“That beats any song I could end the set with,” mxmtoon (pronounced M-X-M-toon) said tearfully after her band and first Austin concert audience sang her happy birthday on Monday night. Currently on a 25-show tour supporting pop band AJR, the artist, also known as Maia, performed her second of four additional headliner shows at Emo’s on the eve of her 24th birthday. mxmtoon made the most of her under-90-minute concert animatedly skipping across the stage in bright red cowgirl boots with the support of three band members.
The set showcased some of her best happy-sounding sad music and ukulele acoustics, which she is known for, and two unreleased songs from her upcoming album. Throughout the show, the simplicity of the colorful stage lights and star projections emphasized her signature lo-fi style.
Starting the night with her song “fever dream,” the artist alluded to her growing success with the lyrics “I want something more than / More than restless mornings.” The audience’s energy rose with viral hits like “prom dress” and “cliché.” mxmtoon seemingly matched the audience’s excitement, smiling as they sang background vocals at times.
During the show, mxmtoon surprised fans by playing two unreleased songs from her upcoming album. The first, “i hate texas,” matched tote bags at the singer’s merch table and her fan-gifted, pink-feathered cowboy hat that read ‘Austin, TX.’ Despite the irony, fans reacted warmly and cheered each time the song mentioned Texas or Austin. The audience also welcomed the second unreleased song “passenger side,” which was inspired by the singer’s lack of a license despite her 24 years of age, by clapping along.
To coincide with the vulnerability of her songs, mxmtoon opened up throughout the concert to reflect on her career thus far. She referenced her start on SoundCloud and learning to play ukulele off of YouTube. Now headlining shows and producing a new album, there’s opportunity for the singer to grow even more — though members in the audience also asked her to stream on Twitch like she used to as she was starting out.
Throughout the night, the singer checked in on the audience and sometimes teased them. Ahead of “bon iver,” she led the audience in a deep breath break before the lights dimmed blue and stars were projected on the back wall for the moving melody.
Nearing the show’s close, mxmtoon turned around to get a sip of water and her drummer stole the microphone asking the audience to join the band serenading the artist to sing Happy Birthday. As they sang, the singer sweetly embraced her mom who had walked onto stage grinning with a birthday cake and lit candles. mxmtoon thanked everyone saying, “It’s not every day you get to celebrate with hundreds of people.”
Not long after, mxmtoon tied the show off on a similar note to her start — alluding to wanting more. The final song “mona lisa” encouraged the audience to swing their arms and flashlights through the air as they begged for an encore.
