Japanese Breakfast

Where They’re From: Philadelphia, PA

Who They Are: Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michelle Zauner is the creative visionary behind Japanese Breakfast, and though her music radiates with love and jubilation, it stems from a much more somber place. Zauner got her start in the basements of Philly’s DIY scene in the band Little Big League, and founded Japanese Breakfast in 2013 as a song-a-day writing exercise while caring for her ailing mother. Her mom passed away from cancer in 2014, and the loss Zauner experienced went on to inform her first proper albums as Japanese Breakfast — as well as her memoir Crying In H Mart. Through songs that are tragic and deeply personal but also highly relatable and occasionally surprisingly comical, the catharsis of JBrekkie connected in a massive way, and by the time the band was named an XPN Artist To Watch ahead of the release of its third album Jubilee, the focus had shifted from grief to joy.

Years Active: 2013-present

Essential Albums: Psychopomp (2016), Jubilee (2021)