{"id":1214,"date":"2020-04-23T12:01:54","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T02:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=171547"},"modified":"2020-11-21T16:39:04","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T16:39:04","slug":"how-one-teenager-with-a-ukulele-became-gen-zs-poster-girl","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/how-one-teenager-with-a-ukulele-became-gen-zs-poster-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"How One Teenager With A Ukulele Became Gen Z’s Poster Girl"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Maia\u00a0 AKA mxmtoon began writing music, she was a typical California teen posting homemade content to Instagram, YouTube and TikTok; she was just 16. Fast forward four whirlwind years and she has come across newly-found fame that stretches across the globe. Speaking with Maia on Zoom, I mentioned my 17-year-old brother, a diehard fan of hers from a small corner of Australia, to which she responded with a sense of ecstatic speechlessness. You quickly understand how much she appreciates each one of her listeners, all five million of them on Spotify. It’s the classic social media tale that has been associated with the likes of Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, but for the now-19-year-old, her journey has just started.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Noelle Duqette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Creating strokes of genius from her collection of ukuleles, she has just released her next EP, dawn,\u00a0<\/em>a curation of lighthearted pop tracks, injected with just a touch of teen angst. Be it her relatable lyrics or approachable playfulness online, she ushers in a new, exciting career chapter. And we’re following along.<\/p>\n

In our respective bedrooms across the planet, GRAZIA speaks with mxmtoon on social media, fear of fame and honesty.<\/p>\n

GRAZIA: When did you find your love for music?<\/h5>\n

Maia: \u201cI\u2019ve had music involved in my life for as long as I can remember. My mom signed my brother and me up for violin lessons when we were both five and six years-old so I\u2019ve been playing music for a really long time, but I really learned to love it and play it on my own when I was 13. It took me a little bit longer to actually enjoy it \u2013 it felt more like an obligation \u2013 I had to do it because Mom told me to.\u201d<\/p>\n

GRAZIA: What was your attraction to the ukulele in the beginning?<\/h5>\n

M: \u201cI had to play it for school, so it was mandatory that I learn it in the first place. But I really liked it because it made it accessible for me to play all of my favorite songs, doing covers and learning different chords. It was so much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

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one week until tour!!! trying not to ScreAm!<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by maia<\/a> (@mxmtoon) on