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.
Dream of You
mxmtoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At first I took it as a sign
Some things are better left alone
So I told myself it's fine
Our time was short and sweet and simple
Uncomplicated by the past
Exchanging words in points of quiet
We gelled quickly and in seconds
I thought that I'd known you for years
You'd think we'd have lasted longer
But I wouldn't shed a tear
I had a dream about you last night
Your figure warm and far away
I had a dream about you last night
Eyes shut hoping you'd stay
But I think fondly of our time
Exchanging laughs and songs alike
You were the sugar to my sour
A sheer joy so childlike
And now I see from a distance
I watch you flourish from afar
Sending thoughts and all well wishes
Writing this song on my guitar
I had a dream about you last night
Your figure warm and far away
I had a dream about you last night
Eyes shut hoping you'd stay
And I still think about you sometimes
Pondering what it could've been
But I would never trade the time we had
For all of that was a win
I had a dream about you last night
And you said your last goodbye
I woke up to wipe my tears
Although I said I'd never cry
The song "Dream of You" by mxmtoon is a poignant ode to the one that got away. It is about the dream that the singer had about someone from their past with whom they had a brief connection. At first, the singer took the dream as a sign that they should reconnect with the person. However, after some thought, they realized that some things are better left alone. The singer reflects on the brevity of their time together, but also the simplicity and sweetness of it all. They describe how they quickly formed a connection with the person and felt like they had known them for years.
The chorus of the song repeats, "I had a dream about you last night, your figure warm and far away, eyes shut hoping you'd stay." This shows the longing and yearning of the singer for this person. They are hoping for a resolution to their feelings, but also resigning themselves to the reality of the situation. They acknowledge that they think about the person sometimes and wonder what could have been but are ultimately grateful for the time they had together, even if it was short-lived.
Overall, "Dream of You" captures the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia and the ache of lost love. It speaks to the universal human experience of reflecting on past relationships and wondering what might have been.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a dream about you last night
The singer had a dream about a person they used to know.
At first I took it as a sign
At first the singer thought the dream meant something, but later changed their mind.
Some things are better left alone
The singer thinks that sometimes it is better to leave things in the past.
So I told myself it's fine
The singer tried to convince themselves that it was okay to forget about this person.
Our time was short and sweet and simple
The time the singer spent with this person was easy and enjoyable.
Uncomplicated by the past
The past didn't affect their relationship.
Exchanging words in points of quiet
They talked softly and intimately.
Unaware of who'd talk last
They were both comfortable with each other and didn't feel the need to compete for conversation.
We gelled quickly and in seconds
They became friends quickly and easily.
I thought that I'd known you for years
The singer felt like they had a deep connection with this person right away.
You'd think we'd have lasted longer
The singer is surprised that their relationship didn't last longer.
But I wouldn't shed a tear
Despite the brief nature of their time together, the singer doesn't regret the experience and isn't sad that it ended.
Your figure warm and far away
The memory of this person in the singer's dream was comforting but still distant.
Eyes shut hoping you'd stay
The singer wanted to hold onto the dream for as long as possible.
And now I see from a distance
The singer's perspective on the relationship has changed and they view it from a distance.
I watch you flourish from afar
The singer is happy to see that this person is successful and thriving.
Sending thoughts and all well wishes
The singer wishes the best for this person from afar.
Writing this song on my guitar
The singer is processing their feelings by writing a song about it.
And you said your last goodbye
In the singer's dream, this person said goodbye for the last time.
I woke up to wipe my tears
The singer was emotional when they woke up from the dream and needed to compose themselves.
Although I said I'd never cry
Despite the singer's attempt to stay composed, the dream still affected them emotionally.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robin Skinner, mxmtoon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@babslmao
Blame game comes out
Everyone: Wow! There’s no way she can top this!
Maia: You fools, I haven’t even used 10% of my power!
@brreezi2481
Abbnormyl epic comment
@josec4773
Abbnormyl are u trying to get 34k likes?
@illyasnairoos9186
Shaggy could never
@cinnamonalmond3957
1% actually •_•
@sillyalaysha
personally i like blame game better, thats just a personal preference. This song is still amazing don’t get me wrong i just like blame game better
@alanpompa8599
i think there’s a deeper meaning of her showing herself eating cereal. the song is about a dream so it would be the following morning hence her eating cereal, and in those moments she’s pondering her dream and that relationship, judging from her facials expressions. she’s thinking about something! and since pondering is what we usually do while we eat cereal. it would make sense. then again tho honey nut cheerios is GOOD so i could be over my head LOL
@milliefan1097
I never thought of that!
@i__lime__i9651
You defininly Over thought that and i Commend You In Your Amazing theory lol
@avamurphy2693
I think she’s just eating cereal