Ava Max

Ava Max, the Albanian-American singer and songwriter working in pop, crafts empowering anthems suited to the dance floor that echo the visionary styles of earlier figures such as Sia and Lady Gaga while sharing ground with peers including Bebe Rexha, Sigrid, and Dua Lipa. She surfaced in the final years of the 2010s through featured appearances alongside Le Youth, Witt Lowry, and David Guetta, and she simultaneously put out her own material highlighted by the breakthrough smash “Sweet But Psycho,” which reached the top position in nearly two dozen territories. The year 2020 brought her first full-length project, Heaven & Hell, and twelve months later came the successful Tiësto pairing “The Motto.” Her second album, the synth-heavy Diamonds & Dancefloors, arrived in 2023 and performed strongly on international charts; later that same year she contributed the single “Choose Your Fighter” to the Barbie movie soundtrack. In 2024 she teamed with Kygo on “Whatever.”

Born Amanda Ava Koci in Wisconsin, she grew up in Virginia under the care of Albanian immigrant parents. Singing entered her life early, and by high school she was already entering competitions. After relocating to Los Angeles to focus on music professionally, she linked with local disco-revival producer Le Youth for the buoyant dance cut “Clap Your Hands,” which enjoyed summer success in 2017. The following year she unveiled her solo debut “My Way” on Atlantic, showcasing vocals reminiscent of Sia, then issued “Slippin” and “Not Your Barbie Girl,” the latter of which reworked Aqua’s ’90s hit. Also in 2018 she appeared on Witt Lowry’s “Into Your Arms” and joined David Guetta for “Let It Be Me” from his album 7. That summer she delivered her largest success to date when the addictive pop track “Sweet But Psycho,” produced by Cirkut (the Weeknd, Katy Perry, Rihanna), began climbing European charts. While the song gathered worldwide traction she joined Full Stop Management, the roster that includes Charli XCX, Harry Styles, HAIM, and others.

By summer 2019 “Sweet But Psycho” had reached number one on more than a dozen European charts plus those in New Zealand and Billboard’s Dance Club Songs tally. The slow-building hit soon earned multi-platinum status in Australia, the U.S., and the U.K. She followed with the moderate success “So Am I,” which received a K-pop remix featuring NCT 127. In preparation for her proper debut album she released the further singles “Salt,” “Freaking Me Out,” and “Alone, Pt. II” with Alan Walker. Early 2020 saw the album’s fifth single, “Kings & Queens,” another modest hit that became her second entry on the Billboard 200. After extended preparation her official debut arrived in September; certified gold and peaking at number 27 on the Billboard 200, Heaven & Hell was conceptually divided into the two titular halves and included production from Cirkut and RedOne.

The next year she returned with the standalone single “Every Time I Cry” and the hit collaboration “The Motto” with Dutch superstar DJ Tiësto. Additional tracks appeared in 2022—“Maybe You’re the Problem,” “Million Dollar Baby,” and “Weapons”—all preceding the January 2023 arrival of her sophomore album Diamonds & Dancefloors. This synth-driven set of dance-pop songs again featured Cirkut’s production alongside guest contributions from MNEK and Ryan Tedder; it achieved another international success, reaching number 34 in the U.S. and charting across Europe. Following a further DJ collaboration, this time with Alok on “Car Keys (Ayla),” she supplied “Choose Your Fighter” to Barbie the Album, the soundtrack for the 2023 Barbie movie. In 2024 she achieved a European and U.K. hit with Kygo on “Whatever” and previewed her next album via the anthemic, dance-oriented lead single “My Oh My.”