Oakland native mxmtoon, aka Maia, played a sold-out show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco this Halloween. The show, framed by an intimate venue, featured many of the songs from Maiaโs debut album, the masquerade (2019)โa lo-fi ode to Maiaโs emotions, with charmingly simple lyrics and acoustic versions of all ten songs. I first discovered Maia the same way Iโm sure many of her now-fans did: through social media. On Twitter, where I found Maia through a quirky video about being mixed-race, she boasts more than 100,000 followers and tweets an average of seven times a day. However, the singer is even more popular on TikTok โ an app known for its Vine-like tendencies and wide usage among the members of Gen Z โ with more than a million followers and 37 million likes on her videos.ย When I came across Maiaโs profile, I was struck by its similarity to that of Lil Nas X, known for his creation and popularization of the viral song โOld Town Road.โ Through his six-figure follower base on Twitter and the transformation of his song into a meme on TikTok, Lil Nas X was able to gain a critical mass on social media, which quickly became an unstoppable force and propelled โOld Town Roadโ to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-breaking 19 weeks.ย Maia, similarly, uses the force of her social media presence to drive her music career forward; although sheโll post on TikTok and Twitter about her music and shows, these posts are scattered among jokes about therapy, pictures of her makeup, and relatable videos about her daily life. For example, one of my favorite videos from Maia is a self-deprecating TikTok poking fun at โcatch[ing] feelings for someone.โ mxmtoon and Lil Nas X are just two examples of a new type of celebrity, a cult of personality of sorts, who have achieved their following on social media. Unlike a traditional celebrity, Maia is transparent on social media, giving fans a coveted look into her daily life and sense of humor. To her followers, it feels like Maia is a friend, not just another celebrity. Maiaโs show last Thursday maintained this sense of closeness and intimacy. She made lots of inside jokes related to her social media throughout the set, and fans seemed unafraid to interact with the singer onstage. Although mxmtoon doesnโt have a particularly long discography, she chose a great selection of songs and played a short and sweet set. I loved Maiaโs melodious voice and ukulele strumming, and the rest of the audience seemed to agree. During โi feel like chetโ, Maia asked the audience to sing the supporting lines in the song and we happily obliged, again proving her unfiltered connection with her base. Perhaps most fun was Maiaโs performance of โprom dressโ, the first single from the masquerade, during which Maia stopped the music briefly to perform a parody of the song popularized on TikTok. I love that the showโs personality was uniquely Maia, from the costume she wore onstage for Halloween to her jokes and banter throughout. If youโre looking for a new favorite artist or social media personality to check out, I would highly recommend mxmtoon; from her Twitter to her music, Maiaโs personality constantly shines through. Article and Photos by Emma Jaeger Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Δ