Maia | @mxmtoon | 1.6M followers | 19 years old | She / Her
On mxmtoon’slatest offering dawn, the first of 2 EP’s to be released this year, we see her embrace life with astounding clarity, pushing her range further than ever before and embracing lush soundscapes and pulsing beats. In her endless effort to create true connection onstage and in her music, mxmtoon has attained an undeniable solidarity with her listeners, ultimately providing some much-needed solace for the shy, the sensitive, the routinely underrepresented.
What is your favorite place to create TikToks and why?
Probably in my bedroom! I think that’s always felt like the safest place to make content, because it really just feels like you’re by yourself and free to make whatever you want to.
Who do you identify most with in pop culture and why?
I don’t often identify with real people actually, so I’m not sure if this counts, but I would say the character Sophie from the movie Howl’s Moving Castle. She’s just always represented to me what it means to find strength in fragility, and I see a lot of myself in her.
What's important about PRIDE to you and why?
I think it’s important to me because it gives me a chance to express my story, but also to hear the stories of others! Even though I’m beyond proud of who I am and express it often, I’ve only been out for three years, so it’s nice to hear from other members of the LGBT community during PRIDE.
When do you feel the most invincible?
When I’m around the people I love. My family members and my friends have always given me strength and bravery to be my authentic self, so I feel most invincible in their presence!
How did your relationship with TikTok change in quarantine?
I think I’m using it a lot more as a platform to talk about current issues than I ever have before. When so much of the world is stuck inside and there is also so much happening outside of our homes, I think it’s important I use the platform I’m privileged to have in order to continue conversations and dialogues even though it all has to be done online.
Which current injustice is important to you and why?
The intersectionality between the Black Lives Matter movement and its ties to the LGBT community are really important to me right now! The two are very interconnected, so I want to do what I can to help both and lift up the voices of others within it.
What is something you've often heard about using TikTok that is untrue?
That it’s meant for little kids. TikTok is actually one of the places on the internet that I see a really great variation of people from all ages sharing their stories online!
How important is it that your Generation learns how to work well together? Or is it?
Extremely important. I really believe that conversations, empathy, and collaboration are what shapes our future. Without working with one another we won’t ever be able to right the wrongs of the past and move forward together.
Why do you think self-expression is more important than ever?
We have to express ourselves in order to increase visibility I think! So many of us are stuck in these little bubbles where we don’t often push ourselves to see the outside world or new kinds of people, so I think one way we can do that is by challenging ourselves to express ourselves as the first step and encourage others to do the same.
What are three things that make you feel fortunate?
I feel really fortunate to have time with my family right now despite the chaos, to watch my plants grow.
.jpg)
