MAX

MAX is a pop/soul singer, actor, and dancer who found mainstream success with the release of his 2016 sophomore effort, Hell's Kitchen Angel, which included the multi-platinum-selling hit “Lights Down Low.” 2020′s star-studded Colour Vision featured guest spots from Quinn XCII, Chromeo, Hayley Kiyoko, and SUGA (BTS), and in 2021, he teamed up with Ali Gatie on the streaming hit “Butterflies.” MAX’s popularity continued to soar with 2022′s Keshi collaboration “It’s You,” which appeared on his fourth album, Love in Stereo, in early 2024. New York City-born, Woodstock-raised Maxwell George "MAX" Schneider began honing his music chops at the age of three. He landed his first agent at 14 and spent his late teens writing music for Disney shows and starring in the Nickelodeon television series How to Rock. MAX issued his debut EP, First Encounters, in 2010, followed by an appearance on rapper Hoodie Allen’s 2014 debut album, People Keep Talking. In 2015, MAX issued an EP called Wrong as well as his crowdfunded debut long-player, NWL, which included the Hoodie Allen-assisted hit single “Gibberish.” His sophomore effort, Hell's Kitchen Angel, arrived in 2016 and included the platinum-selling single “Lights Down Low.” A slow-burning hit, “Lights Down Low” entered the Billboard Hot 100 a year after its initial release and kept climbing, eventually peaking at number 20 in 2018. More songs followed, including 2019′s “Love Me Less” featuring Quinn XCII and 2019′s “Checklist” with Chromeo. Both songs were included on MAX’s third full-length album, 2020′s Colour Vision, which also featured SUGA of BTS on “Blueberry Eyes” and Hayley Kiyoko on “Missed Calls.” 2022 saw a barrage of singles, including the funky “Gucci Bag” and “Wasabi,” along with the Keshi collaboration “It’s You” and “Worst Day” with Illenium. “Strings,” a joint effort with JVKE and Bazzi, followed in 2023. Two more singles, “Say Less” featuring Duckwrth and “Stupid in Love” with K-pop singer Huh Yun-jin, were released in early 2024 ahead of MAX’s fourth studio album, Love in Stereo. ~ James Christopher Monger