Mei Semones' unique sound weaves lyrics in English and Japanese through catchy pop, jazz and rock-influenced instrumentation.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Daniel Ofman
Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.