Rising pop artist, Max Leone only made his debut this year with his singles, “First Grade” and “Cautious” but he’s clearly already making waves. As the latest signee to Billie Eilish’s label, The Darkoom, Max Leone’s music stands out with moody instrumentals, dreamy vocals and incredibly easy to connect with lyrics – he’s classic pop but with a bit of an EDM edge, citing his main influencers to be Cat Stevens, Pink Floyd, and Kanye West.
Today, Max Leone is celebrating the release of his latest single, “The Beach,” a warm new track that contrasts beautifully with “Cautious,” showcasing his diversity as an artist. Following “The Beach” Max has plans to release his debut EP soon. Until then, get to know a little bit more about him and listen to “The Beach” now below.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for anyone who might be hearing you for the first time?
I grew up just outside of Portland, Oregon. When I graduated high school I moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. After a year at Berklee I dropped out and moved to LA which is where i’ve been for the past year and a half!
How did you first get your start in music? What inspired you to start getting involved in it?
When I was around seven or so my parents bought me a Jack Johnson CD, and I loved learning his songs on guitar and singing along. As i learned guitar I also began writing my own songs and eventually it just kind of became my “thing”. In high school I started spending lots of time on Youtube watching production tutorials and I slowly developed enough knowledge to start producing my own music. I always wanted to be able to produce as well as write so I didn’t have to rely on anyone to complete any aspect of my vision.
You just made your debut with your first two singles, “First Grade” and “Cautious” earlier this year and are just about to release another new song. What would you want a listener’s first impression of you to be?
Hopefully, they find the music to be honest and different. It’s hard to know how people are going to react but it’s been amazing to see the response, and I’m super happy with how the songs have been received so far.
Now that you’ve had a little bit of time to reflect on “First Grade” and “Cautious” what are some of your favorite things about these songs?
I still love how different they seem. “Cautious” is definitely a more introspective, darker side and “First Grade” lives in a more playful world I think. I think both of them represent different sides of me.
“Cautious” has a bit of a darker tone while “First Grade” is a bit dreamier, and your new single, “The Beach” showcases a different side of you as well – was there anything in particular you wanted to accomplish with this track when you first started working on it?
“The Beach” was written by myself and my friend and incredible artist, Alexander 23, in a single session. We came up with the concept after I told him about an experience I had had a couple weeks prior and it just went from there. I don’t think there was anything we were actively trying to accomplish while working on it other than telling the story in a way that felt honest and complete. Sometimes I get stuck writing the same song over and over again and it never seems to do the emotion or concept justice, “The Beach” immediately became the one that felt right.
What would you like for fans to take away from “The Beach”?
“The Beach” is about chasing someone who always lets you down. If there’s a lesson in the song, it’s to look around every once in a while and make sure you are giving your attention to the right people.
With these three new songs out, can fans expect to hear any more new music from you soon?
Yes! My debut project is an EP that will be coming out in the near future. There might be some more new music before then as well 😉
Do you have any other big plans for the rest of 2020?
Hoping to play some shows later this year but that’s all tbd with everything being on hold right now. Other than that, just writing and releasing music!
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you so much! Stay safe everybody 🙂
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