Rapidly rising 19-year-old singer MXMTOON, or Maia, is based in Oakland, California. Her new album “the masquerade” includes her most famous song, “prom dress,” that gained fame on the social media platform TikTok. Maia’s songs have a soothing vibe that leave listeners relaxed and soothed. Her 2018 debut EP “plum blossom” gained more than 100 million streams on Spotify, which is amazing considering that they were recorded in her parent’s guest bedroom. Maia has now amassed millions of followers across all her social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

Maia is unique because although her songs seem so chill, she uses her presence to speak out on social issues close to her, saying “As a young bisexual woman of color from a family of immigrants, a lot of current events directly affect who I am.” Maia is Chinese-American and believes it is her obligation and opportunity to speak on “issues that affect us all.”

Maia’s new album “The Masquerade” has 20 songs. Half are studio versions and the other half are acoustic versions of the songs. Each song on the album brings its own sound, and the acoustic versions are just as amazing. The album brings a new voice into the world, changing the way one sees music and introducing them to new styles. Overall the album is an experience for the listener. 

If you are interested in calm lounge music, or a soothing cool new voice, Maia is the next person to listen too. I believe that her career is only in infancy and she has a big break coming soon.