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Meet MAX
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MAX
MAX has got pop running through his veins. From his first steps in Broadway to his debuts on Nickelodeon, from his rise to fame thanks to Youtube to the massive success of his track « Lights Down Low », it seems like the 27 year-old singer-songwriter lived multiple lives already. Max Schneider swimmed through these waters with some constant thoughts: passion and optimism. A state of mind that could have been crushed when a problem on his vocal chords put his voice to rest for several months last year. But MAX is now coming back more solar than ever with the single « Love Me Less » and an upcoming album. On a promotion tour in Paris, he answered our questions. As his voice still needed to be handled gently, he carefully chose his words, expressing the bare essential with an extra generosity running through his eyes and gestures. A special and inspiring talk.
On The Move: Hi MAX! You’re here to promote your brand new single «Love Me Less» which is sort of a sequel to «Lights Down Low». Can you tell us the story behind the track?
MAX: Yes, I wrote it after I was married to my wife for about a year and I wrote it about an ex who wasn’t very happy with our breakup. So, she threatened to try to get my wife deported from America, because she is English and she was in the country. It was just not a nice thing. So, I hoped that my wife wouldn’t love me less. I hoped that she would love me more from the baggage that I had brought to the relationship, all my insecurities etc. It is also a way to tell my listeners: «I’m a public figure but I’ve got my flaws, my ghosts, my history».
On The Move: This song is as personal as «Lights Down Low» was. With the success that this track got, do you now look at the song differently?
MAX: It’s always mine, and very personal, but it’s beautiful that it’s now everyone’s!
« THIS UPCOMING ALBUM IS ABOUT MAKING the most out of whatever situation life gives you »
On The Move: You’ve tweeted a few weeks back: «I’ve been waiting for so long to have a clear and committed vision for this next era and music. It finally hit me.» What is this vision exactly? What’s the spirit of your upcoming album?
MAX: It’s energetic, it’s yellow, it’s bright, it’s electrifying! It makes the most out of whatever situation life gives you.
On The Move: This era is not just about the music but also the visuals and the yellow color running through it all. Why is it important for you to see your art as a whole?
MAX: I think every aspect of what brings music to life represents the story that it came from so the sound, the visuals, they all matter so much and must come together.
On The Move: We can measure that in your music video for «Love Me Less». Where did the overall idea come from?
MAX: It came from just stories that I pieced together from past relationships, things those people wanted to change about me. It is all kind of represented through this one character Jane, and then finding the right person represented by Emily who accepts you for who you are. It really all came from real life.
On The Move: Was it hard to shoot and keep that pokerface all along?
MAX: I laughed a lot (laughs). There’s a lot of bloopers to see!
On The Move: Where are you with the album at the moment?
MAX: I’m probably, you know, 70% there. Just fine tuning everything, writing more stories, but it is so close and yet, sometimes, the very end feels the hardest!
On The Move: This record is produced by Roget Chahayed (who collaborated with Travis Scott, Khalid, Calvin Harris, Halsey…). How this collaboration came about and what’s the greatest thing he brought to the record?
MAX: Ahmad and Roget have done like 80% of the songs. I went on tour with Ahmad a few years ago, that’s how we met and we became best friends. For the upcoming record, they really brought a new energy and new instrumentals that I had never had before!
On The Move: You have met fans in Paris, London, Berlin, and Amsterdam to have them listen to some of your upcoming tracks. Why is it important to you at this point?
MAX: I like playing the music early because it influences how I finish it. I see how people react and feel. They influence it as much as my life influences it.
On The Move: You are really close to your fans and never miss an occasion to communicate with them or meet them. You are really transparent about your life. Do you feel like it ever had its setbacks to be that open?
MAX: I think that, once you commit to something, you commit to it and I love sharing the honesty with them and they share their honesty with me. I think there are dark sides to everything but you except those for what’s even better.
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On The Move: You went through a rough path last year, when you were discovered a polyp on your vocal chord that imposed you to go silent for months. But you seem to take the positive out of any situation. Which lesson did you draw from that rough time?
MAX: Definitely appreciate every day!
On The Move: You initially caught the attention of the public through your numerous covers on Youtube, produced by Kurt Schneider. Looking back at it now, what do you feel are the pros and cons of starting a career that way?
MAX: Well, you establish your style which is positive. But on the negative, it’s hard to break out and introduce your own music after it. I think now people do see past the covers, which is awesome, but it definitely took some time.
On The Move: We guess there will be a tour after this album. Do you already have an idea of how your music will be translated to the stage?
MAX: I’ve been brainstorming it and I’m excited to make it very representative of the theme I’ve been creating with the yellow, the energy, the style so... It’s gonna be very exciting!
On The Move: Are there artists that maybe you saw on stage and who inspired you?
MAX: Of course. Bruno Mars, Miguel, Justin Timberlake!
On The Move: Who are your favorite artists at the moment?
MAX: I love Khalid, he is a very nice person! I love Brendon Urie, and I really love Lizzo, I love the message she’s sending out to the world.
« I hope this music influences PEOPLE to feel a bit happier and to find themselves »
On The Move: Talking about messages, what is the one you want to broadcast through your upcoming music?
MAX: I hope the message is that people find as much joy as they can find even in the darkest points of their life. Even if it seems like they can’t get out of bed, I hope this music influences them to feel a bit happier and to find themselves.
INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE // PHOTOS by THOMAS DAEFFLER
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