PHOTOGRAPHER: KARJAKA - NOVEMBER 2025
Mary is the daughter of Paulinga Tuakoi Lawson, who is native to Hawai’i and of South Pasifika roots – Samoan and Tongan. Mary is the daughter of Lawyer Thomas Lawson Jr. who was born and raised in Ozark, Alabama. He is Black, and his mother’s blood runs Cherokee Indian. Mary is the middle child of five and an auntie to many nieces and nephews.
Mary Elizabeth Jo Dixen Pelenaise Kapi’olani Lawson is a multi-hyphenate artist from the Midwest of the united states of amerikkka. She is currently living and working in Brooklyn, New York.
For 10 years Mary performed, wrote, composed and collaborated under a stage name of her own making: Mesonjixx - an amalgamation of all her given names. Taking on a range of iterations - solo, duo, trio, quartet and full band - this project did well across the Midwest Region and gained traction in neighboring states! Mary has been yearning to experiment more on her own and decided to pause the work under this name for now.
Now that she is living and working in a new environment she intends on writing / performing / making / creating / collaborating / organizing / curating under her first and last name: Mary Lawson.