Mree

A self-produced vocalist and composer, Mree first surfaced toward the end of the 2000s through acoustic cover recordings whose delicate, heartfelt delivery quickly attracted listeners. Over time she incorporated denser, atmospheric textures and her own material, culminating in the self-produced debut album Grow, which appeared in 2011. An online endorsement by Bon Iver together with placements on prime-time television programs broadened her audience, and after issuing two additional full-length projects she made her Nettwerk Records entrance with the seasonal EP Silver and Gold in 2017. Drawing primarily on meditation and mindfulness practices, she later released the largely instrumental Bloom EP in 2020.

Born in New Jersey and now based in Portland, Oregon, Marie Hsiao began performing under the name Mree by establishing a popular video channel. Her understated interpretations of songs by Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, and Imogen Heap, as well as the standard “Over the Rainbow,” began accumulating millions of streams after she launched the channel in 2009. The self-released Grow registered strongly on singer/songwriter streaming charts when it surfaced in 2011; the following year, bandleader Justin Vernon further expanded her reach by posting one of her Bon Iver covers on social media.

Mree issued the album Winterwell in 2013 and received an Independent Music Award for best music production the next year. During the same period her original track “Santa Catcher” appeared in a major retailer’s holiday advertising campaign, while additional songs were featured on the series Grey’s Anatomy, Beauty and the Beast, and Bones.

Her third album, Empty Nest, arrived in December 2015; three months afterward she and Henri Bardot introduced the indie-folk duo Perlo with the EP Patterns. Returning to solo work, Mree released the Nettwerk EP Silver and Gold in 2017, followed by The Middle in 2019. She continued in the EP format with the meditative Bloom in 2020.