Ирина Билык
Max Oazo (name Chiril Oarza; born November 14, 1986) is a Romanian music producer, songwriter and DJ working primarily in house, deep house, melodic house, dance-pop, chillout and electronic pop music. He is known for original tracks such as «Feeling Me», «Once Upon a Time», «Loneliness», «Here for You», «Release Yourself», as well as electronic versions of «Wicked Game», «What Is Love», «Supergirl», «Stand by Me», «Ain't No Sunshine», «Every Breath You Take» and other well-known songs.
Most of Max Oazo’s career is connected with the independent label OWN MUSIC, which he founded in 2017. Vocalists Camishe and Moonessa, producers Bonzana and Ojax, and later MOYOTEK, WIDRIM and other musicians became recurring collaborators on his recordings at different periods. Unlike artists who build their careers around occasional studio albums, Max Oazo primarily works in the format of singles, EPs, remixes and extended club versions.
Early years
Max Oazo began studying music at the age of six, learning the accordion. He did not follow a formal academic path and describes himself as a self-taught musician. Later, his main activities became songwriting, electronic production and arranging.
Before launching his own project, Max Oazo wrote music for other performers. Gradually, this work led to the development of his own material and an independent career as an electronic producer.
Origin of the stage name
The stage name Max Oazo is connected with the French word oiseau — «bird». The artist himself explains the name through associations with freedom and lightness. The Oazo part is pronounced approximately like «wah-zoh».
Chiril Oarza in songwriting credits
The name Chiril Oarza regularly appears in the official credits of Max Oazo’s original works. It is listed as composer or songwriter on «Once Upon a Time», «Here for You», «Loneliness», «Hold Me Close», «No Echo» and many other tracks, while Max Oazo is credited as performer and producer.
Public music catalogs do not provide sufficient grounds to state definitively that Chiril Oarza is the artist’s legal name, so in a biographical context it is more accurate to treat it as the name used in the project’s songwriting credits.
Beginning of the discography
Max Oazo’s first official releases appeared in 2016. The early period includes «Wanna Be With You», recorded with Rodica Olisevschi.
The musician focused not on a traditional club career, but on digital distribution. His recordings were published on YouTube, SoundCloud and streaming services, allowing him to gradually build an international audience without being tied to a single national scene.
OWN MUSIC
In 2017, Max Oazo founded the independent label OWN MUSIC. It became the main platform for releasing his own work and projects by musicians from his close creative circle.
OWN MUSIC released recordings by Max Oazo, Camishe, Bonzana, Ojax and other artists. The label made it possible to maintain a high release frequency and independently publish original songs, cover versions, remixes and extended mixes.
Wicked Game, Supergirl and Camishe
One of Max Oazo’s first recurring creative partners was vocalist Camishe, credited on some early releases as Cami.
In September 2017, they released their electronic version of Chris Isaak’s «Wicked Game». It was followed by «Supergirl», based on the song by Reamonn.
These recordings established one of the main directions of Max Oazo’s early discography: a well-known pop or rock composition retained its core melody but received new vocals and a modern house arrangement.
What Is Love
On March 6, 2018, Max Oazo and Camishe released their own version of «What Is Love» — Haddaway’s hit from the 1990s.
The original eurodance production was replaced by a softer electronic sound with an even house rhythm and a stronger focus on the vocal melody. The song later received several additional remixes and alternative edits.
Once Upon a Time
One of Max Oazo’s key original compositions is «Once Upon a Time», recorded with Moonessa and released on August 3, 2018.
In the songwriting credits, Chiril Oarza is listed as composer, Jennifer Jung as lyricist, and Max Oazo as producer and performer. Unlike the many electronic reinterpretations of well-known songs in his catalog, «Once Upon a Time» is an independent original work.
The composition has been reissued several times. In 2024, Max Oazo and Moonessa presented Once Upon a Time (Melodic House & Techno), featuring new versions in melodic house & techno and house styles, including extended mixes.
Bonzana and Ojax
Other recurring partners of Max Oazo include Bonzana and Ojax.
With Bonzana, he recorded «Drops of Dream», «Conmigo», «Dancing», «Breathing», «Waterfall», «Ngifuna Wena» and other tracks. Their collaborations span chill house, dance, melodic house and later afro house.
With Ojax, Max Oazo released «Got Everything», «Closer», Release Yourself and a number of other recordings. In these projects, both musicians worked not only as performers but also as producers.
Electronic versions of well-known songs
In 2018–2019, Max Oazo released a large series of his own interpretations of pop and rock songs from different decades. These included «Stand by Me», «Ain't No Sunshine», «Every Breath You Take», «With or Without You», «Wonderful Life» and other songs.
Most of these recordings are not traditional remixes of the original masters. Max Oazo created new arrangements and used newly recorded vocals while preserving the recognizable melodic foundation of the original work.
A particularly significant part of this period consisted of collaborations with Camishe. Their joint catalog later expanded with «A Different Way», «As Long As You Love Me», «Think of You», «That's the Way It Is» and other tracks.
Feeling Me
In 2020, the original composition «Feeling Me» was released and became one of Max Oazo’s best-known original works.
The track is built around a concise vocal motif, a deep bass line and a restrained house rhythm. In addition to the main version, an extended mix was released, followed later by further edits.
Airplane and collaboration with Moonessa
After the success of «Once Upon a Time», Max Oazo continued working with Moonessa. In 2020, they released «Airplane», whose music is credited to Chiril Oarza and lyrics to Jennifer Jung.
Their collaborations also include «Lullaby». Recordings with Moonessa mainly develop the calmer side of Max Oazo’s catalog — chill house, downtempo and melodic house.
Original music
Alongside cover versions, Max Oazo regularly releases his own material. The original side of his discography includes «Once Upon a Time», «Feeling Me», «Here for You», «Loneliness», «Release Yourself», «Closer», «Focus», «One Kiss», «Hold Me Close», «No Echo» and other tracks.
In the credits of these works, Chiril Oarza is repeatedly listed as composer, lyricist or co-writer, while Max Oazo is credited as performer and producer.
This Is Max Oazo, Vol. 1 (Dance)
On May 8, 2023, the compilation This Is Max Oazo, Vol. 1 (Dance) was released.
The 14-track release includes «Feeling Me», «Dancing» with Bonzana, «I Wanna Love You» with Camishe, «Would You Wait for Me», «Breathing», «Loco» with Ojax and other recordings.
The compilation brought together material from different years but did not mark a transition to a traditional album-oriented model: standalone singles and EPs remain Max Oazo’s primary release format.
Melodic house and techno
In the first half of the 2020s, Max Oazo’s sound gradually expanded beyond deep house and dance-pop. His catalog increasingly featured melodic house, melodic techno and longer club arrangements.
The most notable example is the 2024 reworking of «Once Upon a Time». Versions lasting up to seven minutes are built around gradual thematic development and are aimed not only at streaming playlists but also at DJ sets.
Afro house
In 2025–2026, afro house became more prominent in his discography. Tracks in this direction include «Oh My» and some collaborations with MOYOTEK, including «Easy to Love».
These tracks preserve Max Oazo’s characteristic melodic foundation, while the rhythm becomes more percussion-driven and the extended mixes adopt a more pronounced club structure.
2025 releases
In 2025, Max Oazo continued releasing music almost continuously. His catalog added «I Promise You», «Ocean Dream», «Waterfall» with Bonzana, «One Kiss», «Oh My», «Come Away With Me», «Bad Habits», «Hold Me Close», «No Echo», «Think of You» with Camishe and other works.
«No Echo» is particularly notable for its studio credits: Max Oazo is listed not only as producer and performer, but also as the musician who recorded the electric guitar. Chiril Oarza is credited as composer, while Irina Caraiman is credited as lyricist.
In December 2025, the single «In My DNA» with J.O.Y was also released.
2026
In 2026, the discography expanded with «Better Days», «Take on Me», the EP Do You Feel It with Camishe, «What Do You Mean», «Say Those Three Words» with WIDRIM, «My Diamond», «Easy to Love» and «Magic» with MOYOTEK, as well as «I Knew I Loved You» with Camishe.
During the summer, these were followed by «Dancing in the Moonlight» with Moonessa, «Kiss Me or Leave Me» with WIDRIM, «You Hold Me Closer», «Love Me», «Fantasy» and «Young and Free».
On September 4, 2026, the single «Paradise» was released — the latest release in the artist’s main digital catalog at the time this biography was prepared.
Camishe
Camishe remains Max Oazo’s most consistent vocal collaborator. Their partnership began in the second half of the 2010s and continued into the following decade.
Together they recorded «Wicked Game», «What Is Love», «Stand by Me», «Every Breath You Take», «A Different Way», «As Long As You Love Me», «Think of You», «That's the Way It Is», «Do You Feel It», «I Knew I Loved You» and other tracks.
On some early releases, the singer is credited as Cami, so both name variants appear in music catalogs.
Moonessa
Moonessa is primarily associated with the original «Once Upon a Time» and its numerous later versions. Their other collaborations include «Airplane», «Lullaby» and «Dancing in the Moonlight».
These recordings mainly represent the more melodic and atmospheric side of Max Oazo’s work.
Musical style
House remains the foundation of Max Oazo’s music, although his work spans several different directions.
His early popular recordings are mainly based on deep house and chill house: moderate tempo, soft bass lines, restrained percussion and vocals positioned at the center of the arrangement. In dance-pop tracks, the structure becomes shorter and closer to the traditional pop-song format.
In melodic house & techno, instrumental development, synthesizer layers and longer transitions become more prominent. Afro house releases from the mid-2020s are distinguished by more active percussion.
A common feature across different periods is the emphasis on melody. Max Oazo rarely builds tracks around aggressive festival drops: the central element is more often a vocal hook, an instrumental motif or a recognizable harmonic progression.
Production work
On most releases, Max Oazo works directly as producer. He handles electronic arrangements, club versions and the final structure of recordings himself, while on some tracks he also performs instrumental parts.
His songwriting activity is not limited to his own stage name. Chiril Oarza appears in composer and songwriter credits both on Max Oazo material and on some releases by artists connected with OWN MUSIC.
Selected Max Oazo releases
- Wanna Be With You — with Rodica Olisevschi, 2016
- Wicked Game — with Camishe, 2017
- Supergirl — 2017
- What Is Love — with Camishe, 2018
- Once Upon a Time — with Moonessa, 2018
- Stand by Me — with Camishe/Cami, 2018
- Got Everything — with Ojax, 2018
- Ain't No Sunshine — with Cami, 2019
- Every Breath You Take — with Camishe, 2019
- With or Without You — 2019
- Here for You — 2019
- Feeling Me — 2020
- Loneliness — 2020
- Airplane — with Moonessa, 2020
- Breathing — with Bonzana, 2022
- This Is Max Oazo, Vol. 1 (Dance) — compilation, 2023
- Release Yourself — with Ojax, 2023
- Once Upon a Time (Melodic House & Techno) — with Moonessa, 2024
- Focus — 2024
- My Love — 2024
- I Promise You — 2025
- Ocean Dream — 2025
- Waterfall — with Bonzana, 2025
- One Kiss — 2025
- Hold Me Close — 2025
- No Echo — 2025
- Think of You — with Camishe, 2025
- In My DNA — with J.O.Y, 2025
- My Diamond — with MOYOTEK, 2026
- Easy to Love — with MOYOTEK, 2026
- Magic — with MOYOTEK, 2026
- I Knew I Loved You — with Camishe, 2026
- Dancing in the Moonlight — with Moonessa, 2026
- Fantasy — 2026
- Young and Free — 2026
- Paradise — 2026
Max Oazo built his career primarily as an independent studio producer rather than as an artist dependent on the traditional club scene or album cycles. From early deep house and electronic versions of well-known songs, he gradually moved toward a broader range that includes melodic house & techno, dance-pop and afro house. At the same time, original tracks such as «Once Upon a Time», «Feeling Me», «Loneliness» and his later original releases occupy no less important a place in his catalog than the cover versions that first brought the project international recognition.
