Max Drazen’s pop songs are catchy and the perfect soundtrack for your car ride. I would know, because this how I discovered Max and what I did last weekend for my soundtrack. We got to chat with him about his journey into becoming an artist and what’s to come for him this year.
Max, tell me about your journey into becoming an artist?
Max: I played soccer growing up and my parents constantly told me it was a shame I never used my singing voice. I ended up being recruited to college for soccer and I thought it was stupid to think I ever would sing. Ironically, by the time I turned 18, I started exploring songwriting. I fell in love with music harder than I had ever with soccer and I immediately knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I ended up dropping out of school and taking a huge chance on music and it’s the happiest I’ve ever been.
How did you come about writing and creating the track, Caffeine?
Max: I did a zoom session with the producer of “Caffeine,” Dave Villa. He joined the call that day and told me he made a “shitty beat” for the session the night before and proceeded to play the beat for “Caffeine.” I freaked out, went on mute for a little and the song flowed out of me. I think I finished writing the whole song in about an hour. I ended up recording the vocals right then in my parents' basement.
Who are some artists you're really digging right now and have inspired your sound?
Max: My listening spans across genres so my music is a combination of a lot of different styles! If I had to pick my favorite artist right now I think it would be Smino. I take a lot of inspiration from his cadences and melody choices. I also love Dan D’lion. He’s kind of a pop funk vibe and I love the sounds and samples he uses. Jon Bellion is also someone I find incredibly inspiring in terms of not only his own artist stuff, but the songs he writes for other people as well.
What's something you want fans to know about you?
Max: I want them to know that they’re growing with me! I only started doing sessions a couple of years ago- my first one was in August of 2020- so I'm super excited for anyone who listens to my music to be a part of this process. I am still learning and trying to get better every day!
What's next for you this year?
Max: Apart from learning how to be a functioning adult, a couple more singles after “Caffeine,” maybe into a full project, and I'm starting to plan live shows which I’m super excited to start doing. I'm also constantly writing, which is my favorite thing to do. I'm so excited for all of my music to finally come out and for people to be able to blast the actual song out of their car speakers instead of a TikTok audio.
Samantha Fong
"At 15 years old, I begged my mom to take me to Walmart to get Taylor Swift's debut deluxe album and I never turned back. This was my very first entry point to stan fandom. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee I was exposed to a ton of music - from rapping 3 6 Mafia to bopping to Justin Timberlake's solo discography. Now, in LA have a day job working in nonprofit development, but by night, I'm a full-fledged fangirl. I'll listen to generally any genre, but I'm a sucker for a good pop song. If you ever need someone to scream sing Carly Rae Jepsen's E·MO·TION with, I'm your girl. No, I still have not gotten over the One Direction hiatus. Please continue to respect my privacy. Twitter : samfonggg, Instagram : samantha_fong"
