Singer-songwriter Meiko, an indie pop artist, will kick off her solo tour Sept. 19 at the Maintenance Shop at the Memorial Union.

Meiko’s solo tour will continue until mid-November and has a selection of songs from her new album “Dear You,” which will debut Oct. 14. Meiko said this album is a little darker than her previous albums. 

“Most of the songs are letters I had initially written for people that I turned into songs,” Meiko said. “You know when you can’t really say things to someone’s face. I ended up writing songs about it.” 

Meiko found her passion for music while growing up in Roberta, Ga., a small town of about 1,000 people. She had a lot of time on her hands and started playing her father’s guitar as a hobby. 

“My dad plays guitar and he’s sort of a singer-songwriter,” Meiko said. “I grew up listening to him play music. I was always interested in singing and playing his guitar, but when I turned 13 he got me my own guitar and it just kind of ended up being my hobby that I would do every day after school.”

At the age of 18, Meiko moved with her sister to Los Angeles and still resides there today. 

“I love making music and it’s good for my soul,” Meiko said. “Luckily I’ve figured out some sort of way to have it as my job. I want to keep that going as long as I can. I love it. It’s my art.”

Tickets for the show are $10 for students and $15 for general admission and can be bought online at MidwesTIX or at the M-Shop box office, located at the west entrance of the Memorial Union. A $2 fee will be added to ticket purchases the day of the show.