JAZZ INDIE POP: Mei Semones brings her unique style to McCarter’s Berlind Theatre on Friday, September 4, at 7:30 p.m. She performs in Japanese and English. (Photo by Dan Hureira)

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Mei Semones brings her jazz-inflected indie pop to McCarter’s Berlind Theatre on Friday, September 4, at 7:30 p.m. Performing in both Japanese and English, Semones draws on her background in jazz guitar and her Japanese heritage, blending harmonies rhythms, and bilingual lyricism into music that is intimate, exploratory, and distinctly her own.

Semones’ music weaves together jazz, bossa nova, and indie rock, with influences ranging from John Coltrane and Wes Montgomery to Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins. On her Bayonet Records debut EP, Kabutomushi, she explores the complexities of love — infatuation, devotion, vulnerability, and loss.

“Blending everything that I like together and trying to make something new — that’s what feels most natural to me,” she said. “It’s what feels most true to who I am as an artist.”

Originally from Ann Arbor, Mich., Semones began playing piano at 4 before moving to guitar at 11 and later studying jazz performance at Berklee College of Music. She now performs with an ensemble featuring strings and continues to develop a distinctive musical voice that moves freely between genres and languages.

“I had the chance to see Mei Semones perform this summer at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and I was immediately captivated,” says Paula Abreu, McCarter’s director of presented programming. “I love artists who don’t fit neatly into one category, and Mei is doing something really special. She is an incredible guitarist and a compelling performer, and her music feels intimate, adventurous, and deeply personal.”

Before her McCarter performance, Semones will appear at the Newport Jazz Festival and New York’s SummerStage, sharing the bill with artists including Samara Joy and Christian McBride.

For tickets, visit mccarter.org or call (609) 258-2787.