“I’ve known since I was very little that I’m a writer,” says Sami
Mei, who enjoys rock climbing and photography when time is
available. “I have liked writing poems and stories, and I could
never see the day when I stop writing or stop playing the piano.
“Practicing for performances comes with practicing music in
general. I never really practice for one performance, but I play
music every single day.”
With her family, Sami Mei attends services at The Shul, and
religious values enter into performances when she makes
a point of giving back. She has performed benefits for Kids
Kicking Cancer, Gleaners Community Food Bank and the Axis
Music Foundation.
“I couldn’t do all of this without the support of my family,” says
Sami Mei, also the daughter of Andrew Lofman and older sister
to music enthusiasts Adin and Aliyah. “I feel very much at home
when I’m on stage performing and sharing my music.” •
jn
March 23 • 2017
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