Born and raised in Japan, Maki Matsui has been a lifelong reader and writer, first in Japanese and then in English. She studied English at Williams College and vocal performance at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She makes her home in the hills of Western Massachusetts, where she is better known as a classical singer.

She has published two books—Back to Troy (2020) and Daisy Fields (2020)—and is currently working on her third title.