Max Marshall

Born and raised in Baltimore, Max Marshall first pursued studies in fashion before relocating to London with the aim of establishing herself as a musician. Her father, a theater instructor whose pupils had included Tupac Shakur, and her mother, a tour agent whose vehicles were frequently booked by acts such as Ashford & Simpson and Earth, Wind & Fire, gave her early backstage access to live performances that ignited her own ambitions on stage. After receiving a guitar from her mother, she started composing original material and attending industry gatherings, where an encounter with Beanie Sigel provided further encouragement to follow that path.

Having completed her fashion training in Philadelphia, she arrived in London at the age of 18 and took positions as a designer and seamstress, among them a period assisting Charlie le Mindu on wigs for Lady Gaga, all while seeking an opening in music. The mixtape Forgive Me and her 2013 debut single “Don’t Trip” prompted comparisons with neo-soul figures such as Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, yet the Pressure EP shifted toward an electronic, dance-focused aesthetic. That release caught the ear of the stadium drum’n’bass duo Matrix & Futurebound, who invited her to supply the lead vocal on their single “Control”; the track reached number six on the U.K. singles chart in January 2014, marking her first substantial commercial success. Around the same time she began shaping a forthcoming album intended to highlight her folk, country, and indie leanings through a stronger guitar-based approach.