Maia, the brain behind mxmtoon, is the ultimate Internet kid success story. From posting her drawings on social media when she was a young teen to playing ukulele originals, mxmtoon has always stayed true to herself and used the Internet as a tool for self-expression. Her creativity and candidness have reached millions all over the world, many of which have followed her from the start. By sharing parts of herself online, she quickly became the internet’s cool, relatable best friend. She’s beloved for her ability to articulate the teen-turned-young adult experience and all of the trials and tribulations that come along with it.

By all accounts, May is mxmtoon’s month—she’s just kicked off a massive world tour, her album, rising, is coming out on May 20th, and she’s featured in Netflix’s new series Heartstopper. Her music is reminiscent of fellow bedroom pop artists like girl in red and chloe moriondo (who’ll be supporting her on tour), but the singles off her upcoming album see her embracing a pop sound that makes you want to grab your hairbrush and dance around your bedroom lip-synching. rising is a coming-of-age record, mxmtoon writes about her own experiences growing up and turning inwards to find what she wants—something a lot of her fanbase is experiencing at the same time.

Below, we chat about guilty pleasures, movies, and her podcast “365” days with mxmtoon. mxmtoon’s on tour now, all dates here with a stop in Vancouver May 13th here!

What’s your guilty pleasure?
I love going to the movies. I have a monthly pass for the movie theater near my apartment that lets me see one free movie every day and I am there an unreasonable number of times a week. 

What movie can you watch over and over?
Parasite! It’s currently the only movie I have downloaded on my computer so I watch it all the time. It’s in my top 5 favorite movies of all time and I never get tired of watching it.

What’s your favorite quote?
“In another life, I would’ve been happy just doing laundry and taxes with you.” It’s a quote from my favorite movie, Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. I think it really captures the joy and beauty in simple moments when you have people you love doing something with you. Life doesn’t need to be a grand affair, it can be small and seemingly mundane, but hold so much significance. 

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? If so, which one?
The fish girl in Shark Tale, Lola. Have you seen her? 

What inspired you to start “365” days with mxmtoon?
I love history and I love to share my interests with my audience. What better way to do that than to do a podcast? Mxmtoon has always been a creative playground for me to express myself through any medium possible. Whether it’s lyrics, streaming, video editing, or podcasting. “365” days with mxmtoon was an incredibly large task to take on but [it] taught me so much in the process of creating a podcast and how that world works. It’s fun to try out doing something new even if it’s challenging.

What song makes you feel nostalgic whenever you hear it?
“Fire Burning” by Sean Kingston. The soundtrack to every middle school dance ever. 

Check out the first few tracks from rising here

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