Hailing from the sun-kissed shores of Manhattan Beach, California, 24-year-old mehro has come a long way since picking up his first guitar. In fact, early on he resisted the call of music entirely. The catalyst for his journey as an artist was watching the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. The depiction of the legendary musician’s life helped him realize he was enough just as he was. “His narrative filled me with a sense of worthiness for my dreams,” mehro remembers.

As a singer-songwriter, mehro skillfully navigates the fine line between sharing his own stories and creating music that connects with a broader audience. “I learned from a wise person that the more specific you are, the more universal it becomes,” he says. “I don’t concern myself with the audience. I let the song come to me the way that it’s meant to.” mehro’s debut single “Perfume” came out during the throws of COVID in 2020, quickly becoming a sensation that currently has over 65 million streams on Spotify. When asked about the secret behind the song’s success, mehro humbly answers, “It’s hard for me to say. I hope the song resonates with each individual listener…. The song comes from an authentic place, and I love where the song takes me. Perhaps listeners feel the same way I do.”

With his debut full-length album, Dark Corners and Alchemy, mehro immerses the audience in an exploration of life’s intricacies—relationships, traumas, and passions. Each of his tracks represents a unique experience, a piece of the puzzle that is mehro’s life unveiling itself. “I wasn’t thinking of how the album would be laid out as the songs were being written. They told me the story over time,” he says. “The opening song from the album was inspired by a particularly lonely and desperate night,” mehro adds, referring to “howling.” “I love how it enters the listener into the world of this album.”

With Dark Corners and Alchemy under his belt and more releases on the way, mehro’s creative journey continues to unfold, a labyrinth of inspiration and authenticity. “The evolution will never stop. I will always look to grow and evolve,” says the artist. “I look forward to every milestone I have yet to experience. I have big dreams.”

This story appears in the pages of GEN V4: now available for purchase!

Photography Sam Dameshek

Fashion Hunter Clem

Editor Kevin Ponce

Grooming Mira Chai

Manicure Naoko Saita (Opus Beauty)

Set designer Teaghan Rohan

Photo assistant Vincent Lantzy

Fashion assistant Nick Rossi