mxmtoon

By Helen Weil

On Friday, October 24, outside the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul, a line formed, snaking around the building and down the block. Nineteen-year-old Maia, who goes by the stage name mxmtoon (pronounced em-ex-em-toon), and her seventeen-year-old opening act, Chloe Moriondo, were playing that night. Both are YouTubers known for playing covers and original songs on the ukulele.

Moriondo opened with songs from her 2018 album “Rabbit Hearted.” and played a few newer songs, like “Kindergarten” and “Ghost Adventures Spirit Orb.” It was just her and her sticker-covered ukulele on the stage, which made for an intimate performance.

Before mxmtoon took the stage, a lamp decorated with paper cranes was placed next to the microphone. mxmtoon turned on the lamp a few songs in, making it feel like the audience was relaxing in a friend’s living room instead of at a bar, packed in like sardines.

mxmtoon played songs from her 2019 album, “the masquerade,” and her 2018 EP “plum blossom,” remarking that she never thought she would advance from recording songs in her parents’ guest bedroom to playing live for so many people. She had the audience wave around flashlights to “late nights,” clap along to “my ted talk,” and scream along to her most popular song “prom dress.” After “prom dress,” she said she might play one more song “if you chant loud enough.” The crowd yelled “Maia!” until she ran back on stage to play “feelings are fatal” one more time.