Michelle Chongmi Zauner is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author, known as the lead vocalist of the indie pop band Japanese Breakfast. Her 2021 memoir, Crying in H Mart, spent 60 weeks on The New York Times hardcover non-fiction bestseller list. In 2022, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world under the category Innovators on their annual list.
Zauner performing at the Neptune Theater in Seattle, Washington, 2021
Zauner performs live at the Boaty Weekender in 2019.
Jane Park interviews Michelle Zauner for Seattle Arts and Lectures in 2023.
2013 photo of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whom Zauner said made music "more accessible" and inspired her to begin playing the guitar.
Japanese Breakfast is an American indie pop band headed by musician Michelle Zauner. Zauner started the band as a side project in 2013, when she was leading the Philadelphia-based emo group Little Big League. She has said that she named the band after seeing a GIF of Japanese breakfast and deciding that the term would be considered "exotic" to Americans; she also thought it would make others wonder what a Japanese breakfast consists of.
Japanese Breakfast frontwoman Michelle Zauner performing at the Day In Day Out Festival in Seattle, Washington, 2022
Zauner performing live with her band in 2017
Japanese Breakfast performing live in 2018 at the Sasquatch! Music Festival
Zauner in 2021 performing live with her band at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle
