Ava Max

Amanda “Ava Max” Koci is an American singer-songwriter of Albanian heritage who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 16, 1994, but grew up in Virginia where she sang in high-school competitions. Although her early works, initially released mononymously as Ava, can be traced back to 2013, she made her breakthrough some years later after forging a lucrative musical alliance with hitmaker Cirkut and signing to Atlantic Records. She sang on the Le Youth single “Clap Your Hands” in 2017, and her debut solo single “My Way” came out in 2018, promptly followed by “Slippin'” featuring rapper GASHI, but it was her next offering, “Sweet But Psycho”, which would firmly cement her pop stardom internationally. Topping several charts across Europe including the UK Singles Chart, it also made Number 1 on Billboard's Emerging Artists Chart and gradually climbed to Number 10 on the Hot 100, leading to collaborations with superstars David Guetta and Jason Derulo. Her next single, 2019’s “So Am I” – aided by a remix from K-pop group NCT 127 – found regional success in Europe, too, with a pair of simultaneous follow-up singles, “Blood, Sweat & Tears” and “Freaking Me Out”, performing less strongly but further enlightening fans as to her future musical direction. After returning to form with the minor international success “Torn” and teaming up with EDM star Alan Walker for the global hit “Alone, Pt. II”, Max found herself back in the spotlight in both the UK and US with her 2020 single “Kings & Queens”, which featured a guitar solo tangibly inspired by glam rock. Her debut album, Heaven & Hell, landed in September of the same year, peaking at Number 2 in the UK and number 27 in America, where it soon obtained gold certification. A deluxe version of the album was released shortly thereafter, featuring new single “My Head & My Heart”. Following the release of the house-tinged electropop track "Every Time I Cry" in 2021 and collaborating with Tiësto on the single "The Motto" later that year, Ava Max began teasing her upcoming album via social media in 2022. Preceded by the singles "Maybe You're the Problem," "Million Dollar Baby," "Weapons," and "Dancing's Done," her third studio full-length, Diamonds & Dancefloors, finally appeared on January 27, 2023.