Recording with GarageBand in her parents' guest bedroom, creating percussion tracks with hair straighteners, Maia began self-releasing songs on YouTube as "mxmtoon" in 2017. After initially attempting to write comedy songs, she began writing songs that embodied her emotions such as "feelings are fatal", which only required a USB microphone and GarageBand. The song currently has over 23 million streams on Spotify. Her 2017 collaboration with Japanese lo-fi producer peachy!, "Falling for U", reached nearly 40 million streams on Spotify by June 2019. Maia began secretly releasing music to the public, but was later compelled to tell her friends and family after experiencing viral success online. In 2018, Maia released her debut EP, plum blossom, which was reviewed by Earmilk, i-D and Hypebeast, and gained more than 100 million streams on Spotify by August 2019. The EP's single "i feel like chet" is a tribute to one of her favorite jazz musicians, Chet Baker.
After high school, Maia took a "gap year" by postponing college to focus on her music. She was planning to study architecture after graduating high school, until her music went viral in April 2018. In November 2018, she announced her "plum blossom tour". Her first tour, initially scheduled for five US shows with fellow Californian singer-songwriter khai dreams in March 2019, sold out, and was extended to include additional concerts in North America and Europe, including opening appearances for bedroom pop YouTuber Cavetown in the United Kingdom. Maia made her first appearance on a billboard in Times Square when Spotify advertised her single "dream of you" for their New Music Friday playlist.
Prior to the release of the masquerade, Spotify announced the release of 21 Days, a music podcast that follows Maia while she works on the album in New York City. Liz Gateley of Spotify praised Maia's online following as well as her social presence, stating that "She obviously has lots of followers already, but that's not enough. The person had to be the right human too, and we felt she had both." The podcast is an eight-episode audio diary that includes interviews with family, friends and collaborators, including the album's producer Cavetown.
Maia's debut studio album the masquerade was released on September 17, 2019. The album peaked at 17 on the US Heatseekers Chart and at 45 on the US Indie Albums Chart. It features "prom dress", a "light and peachy tune" described as "relatable, infectious hook-led pop that speaks to millennials". The single is inspired by experiences from her own big night and deals with social anxiety and the problems that come with being a teen in modern society. The song has been streamed over 30 million times on Spotify, and has been used in 100,000 videos on TikTok. Maia's back catalogue of songs have also received tens of millions of online streams.
Joshua Bote of Paste described the ten-track album as "comforting twee-pop that wrings out genuine pathos from mxmtoon’s internet celebrity". Matt Yuyitung of Exclaim! wrote "[Maia] brings her wry sense of humour and diary-entry lyricism to her debut record, recalling the lo-fi relatability of Frankie Cosmos."
Maia embarked on her sold out "the masquerade Tour" of North America and United Kingdom in September 2019. She released her first graphic novel "The Adventures Of Mxmtoon: The Masquerade" in October 2019. Kirsten Spruch from Billboard wrote, "The novel seamlessly pairs with the album, encapsulating her introverted, teenage tendencies and free-flowing creativity." Gabe Bergado from Teen Vogue described the book "a captivating, charming visual journey that complements the dreamy album." She released an accompanying animated short film for the graphic novel in November 2019.
In November 2019, Maia announced via Twitter that she would be joining American singer-songwriter Lauv for his 2020 summer tour of Asia supporting his album how i'm feeling.
On November 19, 2019, Kobalt Music Group announced that they would be signing mxmtoon to their label under a global publishing deal. This deal will include administration and creative support for current music catalogue and future works. Creative Vice-President at Kobalt, Melissa Emert-Hutner, stated "Maia is truly the voice of her generation; by sharing her beautiful, heartfelt music with the world and growing her brand organically, she exemplifies the DIY spirit and aesthetic that Kobalt embraces." Emily Bines, a senior creative director at Kobalt added "Mxmtoon is exactly the type of forward-thinking creative that we dream about working with at Kobalt. Her vision, matched with her team’s passion to bring it to fruition is unwavering. We will be hearing from Maia for a long time to come."
Maia released the masquerade (the edits) on November 22, 2019. The EP features remixes from songs on the masquerade from names like Chloe Lilac, Alexander 23 and Chloe Moriondo. In November 2019, Dork put Maia on their Hype List of 2020, alongside names like girl in red, Beabadoobee and Maisie Peters.
In December 2019, Maia re-recorded the song "prom dress" in Simlish, the fictional language used in The Sims games, to help promotion. The Simlish version was added to The Sims 4 on December 12, 2019. Maia reacted on Twitter with "countless hours of playing the sims has helped me become fluent in simlish... and guess what?? prom dress was just added to #thesims4 today!" A week later Maia released the music video for "unspoken words", which revolves around her Chinese-American upbringing as well as her relationship with her Chinese grandmother.
Maia released her first single of 2020, "Fever Dream" in January 2020.
prom dress
mxmtoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel like I've been lacking, crying too many tears
Everyone seemed to say it was so great
But did I miss out, was it a huge mistake?
I can't help the fact I like to be alone
It might sound kinda sad, but that's just what I seem to know
I tend to handle things usually by myself
And I can't ever seem to try and ask for help
I'm sitting here, crying in my prom dress
I'd be the prom queen if crying was a contest
Makeup is running down, feelings are all around
How did I get here? I need to know
I guess I maybe had a couple expectations
Thought I'd get to them, but no I didn't
I guess I thought that prom was gonna be fun
But now I'm sitting on the floor and all I wanna do is run
I keep collections of masks upon my wall
To try and stop myself from revealing it all
Affecting others is the last thing I would do
I keep to myself though I want to break through
I hold so many small regrets
And what-ifs down inside my head
Some confidence, it couldn't hurt me
My demeanor is often misread
I'm sitting here, crying in my prom dress
I'd be the prom queen if crying was a contest
Makeup is running down, feelings are all around
How did I get here? I need to know
I guess I maybe had a couple expectations
Thought I'd get to them, but no I didn't
I guess I thought that prom was gonna be fun
But now I'm sitting on the floor and all I wanna do is run
All I wanna do is run
All I wanna do is run
All I wanna do is run
I'm sitting here, crying in my prom dress
I'd be the prom queen if crying was a contest
Makeup is running down, feelings are all around
How did I get here? I need to know
I guess I maybe had a couple expectations
Thought I'd get to them, but no I didn't
I guess I thought that prom was gonna be fun
But now I'm sitting on the floor and all I wanna do is run
All I wanna do is run
The lyrics of mxmtoon's "Prom Dress" tell the story of a girl who is reflecting on her high school experience, particularly her final year as prom approaches. She questions whether she has missed out on something, whether she's made a mistake, and whether her expectations were too high. The feeling of being alone and not asking for help is conveyed in the line "I can't ever seem to try and ask for help." The girl's emotions rise to the surface as she cries in her prom dress, wishing she didn't feel the way she does. She questions how she got to this point and wonders if anyone else feels the same way.
The lyrics of "Prom Dress" deal with themes that are familiar to many high school students: loneliness, longing, regret, and disappointment. The image of a girl crying in her prom dress is a raw representation of what it's like to feel out of place and alone in a social setting. The lyrics also touch on the idea that everyone has their own struggles, even when it may seem like everyone else is having fun.
One interpretation of the song suggests that it's about how we build up expectations about events like prom and end up disappointed when they don't live up to those expectations. It's a poignant reminder that what we see on the surface doesn't always reflect what's really going on inside. "Prom Dress" is a relatable song that speaks to the universal experience of growing up and the challenges that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm nearing the end of my fourth year
I'm approaching the end of high school
I feel like I've been lacking, crying too many tears
I feel like I haven't done enough in high school and have been crying a lot
Everyone seemed to say it was so great
Everyone said high school would be amazing
But did I miss out, was it a huge mistake?
Did I miss out on something important or make a mistake?
I can't help the fact I like to be alone
I naturally prefer being alone
It might sound kinda sad, but that's just what I seem to know
It may seem sad, but it's just how I am
I tend to handle things usually by myself
I usually deal with things on my own
And I can't ever seem to try and ask for help
I struggle to ask for help
I'm sitting here, crying in my prom dress
I'm sitting alone, crying in my prom dress
I'd be the prom queen if crying was a contest
I cry so much I would win if there was a crying contest
Makeup is running down, feelings are all around
My makeup is ruined from crying and my emotions are overwhelming me
How did I get here? I need to know
How did I end up feeling this way? I need answers
I guess I maybe had a couple expectations
I had some expectations going into prom
Thought I'd get to them, but no I didn't
I didn't get to achieve my expectations
I guess I thought that prom was gonna be fun
I expected prom to be enjoyable
But now I'm sitting on the floor and all I wanna do is run
But now I'm lying on the ground and all I want to do is leave
I keep collections of masks upon my wall
I keep various masks on my wall to hide how I truly feel
To try and stop myself from revealing it all
To keep myself from revealing my true emotions to others
Affecting others is the last thing I would do
I don't want to burden or hurt others with my emotions
I keep to myself though I want to break through
I isolate myself even though I want to connect with others
I hold so many small regrets
I have many small things I regret
And what-ifs down inside my head
I have many 'what-if' scenarios in my head
Some confidence, it couldn't hurt me
Having some confidence would be beneficial for me
My demeanor is often misread
People often read my emotions wrong
All I wanna do is run
All I want to do is leave this situation
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Maia Xiao-En Moredock-Ting
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lexi
on feelings are fatal
ok I've seen a lot of things about people being the funny friend and stuff but what about that one friend who shows everyone so much love and support and is forgiving and kind and always smiling, and lets not forget the ones who give the best wisdom. I have been labeled these things I give so much yet I cannot take my own advice, I get hurt,betrayed,bullied. Love practically seeps out of my pores, and yet all this bad stuff has happened to me. Still I am not giving up on this war , yeah sure it's gonna hurt and suck and it may feel like i'll never win but I got this! and so do you!
||||||Look down here! Trust me! | || | | |
vvvvvv v v v v v v
I believe in you and hey it'll be ok. Listen,
Whatever you may ever be going through or will or have gone through just know life is like a flowing river there is always going to be points where there's rocks that cross your path and sometimes current picks up and everything will be flying by and it maybe stressful but just know it's only temporarily, besides every river always finds its path again and flows. It may seem like it never will but it will and your life your river will always come across leaves or events good or bad and they will flow with you but eventually end so never just focus on that leaf, and you will cross paths with animals like fish squirrels or people in your life sometimes they're only there temporarily or sometimes the fish will flow with your or your close friends will stick with you sometimes they will seem like they disappeared but their still there in the background sometimes something may come up that slows them or you down like a bird or rock but they pull through and you do too. It all depends if you let the obstacles stop you or not. Find your fish(s) keep them close and remember They will always be here for you and they shall flow with you and it may seem like you guys get distant but never worry they'll always be there and come back they'll never leave you. Wi the war I believe in you! You got this! Tons of people are there for you ! I'm here for you! I know how hard it is but keep going! I promise overtime you'll have your happily ever after like everyone else and guess what you will have the best one because you've gone and persevered more than some . You aren't alone you never are or were, you will find your light whether its a person or a thing you will find it/them. They will help you and continue to help in the long run. You could find a thing too and it will be there for you to! It's ok it's ok to cry and feel emotions and its ok to eat its ok to look different or be different it's ok to love anyone want as long as their in legal age and not a child you get what I mean. Everything will be ok so don't give up, everything will play out in the long run I promise. Now enjoy this song, show mxmtoon support she's amazing and her music is even better if its possible, and it's ok to get help it was the hardest thing for me to do but i'm doing it now and i'm getting better i'm winning the war! Now seriously, Go enjoy your life! You got this!