Ava Max opens up about her song 'Torn' and dealing with bullies
She was bullied a lot growing up
'Sweet But Psycho' singer Ava Max joined Hits Radio Breakfast with Fleur East, Greg and James this morning (27th September) via Skype, and she opened up about her current single 'Torn'. The singer, who has Albanian heritage, grew up in the US, to refugee parents and said she was bullied a lot when she was young.
"Growing up I was bullied a lot and it was really hard for me actually," Ava explained, "My parents were both refugees to America and they had no money, they didn't know the language, so I didn't know the language until like eight years old, so I was just the outsider always."
With a number of pop stars having families who have come from Eastern Europe, including Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, and Rita Ora, we were keen to find out if there could be a massive collaboration on the horizon, and Ava's reaction says it all. "I would freak, that would be awesome, let's do a whole new Lady Marmalade," the singer replied.
WATCH: Ava Max speaks about her childhood and how to deal with bullies
Ava's current song 'Torn' unintentionally has an Abba influence, with Ava admitting, "Oh my God, I love Abba. And it's funny because that wasn't the initial inspiration.
"It just happened to sound like that," she continued, "Maybe it sounded similar because I did listen to some Abba growing up, Ace of Base. I love disco and of course just like any disco is so much fun. So we wanted to add a little disco flair in there."
WATCH: The music video for Ava Max's 'Torn
Speaking about her breakout song 'Sweet But Psycho', Ava touched on whether she saw herself as sweet or a psycho, revealing details of her first break-up which was a painful personal experience.
“I've never said this story, but my first ever boyfriend told me he was single, (and) he said he didn't have a Facebook. Four months later, I found him on Facebook…" Ava revealed.
"It said 'in a relationship with' da da da. I was like out of my mind. I just started crying on the floor because it was my first boyfriend and I was crushed. I called him and I messaged the girl saying 'He's cheating, he's lying to you’.
"Apparently I thought I was the only girl in his life. It was insane. He was gaslighting me after I found out. He was like, 'What, it's your fault for looking on Facebook'. I'm like 'What?'"
You can hear songs by Ava Max on Hits Radio.
Catch Hits Radio Breakfast with Fleur East, Greg and James on air every weekday from 6am - 10am.
Watch more incredible Hits Radio interviews here
Hits Radio is the only station to bring you closer to the artists you love. Make sure you’re there – book your tickets now!
Hits Live is on tour with a weekend of the biggest artists in music! Find out about where we’ll be and how you can get tickets!
See the line-up for all of our Hits Live gigs below:
Hits Live Liverpool
On Friday 15th November, Hits Live Liverpool returns to the M&S Bank Arena with some incredible artists from around the world performing their biggest hits.
James Arthur
James Arthur has had four Top 10 singles, including Number 1 singles, 'Impossible' and 'Say You Won't Let Go'.
John Newman
John Newman's biggest hits include his collaboration with Rudimental, 'Feel The Love', and his current single 'Without You' with Nina Nesbitt.
Jax Jones
Jax Jones is known for his huge hits 'Breathe' featuring Ina Wroldsen, and 'Ring Ring' featuring Mabel.
Sigala
Sigala has had hit after hit, including 'Easy Love', 'Sweet Lovin'', 'Came Here for Love' and his current single, with Becky Hill, 'Wish You Well.
Freya Ridings
Freya Ridings is known for her 2017 hit 'Lost Without You' and her latest single 'Castles'.
Becky Hill
Becky Hill has featured on a number of super successful songs, including her latest collaboration with Sigala, 'Wish You Well'.
RAYE
RAYE has teamed up with the likes of Jonas Blue and Jax Jones in the past, as well as releasing her top 20 single, 'Decline'.
Joel Corry
Joel Corry is best-known for his single 'Sorry', which he released earlier this year.
HRVY
HRVY has now been added to the Hits Live Liverpool line-up.
Hits Live Birmingham
The biggest music party of the year with our best artists, is coming to the West Midlands and it's SOLD OUT! Get ready for Hits Live Birmingham on Saturday 16th November. See the Hits Live Birmingham line-up below.
The Script
The Script have had four Number 1 albums in the UK and several Top 10 hits including, 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved', 'Hall of Fame' and 'Superheroes'.
Lewis Capaldi
Since releasing his debut album 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent' in May 2019, Lewis has continued to have success with his songs 'Someone You Loved' and 'Hold Me While You Wait'.
Rita Ora
Rita Ora has had so many hits! Starting back in 2012 with her debut single 'How We Do (Party)', Rita also released her album 'Ora' which went to Number 1.
Since then she's teamed up with Liam Payne on 'For You' and 'Ritual' with Tiësto and Jonas Blue.
Craig David
Craig David has had countless hits over the past two decades including, 'Fill Me In', '7 Day's, and 'I Know You' with Bastille.
Sigala
Sigala will also be joining us in Birmingham where he will be playing some of his biggest hits.
Jax Jones
Jax Jones has had a number of collaborations including, 'You Don't Know Me' featuring RAYE and 'Instruction' featuring Demi Lovato and Stefflon Don.
John Newman
The fantastic John Newman will also be joining us at Hits Live Birmingham performing some of his biggest hits.
Becky Hill
Becky Hill has had several Top 10 hits over the years, including her debut single 'Gecko (Overdrive)' with Oliver Heldens, and her current single with Sigala, 'Wish You Well'.
RAYE
RAYE has featured on several Top 10 hits and we can't wait to see her perform them in Birmingham.
Hits Radio Manchester
On Sunday 17th November, Hits Live returns to the Manchester Arena with some incredible artists from around the world performing their biggest hits.
Liam Payne
Having released several successful solo hits, we can not wait to see Liam Payne on stage in Manchester.
Louis Tomlinson
Louis Tomlinson will also be taking to the stage in Manchester to perform his hits.
Mabel
'Don't Call Me Up' singer Mabel will be performing her many songs. The pop star is known for featuring on several bangers by Jax Jones and Tiesto, as well as her solo songs including 'Mad Love'.
Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson is known for his hits 'Valerie' featuring Amy Winehouse, 'Uptown Funk' with Bruno Mars and last year's collaboration with Miley Cyrus, 'Nothing Breaks Like a Heart'.
Anne-Marie
After starring on global hit 'Rockabye' by Clean Bandit with Pitbull, Anne-Marie's solo singing career really started to take off, and her single 'Ciao Adios' became a huge hit. To date she's had several hits including, 'Friends' and '2002'.
Tom Walker
Not only has Tom Walker had a Number 1 album in the UK, his 2017 single 'Leave A Light On' reached Top 10 around the world.
Jonas Blue
British DJ Jonas Blue saw huge success with his debut single 'Fast Car' back in 2015, since then he's continued to have success with 'Mama' and 'Rise'.
Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams is one of the most decorated music artists in the world with six of the Top 100 best-selling albums in British history, a huge 80 million album sales worldwide, 14 Number 1 singles and a record 18 BRIT Awards – more than any other artist in music history.
HRVY
Listen to Hits Radio
Turn it up with Hits Radio! Home of Fleur East, Sam Thompson and Gemma Atkinson playing the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks, alongside the biggest laughs and life-changing competitions. Tune in on FM, DAB, online, ask your Smart Speaker to 'Play Hits Radio' and download the Rayo app.