Victoria Niro
Ava Max (real name — Amanda Ava Koçi; born February 16, 1994, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA) — is an American singer and songwriter of Albanian descent. She gained international recognition in late 2018 with the release of «Sweet but Psycho» and later consolidated that success with «So Am I», «Kings & Queens», «Salt», «My Head & My Heart», «Maybe You’re the Problem», «Million Dollar Baby» and other dance-pop singles.
Ava Max’s music is built around melodic pop, dance-pop, europop and electropop. Her arrangements regularly incorporate elements of disco, 1980s synth-pop, 1990s eurodance and 2000s club music.
Ava Max has released three studio albums: Heaven & Hell (2020), Diamonds & Dancefloors (2023) and Don’t Click Play (2025). In 2026, she ended her relationship with Atlantic Records, began releasing music through her own company Ava Brands LLC in partnership with Artist Partner Group and entered the next album cycle.
Albanian Family and Childhood
Amanda Koçi was born in Milwaukee to Albanian immigrant parents.
Her parents left Albania in the early 1990s after the fall of the communist regime. They spent some time in France, where they received assistance from the Red Cross, before moving to the United States.
Music was part of the family environment from an early age. Her mother had classical vocal training and performed operatic repertoire, while her father played the piano. Amanda Koçi has said that she used to sing with her mother and that music by Whitney Houston and other major pop vocalists was frequently played at home.
When Amanda Koçi was around two years old, the family moved from Wisconsin to Virginia, where she spent most of her childhood.
First Performances
Amanda Koçi began performing on stage at around the age of seven or eight. She took part in children’s singing competitions, including Radio Disney events, while her parents drove her to contests in Florida and other states.
By the age of nine or ten, performing had become a regular part of her life. She later said that the reaction of audiences and judges was what first made her seriously consider a professional music career.
Her school years were more difficult. Ava Max has spoken several times about being bullied by classmates, and she completed part of her education at home.
First Attempt to Start a Career in Los Angeles
When Amanda Koçi was fourteen, her parents sold their house and moved with her to California in the hope of helping her begin a professional career.
The attempt came too early. Music industry representatives showed little serious interest in the young performer despite her vocal training and first original songs.
About a year later, the family left Los Angeles and moved to South Carolina, where Amanda Koçi continued writing music.
At seventeen, she returned to Los Angeles — this time with her older brother, who helped manage her for a period.
Demo Recordings and Stage Name
A quick professional breakthrough did not happen after the second move either. Amanda Koçi recorded demos, met with songwriters and producers and continued searching for the right creative team.
As a teenager, she used the name Amanda Kay and later began introducing herself simply as Ava.
The stage name Ava Max came later. She has explained it as a combination of the softer sound of Ava and the sharper, more forceful sound of Max.
Meeting Cirkut
One of the most important events of her early career was meeting Canadian producer Cirkut — Henry Walter.
They met in Los Angeles around 2014. By then, Cirkut had already worked with major international pop artists.
Their collaboration continued for many years. Cirkut was involved in creating most of Ava Max’s early hits and her first two studio albums.
Atlantic Records
In 2016, Ava Max uploaded «Anyone but You» to SoundCloud. The recording attracted attention within the music industry.
Soon afterward, she signed with Atlantic Records and Artist Partner Group.
The next two years were spent searching for material and shaping her stage identity. In 2018, she released «My Way», «Slippin» and «Not Your Barbie Girl», but the major breakthrough came with her next song.
«Sweet but Psycho»
On August 17, 2018, Ava Max released «Sweet but Psycho».
The song was written by Ava Max, Madison Love, TIX, Cook Classics and Cirkut, with Cirkut handling production.
The track is built around the contradictory personality of its protagonist and a deliberately exaggerated pop character that is expressed directly in the title.
The single quickly began climbing European charts. In the United Kingdom, it spent four weeks at number one and later remained in the UK Top 100 for more than a year.
«Sweet but Psycho» topped the charts in more than twenty countries and reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
Max Cut
Alongside her musical breakthrough, one of the most recognizable elements of Ava Max’s early image emerged — the asymmetrical hairstyle known as the Max Cut.
One side of her hair was noticeably longer than the other. According to Ava Max, the shape originally appeared by accident while she was experimenting with her hairstyle.
The Max Cut was used for several years in music videos, photo shoots and live performances and became an important part of her early visual identity.
«So Am I»
In March 2019, Ava Max released «So Am I».
The song is aimed at people who feel different from those around them and continued the format typical of Ava Max’s early material — direct lyrics and a large melodic chorus.
A version featuring NCT 127 was released later.
«Torn» and «Salt»
Her next notable releases were «Torn» and «Salt».
«Torn» leaned toward disco-pop, while «Salt» became one of the most popular songs of her early period, although it had already circulated online before its official international release.
«Kings & Queens»
In March 2020, Ava Max released «Kings & Queens».
The song became one of her biggest international hits after «Sweet but Psycho». Its chorus uses a melodic line associated with Bonnie Tyler’s «If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)» and the later «You Give Love a Bad Name» by Bon Jovi, which is why Desmond Child is included among the songwriters.
The lyrics reinterpret traditional fairy-tale roles: the women in the song do not wait to be rescued and instead control what happens themselves.
Heaven & Hell
On September 18, 2020, Ava Max released her debut studio album Heaven & Hell.
The album’s concept is built around a contrast between metaphorical «light» and «dark» sides.
The album includes:
- «Sweet but Psycho»;
- «Kings & Queens»;
- «So Am I»;
- «Salt»;
- «Torn»;
- «Who’s Laughing Now»;
- «OMG What’s Happening»;
- «Naked»;
- «Take You to Hell»;
- «Born to the Night».
Heaven & Hell combines electropop, dance-pop, disco and europop. Most of the songs have compact structures and move quickly into the chorus.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a full international tour did not take place immediately after the album’s release.
«My Head & My Heart»
In November 2020, Ava Max released «My Head & My Heart», later included on the expanded edition of Heaven & Hell.
The track uses a melodic interpolation of «Песенка» by «Руки Вверх!», a melody that also became internationally known through European versions.
The single became another international success for Ava Max.
«EveryTime I Cry» and «The Motto»
In 2021, Ava Max released the standalone single «EveryTime I Cry».
In November of the same year, «The Motto» was released — a collaboration with Tiësto that became one of the biggest EDM hits featuring Ava Max outside her own album discography.
Diamonds & Dancefloors
Work on Ava Max’s second album coincided with a difficult period in her personal life. A significant part of the lyrics deals with breakups, distrust and recovery after a relationship.
In spring 2022, she released «Maybe You’re the Problem», followed by «Million Dollar Baby», «Weapons», «Dancing’s Done» and other songs.
On January 27, 2023, Ava Max released her second studio album, Diamonds & Dancefloors.
The album contains fourteen tracks, including:
- «Million Dollar Baby»;
- «Sleepwalker»;
- «Maybe You’re the Problem»;
- «Ghost»;
- «Hold Up (Wait a Minute)»;
- «Weapons»;
- «One of Us»;
- «Cold as Ice»;
- «Dancing’s Done».
Compared with her debut, Diamonds & Dancefloors draws more heavily on 1980s synth-pop, disco and club-oriented electronic music and sounds more cohesive as an album project.
On Tour (Finally)
In 2023, Ava Max embarked on her first full-scale solo international tour, On Tour (Finally).
The title referred to the fact that her debut album had been released during the pandemic and never received a conventional touring cycle.
The concert program combined material from Heaven & Hell and Diamonds & Dancefloors.
Barbie and «Choose Your Fighter»
In 2023, Ava Max contributed to the official soundtrack of the film Barbie.
For Barbie the Album, she recorded «Choose Your Fighter» — a dance-pop track about choosing one’s own role and identity.
«Whatever», «My Oh My» and «Forever Young»
On January 19, 2024, «Whatever», recorded with Kygo, was released.
The track uses the melody of Shakira’s «Whenever, Wherever».
On April 4, Ava Max released the standalone single «My Oh My».
In October, «Forever Young» followed — a collaboration between David Guetta, Alphaville and Ava Max, based on Alphaville’s 1984 song of the same name.
End of the Collaboration with Cirkut
Between her second and third studio albums, Ava Max’s professional team underwent major changes.
Her long-running collaborations with Cirkut and Madison Love, both of whom played important roles in creating the first two albums, came to an end.
Ava Max later said that the period was emotionally difficult and required her to build a new team.
«Lost Your Faith»
On February 7, 2025, Ava Max released «Lost Your Faith» — the first official single from her third studio album.
The song begins considerably more quietly than many of Ava Max’s earlier dance hits. She associated it with a period of lost confidence and the collapse of previous points of stability in her life.
«Lovin Myself»
On May 29, 2025, Ava Max released «Lovin Myself».
The song returned to a more energetic pop rhythm and focused on recovering after a difficult relationship and refusing to seek validation of one’s worth from another person.
The next single was «Wet, Hot American Dream».
Don’t Click Play
On August 22, 2025, Ava Max released her third studio album, Don’t Click Play.
The album contains twelve tracks:
- «Don’t Click Play»;
- «How Can I Dance»;
- «Lovin Myself»;
- «Sucks to Be My Ex»;
- «Wet, Hot American Dream»;
- «Take My Call»;
- «Know Somebody»;
- «Lost Your Faith»;
- «Fight for Me»;
- «Skin in the Game»;
- «World’s Smallest Violin»;
- «Catch My Breath».
The album again uses synth-pop, eurodance and club-pop elements, but the main difference from the previous two records lies in the new songwriting and production team.
Don’t Click Play became Ava Max’s first full-length album created without Cirkut and Madison Love.
Leaving Atlantic Records
After the release of Don’t Click Play, Ava Max’s relationship with Atlantic Records came to an end.
In February 2026, she publicly confirmed her departure from the company she had been associated with for almost a decade.
Ava Max established her own company, Ava Brands LLC, and entered into a partnership with Artist Partner Group.
New recordings are released by Artist Partner Group under license from Ava Brands.
«KiLL iT QUEEN»
On February 25, 2026, Ava Max released the first single of her new phase, «KiLL iT QUEEN».
The song retained a dance-oriented foundation, while its visual concept became darker and more theatrical than the imagery of the previous album.
«KiLL iT QUEEN» also became the first release from Ava Max’s next studio album cycle.
«Out Of Your Mind»
On April 15, 2026, Ava Max released «Out Of Your Mind».
The track is built around fast-paced contemporary pop with noticeable guitar elements and a large chorus.
Ava Max linked the lyrics to her professional experiences of recent years and to the pressure of other people’s expectations regarding the direction of her career.
«Energy», «FATE» and «Work»
In summer 2026, Ava Max took part in several projects outside her upcoming solo album.
For the official music project connected with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ava Max and BIA recorded «Energy».
On June 26, «FATE» was released — a collaboration between Alan Walker and Ava Max.
On July 31, «Work» was released for the animated film PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie.
Next Studio Album
In 2026, Ava Max began a new album cycle.
The first solo singles of this period were «KiLL iT QUEEN» and «Out Of Your Mind».
As of September 2026, the title and release date of her fourth studio album have not been officially announced.
For the first time, a full Ava Max album cycle is being developed outside Atlantic Records and through her own company, Ava Brands.
Ava Max’s Musical Style
Ava Max works primarily within commercial dance-pop. The main genres in her catalog are pop, dance-pop, electropop and europop, with elements of disco, eurodance, synth-pop and EDM.
Her songs are usually built around strong melodies, dance-oriented rhythms, synthesizers and choruses that arrive quickly.
Ava Max regularly draws on melodies and aesthetics from previous decades. «My Head & My Heart», «Whatever», «Forever Young» and other recordings use interpolations or direct musical references to earlier pop songs.
As a result, different stages of her discography combine modern pop production with recognizable elements of dance music from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Song Themes
Ava Max’s lyrics are usually built around one clearly defined idea.
The main themes are relationships, breakups, independence, self-worth and rejecting labels imposed by other people.
«Sweet but Psycho» works with a contradictory female character, «So Am I» addresses people who feel different from others, «Kings & Queens» focuses on female independence, while much of Diamonds & Dancefloors deals with the emotional aftermath of a breakup.
On Don’t Click Play, themes of recovery and personal change become more prominent after the end of earlier relationships and long-running creative partnerships.
Vocals
Ava Max’s vocal background is closely connected to her musical family and the training she received from an early age.
Her voice has a dense, high pop timbre that works well for strong upper-register notes and layered choruses.
In studio recordings, her vocals are usually tightly integrated into dense electronic arrangements. On her second and third albums, Ava Max began using softer delivery and falsetto more often alongside the powerful choruses characteristic of her early hits.
Visual Image
The defining visual detail of Ava Max’s early period was the asymmetrical Max Cut hairstyle.
Later, she moved away from relying on a single permanent visual identity. The Diamonds & Dancefloors era was associated with red hair and disco aesthetics, Don’t Click Play with a more minimalist presentation, while the 2026 releases adopted a more theatrical visual style.
The Max Cut nevertheless remains one of the most recognizable features of the first stage of her career.
Personal Life
For a long time, Ava Max shared very little publicly about her personal relationships.
In 2023, she said that she had been in a relationship with Cirkut during the early period of their collaboration. After their breakup, they continued working professionally together and created much of the material for her first two albums.
By 2024, their creative partnership had also ended.
Other aspects of Ava Max’s personal life largely remain outside her public musical image.
Ava Max Discography
Studio Albums
- 2020 — Heaven & Hell
- 2023 — Diamonds & Dancefloors
- 2025 — Don’t Click Play
Main Singles
- 2018 — «Sweet but Psycho»
- 2019 — «So Am I»
- 2019 — «Torn»
- 2019 — «Salt»
- 2020 — «Kings & Queens»
- 2020 — «Who’s Laughing Now»
- 2020 — «My Head & My Heart»
- 2021 — «EveryTime I Cry»
- 2022 — «Maybe You’re the Problem»
- 2022 — «Million Dollar Baby»
- 2022 — «Weapons»
- 2022 — «Dancing’s Done»
- 2024 — «My Oh My»
- 2025 — «Lost Your Faith»
- 2025 — «Lovin Myself»
- 2025 — «Wet, Hot American Dream»
- 2026 — «KiLL iT QUEEN»
- 2026 — «Out Of Your Mind»
Selected Collaborations
- 2018 — «Into Your Arms»
- 2019 — «Alone, Pt. II»
- 2021 — «The Motto»
- 2024 — «Whatever»
- 2024 — «Forever Young»
- 2026 — «Energy»
- 2026 — «FATE»
- 2026 — «Work»
Ava Max as a Pop Artist
Before achieving international success, Ava Max spent several years trying to establish herself in the music industry. She moved to California twice, recorded demos and worked with different songwriters and producers. Her breakthrough with «Sweet but Psycho» came only after a long period of independent attempts to start a professional career.
Her first two albums were closely associated with Cirkut, Madison Love and Atlantic Records, while Don’t Click Play was created with a different creative team. Leaving Atlantic Records and launching Ava Brands opened the next stage of her career, in which she retained her focus on dance-pop while gaining greater independence in how her own project is organized.
