Ava Max: All your questions answered on the 'Kings & Queens' singer
Get to know the hitmaker!
Ava Max has been on the music scene since her first release back in 2013. Her song 'Sweet But Psycho', released in August 2018, really highlighted her as one to watch, and after joining forces with Tiësto on 'The Motto', she's proved there's no stopping her!
The 'My Head & My Heart' singer released her brilliant second album 'Diamonds & Dancefloors' in January 2023, and featured on the Barbie soundtrack later in the year. Now in 2024, Ava has graced us with a 'Whatever' with Kygo, and 'My Oh My'. To get to know her a little better, we've put together everything you need to know about Ava Max...
Who is Ava Max?
Ava Max is a singer, best known for her songs 'Sweet But Psycho' and 'Kings & Queens'.
What is Ava Max's real name?
Ava Max's real name is Amanda Ava Koci.
How old is she?
Ava's birthday is 16th February 1994, which makes her currently 30-years-old.
Where is she from?
Ava Max is from Wisconsin in the US, and her parents are Albanian. She has previously described herself as "100% Albanian", and told the Belfast Telegraph that she "definitely wants to give back to the Albanian community when I can," adding: "It would be amazing to do a fundraising concert over there. It's important to give back."
How tall is she?
Ava Max's height is apparently 5ft 3in.
Is Ava Max related to Lady Gaga?
No she isn't! But it's easy to see why people ask this, considering Gaga used to sport platinum blonde hair in various unique styles. Of her comparisons to Lady Gaga, Ava told Vanity Fair: "It’s funny, people compare me to her, but I think she’s such a legend, and she’s untouchable to me.
"I think she’s as... I see her as iconic. So that’s such a compliment every time I hear that. Yeah, she’s incredible."
How did Ava Max get famous?
When she was eight, the family moved to Virginia, and she took part in plenty of singing competitions before going to high school, finding her passion for music. When she was 14, she moved with her opera singer mother to L.A. to pursue a career in music, but found the city to be "overwhelming" and returned to Virginia. Ava moved back to L.A. when she was 17.
Ava began to gain popularity when she teamed up with producer Cirkut, real name Henry Russell Walter, who has worked with Rihanna, Britney Spears, Jessie J, Shakira and Nicki Minaj, as well as co-writing 'Wrecking Ball' by Miley Cyrus.
According to Vulture, Cirkut discovered Ava when she sang 'Happy Birthday' to him at a dinner party in L.A., and Cirkut said of the singer: "Ava’s a really incredible, exciting new artist.
"I’ve worked with all different big pop stars and superstars and people who’re already huge and delivered hits for them, but this is a totally different thing for me where I’m in on the ground level and we met at the very beginning. And I’ve gotten to help and watch it grow from the very beginning."
After the pair released 'Anyone But You', various record labels noticed Ava, and made her offers via email. She then signed to Atlantic.
Is Ava Max married?
Not that we can tell! Ava doesn't appear to publicly be in a relationship at the moment.
What is 'Sweet But Psycho' about?
She explained: "This is me in a relationship with every guy because they always call me psycho. When really I am passionated and opinionated, I'm different, I'm not psycho. I may be different but that's ok and that's sometimes why women get called psycho."
She added: "You know we've all been in relationships where they talk so bad about us and say stuff like psycho, and it's like I'm not psycho, I'm just saying what I feel."
She also told Vanity Fair: "It’s like, well, guys think we actually are psycho... It’s mocking. It’s all gaslighting. Guys like to gaslight us, and it’s not cool. And it happens so much; it’s happened to me in relationships.
"It‘s happened to me where I have been cheated on, and I felt so sad and angry, like it wasn’t my fault, but that was because the person was gaslighting me into thinking it was my fault."
WATCH: Ava Max - 'Sweet but Psycho' Official Music Video
Ava Max's albums
Ava's debut album 'Heaven & Hell' was released in 2020. The album featured 15 songs including her huge hit 'Sweet But Psycho', all co-written by the singer. It reached Number 2 in the UK and has been certified Gold by the BPI.
She once told Vanity Fair that 'Sweet But Psycho' was a good indicator of what's on the album: "All the songs coming out after are exactly like that. The next two are so fast, super-fast. And super-pop."
Her second album 'Diamonds & Dancefloors' was released in January 2023, featuring songs like 'Maybe You're the Problem', 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'One Of Us'. It reached Number 11 in the UK.
She has now started to tease a third album.
Is Ava Max going on tour?
Not at the moment. Ava previously announced a tour for Spring 2023 entitled 'On Tour (Finally)'. She performed four dates in the UK, visiting Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.
Ava Max's hair
Ava was well-known for her unique hairstyle, sporting a cut which is drastically shorter on one side. Although many have been wondering about Ava Max's hairstyle, she took to Twitter in December 2018 to clear up the situation.
Sharing a selfie, she wrote, 'A lot of you guys have been asking about my hairstyle and why I chose to cut it this way. I wanted to show that doing something daring and unique is okay. The Max Cut represents strength, confidence, and being comfortable in your own skin. Setting trends, not following them❤️.' sic
She also told Vanity Fair how the style came about in the first place: "It was funny, ’cause I was actually experimenting with different haircuts and colors, pink hair, blue hair, all that kind of stuff. Nothing felt like me.
"One day I cut my hair, my actual hair, cut it on the right side, and I remember I had something in the oven—I think they were chocolate-chip cookies. And I run downstairs without cutting the other side. I run downstairs, and then I’m like, ‘Oh my God, they almost burnt.’
"As I’m going back upstairs, I see in the mirror my reflection and the haircut, and... I literally tilted my head, like, why does this feel like me? It felt like me, like I had found myself. At the grocery store, people were giving me weird looks, and I’m like, ‘O.K., I’m happy.’ The weirder the looks, the better this decision is."
However, in February 2023, Ava cut off her signature do and dyed her hair red to signify a new era, posting on Instagram alongside the caption: 'until we meet again maxcut.'
You can hear Ava Max's biggest hits on the Forth 1 playlist.
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