Having initially built her following as a successful YouTuber, making music in a virtual world is something that comes naturally to Brooklyn singer-songwriter mxmtoon. But as the global pandemic forces her back into her bedroom, Maia refuses to see this as a step backwards. Instead, she has embraced the challenge of Zoom meetings and solo writing with a tenacity evident on new EP âduskâ.
The companion piece to her previously released EP, âduskâ sees Maia showcase her maturity and natural intuition as a songwriter, as well as a new confidence to broaden her sonic palette beyond the comforting familiarity of the ukulele.
Where âdawnâ was packed with sunny optimism for a hopeful future, ‘dusk’ is a deeply reflective exploration of the darker side of the human experience. Written before the pandemic hit, this duality is particularly poignant and, filled with sadness and shade, is strikingly symbolic of what we are all experiencing at the moment.
âI think we all find ourselves in a point of reflection over how our lives have progressed or stalled over the past monthsâ, Maia says. âOne thing Iâve found myself stewing on throughout the course of this year specifically, has been the idea of new beginnings, and trying to remind myself that you can always start new stories despite the dark. âduskâ is meant to serve as a reminder that life is cyclical.â
NME jumped on Zoom with Maia to talk pandemic-bedroom pop, female empowerment, and her curious ability to predict the future.
Youâre an artist who started out primarily in the online world. How have you found adapting to the challenges 2020 has thrown our way?
âItâs been difficult because everybody went into this year thinking it would be more traditional with touring and being able to go to meetings, so I was definitely looking forward to a lot of that. But, as somebody whose origins started online and can exist naturally in those spaces, itâs been nice to feel like making music in my bedroom, live streaming and being on Zoom calls hasnât been too forced.â
Does it feel like taking a step back?
âI think in the beginning I was a bit hung up on that because it felt like Iâve made all this progress and all of a sudden Iâm being thrown back into my room. But at the same time, everybody is having to do that. Itâs not a step back, itâs just adjusting to the circumstances and knowing that even when the in person element of music is gone, thereâs still so much other work you can do online to really build who you are as an artist.â
âduskâ is your second EP of the year. Why did you choose to release the music in this format as opposed to a single album?
âI released my first album last fall, so it felt like a bit of rush to go straight into making another and I wanted to give myself more time to explore my sound. Doing two EPs felt like I could cheat my way around making an album and have the room to mess around with different production styles. âdawnâ was more pop-heavy with the way it was written and produced, while âduskâ was more stripped back which allowed me to explore more with classical strings and piano.â
ââdawnâ is very extroverted and is all about looking forward to the future without being afraid of what is ahead of you, whereas âduskâ is about the other end of the emotional spectrum. It is the introverted, retrospective, internal EP. The two explore different aspects of myself and how I interact with the world, so I wanted to create space for both to exist.â

“Going back to recording in my room is not a step back, itâs just adjusting to the circumstances”
In a lot of ways, itâs quite symbolic of whatâs going on in the world at the moment.
âDefinitely. I had no idea that any of this would be happening, but somehow I managed to predict the future on a lot of these songs, which is a little bit embarrassing.â
How have the events of 2020 impacted the EP?
âI was really excited to do more sessions with different artists and writers, so not being able to sit with the people youâre working with was the hardest part because you lose that back-and-forth where you can just throw ideas around and immediately interact with it. Itâs been a while since I had to do everything virtually and it was a little bit daunting, but also itâs really encouraging to know that itâs still possible to make something youâre really proud of despite whatever may be happening in the world.â
Sonically, âduskâ feels much broader and more complex than your previous work. What musical influences did you draw on?
âWhen it comes to inspiration, whoever Iâm listening to at that moment influences it. When I was making âok on your ownâ, I was working with producer Pom Pom, who has a lot of R&B experience, and I was listening to a bunch of R&B-influenced artists like Daniel Caesar and Tom Misch. I had no idea if I could fit into that genre, but we found this middle-ground where we used the ukulele element that I was familiar with and then figured out how we could make it more R&B. I walk into every single room with a producer with no expectations and Iâm completely fine with letting them shape the way they feel itâll naturally work.â
You also collaborated with Carly-Rae Jepsen on âok on your ownâ. How did that come about?
âI feel like itâs a lot less crazy than you might imagine! I had written the song and we were thinking of a possible feature, and my managers suggested Carly Rae Jepsen. I didnât even know that they had her contact details, but they reached out to her and she ended up really loving the song. I was just over the moon. She FaceTimed me and, at that point I didnât know she would be working on it, so I was just sitting on the phone with Carly Rae Jepsen trying not to sweat profusely and she was like: âwhen do you need the vocals by?â I almost screamed. It was all a very natural progression and sheâs the sweetest person ever, so Iâm just so happy with how it turned out.â
Your creative process is very female-focused. Why is that so important to you?
âI think as somebody who started out in the music industry at 17, I was very focused on making sure I was working with women, both out of comfort and to feel empowered. You look at the entertainment industry and itâs so male-dominated, and thereâs a lot of people in power who couldnât relate to my experience of being a young woman of colour. I definitely try to involve as many female producers and writers in everything I do because I think that has really helped me feel confident in finding my voice. If I can do my part to involve a bunch of strong, kick-ass women, then I think thatâs the first step in driving the music industry towards more inclusivity.â
Where to next?
âI would love to do something like this again. I love being able to give myself the opportunity to work on things in doses, but I also really want to do another album. Iâm currently working on 365 with mxmtoon, which is a podcast with episodes going live every day for the next year unpacking the music industry and my experiences within it. Itâs just a way for people to feel like they can interact with the world and stay curious in a palatable format.â
mxmtoon’s ‘dawn’ and ‘dusk’ EPs are out now
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