MXMTOON
19-year-old internet sensation, bedroom pop phenomenon mxmtoon is back with her first full-length project since her debut album the masquerade, that came out on September 17, 2019. She released ‘dawn’ on April 22, which is the first release of the two-part EP project -- the second being ‘dusk’ later this year. In this interview from April 21, just a day before the EP release, she talks all about the upcoming EP release, the trajectory of her career, social media, and much more!
Interview
Interview by Bridgette
July 1, 2020
So your EP dawn is coming out tomorrow which is super exciting! I love the opening track “fever dream”. I think it’s so triumphant. What does this track mean to you? How do you feel like your sound has sort of developed and changed?
That track meant a lot to me when it came out because it was really, actually about taking a leap of faith into the music industry and doing something that was really daunting and scary for me, and still is every single day as I approach my job. But it was also the first song that I released where it was co-written by other people and I was working with producers in a session environment for the first time and I think that that song really showcased and helped me understand when I made it back in August of last year, kind of how I wanted to continue making music going into 2020 and releasing and everything like that too.
Awesome, awesome. So for some context for our readers, dawn is the first installment of a two-part EP, and the second part is dusk that’s coming out later this year.
Yeah.
So, why did you decide to do this two-part EP instead of a traditional album?
I knew I wasn’t really ready to do another album coming off of my last one, the masquerade, which was my first album I ever released, and so an EP in two parts made a lot of sense to me because I think, you know, this first EP dawn is really kind of my first step into trying to do something that feels more elevated and more produced-out and, I think, thought-through in a different way. And so I wanted to make two EPs that feel like they could work together so you have that feeling of a full album once you can listen to both of them back to back, but at the same time you have two separate stand-alone projects that can really kind of have their own messages behind them and work by themselves too.
Awesome, so speaking of your debut album; you made a Spotify podcast back in September sort of going through the process of making that album. What was the process behind your EP like and how was it different?
It was really different because I was working with multiple different people for the first time. On my last album I only worked with one person -- Cavetown (Robin Skinner) -- the whole entire time; I did all of the writing by myself. And with this EP it was spread out across the course of months where I was working in different studios with people that I had never met before, just walking in for the first time saying “hey!” and then talking about our darkest insecurities or whatever it may be -- session environments tend to be like that. But it was really different because it was--it felt like for the first time I was doing a traditional pathway for a musician where you’re going and you’re working with these people in that sort of environment all the time. So, I think that was the main difference for me, and helping me feel like I could kind of sound like all of the other artists on, you know, a Pop Rising playlist or whatever it may be--like trying to see myself within those contexts.
Totally. I like what you said about the traditional pathway sort of thing. Kind of untraditionally, I know that social media has played a pretty big role in the success of your career. What are your thoughts on it more from a personal perspective?
I personally love and hate social media. I think it comes in waves where everyone understands the pros and cons of what it’s like being online. And I mean, it’s funny, I used to use social media for a lot more personal use and I look at my own Instagram which I had during high school -- I have like 700 followers -- it’s just the most normal thing in the world, I barely use it anymore. And so personal use of social media is something that I think I find myself doing more on Twitter, even though I have a bunch of followers now, I still act like a teenager online and post really stupid stuff. But I mean, I think that social media, especially in the times that we find ourselves right now, is such a nice way for everyone to feel connected with each other and is so necessary for us to feel not entirely alone. And so I think I’ve always felt like that’s the main reason why I appreciate it in any context outside of what’s happening right now with the world. But it is hard, it’s putting yourself out there a lot of the time and sometimes you have to remember to keep part of yourself for yourself at the end of the day.
Yeah, totally. So I know kind of go by the name mxmtoon, do you feel like that sort of helps you kind of keep some things to yourself, and be able to keep some things private?
I think I’m learning the balance still. I definitely do feel like I’ve gotten better at work and personal separation, but my project is so built around who I am as a person too. It’s definitely like a lot around who I am at the end of the day, and I will have days where I run out of steam for myself and then I come up the next day and I’m like “oh wow, can’t do that again”, so it’s just a learning process.
Totally, totally. So we’re all so so excited for the EP drop tomorrow! Is there one takeaway you’d really like folks to get from this EP?
I think that I would really like people to listen to the songs and hopefully feel like whatever they’re going through right now is validated, and know that the fear or the loneliness or the uncertainty that they’re experiencing is something that everyone is going through. But at the same time, knowing that the day will still go on, and even if you feel very still and stationary and like things are not moving very far, the sun still rises and it sets in the evening, and hopefully that will provide a bit of solace amongst strife.
Hence the name, dusk and dawn.
Yep, that’s it!
Awesome! So lastly, do you have a favorite track on the EP?
My favorite track is actually the closing track “almost home” and I don’t know why! It just feels very cinematic to me, like I could sit on a bus and listen with headphones on to that song and I would feel like I’m in a Netflix original movie. So, that’s why it’s my favorite!
I love that, I love that! Well, thank you so much! Mxmtoon, thank you, this was great, thank you for joining me here.
Of course!
This interview originally aired on WNYU Radio with Bridgette Kontner on April 21, 2020 on The Sound Between.