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VERSED is a monthly podcast illuminating the heart and soul of music. Featuring in-depth interviews with songwriters and composers, plus tips and insights to help you navigate your music career. Brought to you by ASCAP, home of the world's greatest music creators.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we talk to one of today’s most exciting singer-songwriters, mxmtoon, who is set to release her new 12-song album rising while prepping a major North American tour. She opens up about her uplifting new song (and our podcast’s new theme song) “mona lisa,” how moving to New York City has affected her creativity, the women who have inspired her and the storytelling benefits of playing video games. PLUS we catch up with Grammy Award-winning engineer Ann Mincieli, longtime collaborator with Alicia Keys and a co-founder of the pivotal music industry organization, She Is The Music.

+Celebrate Women's History Month 2022 with ASCAP 

EP. 28 FEATURED INTERVIEW: MXMTOON

At 21, singer-songwriter mxmtoon (aka Maia) stands tall as one of the brightest and most engaging voices of her generation. Known for her dreamy pop and introspective lyricism, the Oakland-raised, Brooklyn-based artist is also a gamer, podcaster and activist, who has built a deep, symbiotic connection with millions of fans through a steady stream of content on TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, YouTube and Discord.
           
2021 was another busy year for mxmtoon, with Maia providing the musical voice of Alex Chen, the protagonist of Life is Strange: True Colors. Here we saw Maia combine two of her greatest passions: music and gaming. She's a longtime fan of the popular narrative adventure franchise which boasts over 20 million unique players across its lifetime. The soundtrack marked the latest in a steady stream of mxmtoon projects—including a full-length album, one graphic novel and a pair of EPs that bookended 2020. The acclaimed dawn and dusk (Maia’s second and third EPs, respectively) found the artist broadening the scope of her work—exploring new sounds and fuller production, as well as partnering with outside writers, including Carly Rae Jepsen and Tune-Yards’s Merrill Garbus. Maia has also become a sought-after collaborator, appearing on projects by Ricky Montgomery, G-Flip and Noah Kahan, among others.

As her platform continues to grow, Maia frequently speaks to an array of issues that are close to her heart, including Black Lives Matter, mental health awareness, the environment and LGBTQ+ rights. In recent months, amid the alarming rise in violence against Asian Americans, Maia has also become an outspoken advocate for the AAPI community including being a part of a Twitch panel with the platform’s founders. “I think it’s a huge privilege that I’m able to talk about these issues,” she says. “Hopefully I can inspire others to think more critically and stand up for what they believe in.”

Maia’s fan base is certainly passionate, as evidenced by her streaming and social numbers—both of which are staggering when one takes into account her DIY approach. mxmtoon’s self-released music averages 1.5 million streams daily across all DSPs, while her songs have amassed an astonishing 930 million cumulative streams on Spotify. Across her social media platforms, Maia engages with more than eight million combined followers, including 2.7 million fans on TikTok. Her Instagram profile is close to surpassing one million followers, while her YouTube channel boasts over 875,000 subscribers.

In news that is sure to excite fans around the world, mxmtoon has been working on new music which will be released in 2022. “I hope to keep pushing myself and make something that feels really different,” explains Maia. “I want mxmtoon to be a diverse sonic playground.” She adds, “Everything is open-ended for me right now, but I see that as being incredibly liberating and exciting.”

Visit mxmtoon online at mxmtoon.com // Follow her @mxmtoon on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

+Watch our 2020 ASCAP Experience: Home Edition session with mxmtoon

+Read our interview with mxmtoon, featured on the cover of ASCAP Experience Digital #5

EP. 28 SPECIAL GUEST: ANN MINCIELI

Ann Mincieli is a renowned Engineer, Mixer, Collaborator and Album Project Manager for Alicia Keys. The 2x GRAMMY winner has worked with some of music’s biggest acts including Mariah Carey and Jay-Z, among others. Mincieli is the owner of Jungle City Studios, which is one of New York’s most elegant and best-equipped recording facilities. As a prominent leader in the music industry, Mincieli has been at the forefront of the movement to restore Manhattan to its former prestige as one of the world’s top recording destinations. 
 
Mincieli’s talents seamlessly bridge the creative and business entities of music. Throughout her career, she has continued to represent the best of both worlds by understanding the business, tech and strategy components of the industry. Her collaboration with 15x Grammy Award-winning artist/songwriter/musician/producer, Alicia Keys is one example of that. Together, Keys and Mincieli have cultivated an indelible creative synergy that has permeated a partnership beyond the studio. Along with Jody Gerson and Sam Kirby, they have formed the She Is The Music (SITM) initiative. A first-of-its-kind collaboration spanning the music industry, SITM is powered by creators, publishers, record labels, talent agencies, industry groups, media companies and streaming services, with the goal of creating change for women and building an equal future for music.

Visit Ann Mincieli online at junglecitystudios.com // Follow her @anntasticlv on Instagram & Twitter

+Find out more about Ann's work with She Is The Music: sheisthemusic.org