At the age of 16 mxmtoon started uploading her music to the internet, these songs struck a chord with fans around the world and her journey as an artist began. Over the last 3 years, through a mixture of authenticity and intuition with technology mxmtoon has written a new rule book in how musicians connect with their fans. Today her debut album the masquerade is here.
Maia says, "my album, the masquerade, is about my journey of growing up! about learning who i am, who i want to be, and the challengers along the way. but it's not just for me, its also for you. the stories told are universal experiences, so listen along and find yourself within the lyrics."
The album from the 19-year-old singer/songwriter delivers what she calls "rhyming diary entries": an off-the-cuff account of her most private thoughts and feelings, usually dashed off very late at night, straight from her brightly lit brain. In her deliberate refusal to hide behind metaphor, the Oakland-based artist otherwise known as maia achieves a quiet bravery, an unrestrained honesty that gives voice to those who often go unheard.
Maia has built a remarkable bond with her audience entirely on the strength of her resonant songwriting and unaffected presence. Her debut EP plum blossom which was released in 2018 clocked more than 100 million spotify streams alone, not bad for songs recorded alone in her parents' guest room. In less than a year she is now amassing millions of followers and subscribers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram and Maia has made a point of using her ever-growing platform to speak out on issues close to her heart. "As a young bisexual woman of color from a family of immigrants, a lot of current events directly affect who I am," says Maia, who's mixed Chinese-American. "I firmly believe it's my obligation and opportunity to speak on issues that affect us all."
Released last week and again breaking new ground, mxmtoon is the first artist to featured in Spotify's new podcast series 21 Days. The eight-episode music podcast follows three weeks in the life of maia.
mxmtoon will embark on her completely sold out North American tour this week starting on the west coast and playing shows across the country. All dates are listed below.
9/19 - Portland, OR - Holocene (SOLD OUT)
9/20 - Vancouver, BC - Rio (SOLD OUT)
9/21 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile (SOLD OUT)
9/27 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy (SOLD OUT)
9/28 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy (SOLD OUT)
10/1 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar (SOLD OUT)
10/2 - San Diego, CA - Voodoo Room (SOLD OUT)
10/4 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room (SOLD OUT)
10/5 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room (SOLD OUT)
10/12 - Washington, DC - All Things Go Festival
10/22 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court (SOLD OUT)
10/23 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge (SOLD OUT)
10/25 - St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam Hall (SOLD OUT)
10/26 - Chicago, Il - Lincoln Hall (SOLD OUT)
10/27 - Detroit, MI - Shelter (SOLD OUT)
10/31 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
11/6 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground (SOLD OUT)
11/8 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair (SOLD OUT)
11/9 - Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry (SOLD OUT)
11/11 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Purgatory) (SOLD OUT)
11/14 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall (SOLD OUT)
11/15 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre (SOLD OUT)
12/1 - Southampton, UK @ Engine Room* (SOLD OUT)
12/2 - Birmingham, UK @ Academy 2* (SOLD OUT)
12/3 - Norwich, UK @ Epic* (SOLD OUT)
12/5 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club* (SOLD OUT)
12/6 - Glasgow, UK @ The Garage* (SOLD OUT)
12/7 - Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy 2* (SOLD OUT)
12/8 - Dublin, Ireland @ Dublin Academy Green Room* (SOLD OUT)
12/10 - Bristol, UK @ The Fleece* (SOLD OUT)
12/11 - London, UK @ Camden Assembly
12/12 - London, UK @ Electric Ballroom* (SOLD OUT)
*Supporting Cavetown
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