sign in sign up
<<
Home , Ava Max

:: View email as a web page :: POP LIFE.

f@ ct

Ava Max might be one of the fastest rising pop stars in the world, but she's still as Valley as they come.

Though she was born in , grew up in , and moved around a lot as a teen, after a decade spent in Los Angeles the rising pop star is a self-proclaimed "Valley girl." Following the success of her breakout hit "" in 2018, she hasn't moved to Beverly Hills or relocated out to Malibu; the suburbs will do just fine. Throughout all the peaks and valleys of her already striking career, Max has been loyal to this little hub on the outskirts of LA, and her whole family even moved to the area at one point when she was a talented young teen looking to break into music.

Opting to meet at an unobtrusive cafe in Sherman Oaks, instead of somewhere in the maze of trendy and glamorous neighborhoods that put LA on the map, managing an in-person interview after months on Zoom proved trickier than it used to be. "It's crazy I couldn't even find parking today," she laughs after finally nabbing a street spot on the bustling strip of Ventura Boulevard. "Usually it's all clear, so I think the world is definitely opening back up. But I love it, I love the Valley. I've been here ten years and I'm such a Valley girl. I just feel like it's home now because I've been here for so long."

- Read Uproxxpop critic Caitlin White'scover st oryo n Ava Max's campaign to take back pop on her debut album Heaven & Hell. NUMBER ONE STUNNERS

THE KID LAROI K-Pop has been having a moment at the top this summer, but the irresistible combination of pop-punk nostalgia and has proven to be a winning formula for The Kid Laroi. After previously collaborating with the likes of Miley Cyrus, Laroi is now working with Canadian royalty on a synthy ballad that gets a jolt of energy from drums that are reminiscent of old staples like Blink-182 and other Warped Tour icons. With both Bieber and The Kid doing their best falsetto and the radio's recent penchant for depressing, backward­ looking tales of love lost, "Stay" just hit its second week at No. 1. It seems like this one is going to be sticking around for a while, so put your "Butter" back in the fridge for now.

LISTEN

BUBBLING UNDER CHARLIE HICKEY Phoebe Bridgers carries a lot of sway in the tastemaking world, and her new Saddest Factory label has already signed indie legends like MUNA and Claud. Now, Charlie Hickey's name has been added to the list, and one of the kickoffevents for his signing announcement is a collaboration with none other than his new labelmates. MUNA did a version with Charlie of his track "Seeing Things," and it's a glitchy­ acoustic remake of the original. Initially released as part of his 2021 Count The Stairs EP, his solo version would please fans of Porches - the remake sounds like it got run through a Charli XCX machine. Both of the songs are excellent, but the pappier one is what's going to funnel MUNA fans right over to Charlie's world.

LISTEN

CHECKOUT

DAN + SHAY - 'GOOD THINGS' Country duo Dan + Shay dropped their new album Good ThingsLast week, featuring eleven brand new tracks, as well as the Justin Bieber collaboration "10,000 Hours" that was originally released back in 2019. They're calling it their best album yet, and it doesn't take very Long Listening to Good Thingsto understand why. It's going to be a while before these massive tracks Leave the rotation.

PICK IT UP

REMEMBER WHEN

CARLY RAE JEPSEN - 1EMOTION1

Five years ago was gearing up to give fans more of what they wanted: EMOTION. Yes, though her classic original EMOTIONw as released in 2015, Jepsen realized that doubling down on her fan's cultish love for the record was the move, and shared the B­ sides album at the end of August 2016. Since it was right before the most massive political nightmare erupted, this is one of the few pop artifacts from that year that was still pure and untarnished. It's got tier­ one bangers like "Store" which inspired plenty of memes, and dance floor epic "Higher." Though we should all celebrate Jepsen all year­ round, August is decidedly her time.

LISTEN

LOVE LETTERS

KISSISSIPPI Back in 2018 when Sunset Blush came out, Kississippi was a great indie artist that I would gush about to everyone who would listen. Now, three years later, Kississippi is a great pop artist I've been gushing about to everyone who will listen! In the span of just one album cycle, Zoe Allaire Reynolds elevated her songwriting from epic bedroom jams to arena-worthy synthpop. Even if the sonics have shifted slightly, Reynolds' knack for sky-high lyrics and deep, in-your-bones →

→