Artist Of The Week #198 - mxmtoon
This week’s Artist of the Week is the phenomenal mxmtoon - who has just released her new album ‘rising’ via AWAL.
The world first met Maia, the mastermind behind mxmtoon, when she was a 17-year-old singer with a ukulele. In 2017, and from the guest bedroom in her parents’ Oakland home, the high-school student began posting covers of pop favourites and her own catchy confessional musings, tunes that spoke frankly of her setting’s assorted tribulations — dates and a lack thereof, online socialising and offline loneliness. A queer kid of mixed Chinese, German, and Scottish ancestry, Maia sang songs that expressed an interiority of the underrepresented with honesty, understanding, and hooks that could not be forgotten. mxmtoon became a streaming sensation, her teenage ditties defining a new era of what it meant to make bedroom pop. mxmtoon became an avatar for the new bloom of representation and inclusion in American pop.
She took a moment to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey there mxmtoon - how are you? So your new album is finally here, how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
So insane to have it finally out for people to listen to! I honestly wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to make a second full length project at certain points, but I am so thankful that I’ve had the continued privilege to keep making music and sharing it with the world.
It is called ‘rising - what is the meaning behind that?
‘Rising’ is named after the growth I feel like I’ve experienced and mxmtoon has experienced over the last few years of creating. I started this music project when I was seventeen years old, and I’m now twenty one. I’ve changed a lot from the teenager I was when I started making music, and the music I enjoy making has also changed as I’ve grown into who I am currently. ‘Rising’ encapsulates that progression of self, writing, and production.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
A lot of this album was made in Nashville with the executive producer for the project, Luke Niccoli. I’ve done previous work with Luke on songs from my EP ‘dawn’ and it was an absolute joy to work with him so much on ‘rising.’ I think my creative process is relatively lowkey compared to what people may expect! I spend a lot of time just rummaging through past playlists and current songs that I enjoy, and show up at Luke’s house and tell him what I’ve been into lately. I also spent a lot of time with his little cat Frank. I feel like she probably deserves a producer credit for being in the room the whole time.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
Lots of incredible female artists. I drew a lot of inspiration from Lily Allen, Feist, Phoebe Bridgers, Japanese Breakfast, and many more. I think naturally a lot of my songs that I ended up writing were focused on expressing my experience as a woman. Whether directly or indirectly, I think lots of lyrics circle around understanding my identity, specifically age and gender.
If your album could be a soundtrack to any film - which one and why?
I would absolutely bug out if I got to be a part of a movie like Everything, Everywhere,. All at Once. I love the Daniels, I think they’re genius directors, and I adore the amount of thought they put into scoring their movies. They both have a background in music videos as well, so I think they really understand the musicality and relationship between music and imagery. It would be an honor to do anything with them.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album? If so, which one and why?
“Will I always be the words I wrote when I was seventeen.” This is a direct reference to my song prom dress, and a really great example of a much larger theme that exists over the whole album. It’s a weird experience to ascertain a level of fame at a very young age, especially when the song you become known for is one about a very specific time and place from your teenage years. I have experienced so much more beyond one singular night at prom and understood how much larger our spectrum of emotions and lives can be. I hope I won’t be defined by a singular song during my musical career, I know I’m much more than the lyrics I wrote when I was seventeen. I have so much empathy for the person I was when I wrote that song, but my goal is to expand upon that world and express my current self.
Now the album is out there - what next for you?
My hope is to always push what mxmtoon can do. This is my sophomore album, but I’ve also released a year long daily podcast, streamed video games on Twitch, made a graphic novel, worked on music for a video game, and voice acted! This is the long way of saying that I have no idea, and that makes me incredibly excited. Nothing is off the table and the options are limitless. Music is my focus for this year, but who knows what next year will hold.
