Looking for a new artist to dive into? Look no further than one of our new favorites, Max McNown! Max McNown is an up-and-coming artist who just put out his album Wandering, which is sure to blow you away with just one listen (but if you’re anything like us you’ll have it on repeat). We were lucky enough to get to chat with Max McNown about everything from Wandering, the ‘Dead Set,’ to the song you may know him from ‘A Lot More Free.’ We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!
Listen to Wandering here!
Hi Max! Welcome to The Honey POP, and thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us! To start us off, how would you describe your music/message to someone who hasn’t checked out your work?
If I could describe my music in a few words I’d say it’s the sharing of my perspective and lessons to the world. Music helped me in more ways than I can count throughout my life and my goal is to return the favor to as many as I can.
‘Dead Set’ is the latest release, and it’s sonically quite different than ‘Turned Into Missing You’ with them both being part of the upcoming record is there a string that you think ties the two together in the grand scheme of things?
Both songs are part of my journey in their own unique way. The album title Wandering is meant to convey my experience while creating the first-ever full project under my name. I’m constantly learning, changing, and growing, and the uniqueness of the tracks reflects that.
And while we’re on the topic of ‘Dead Set’ we are huge fans of the track, and took this uplifting message from it, the energy that comes through is contagious, could you feel that while making the song?
I had an absolute blast writing that song. I remember several laughing fits between my producer AJ Pruis and I. I often find myself getting my mind stuck in the day to day, and those lyrics, coupled with the music video, are good reminders to appreciate the little things.
And on a completely different note, we have ‘Turned Into Missing You’ which is a bit more of an emotional track, dealing with pain reappearing when you thought it was out of your system, does writing a song like that take you right back to the time when these feelings were prevalent?
I feel as though I’ve healed successfully from the pain referenced in that track. The concept for “Turned Into Missing You” came about because I used to drive and listen to music as an outlet. However, I vividly remember that outlet turning sour when I’d go through a breakup and hear our song.
Wandering is the name of the upcoming album! We’ve listened to the record and we were absolutely blown away, what are you hoping listeners walk away from this album feeling? What are you hoping they take with them?
In all things I create I primarily seek to convey authenticity. Having started music barely more than a year ago, my fans have been with me since day 1. I’ve learned guitar with them, written my first songs with them, and this album is just one more step on the journey they’ve accompanied me on. I hope the listeners can feel connected to songs that speak to them, and I hope they walk away feeling less alone in whatever they’re experiencing.
The record has eleven tracks, when you think back to crafting that tracklist was there a specific song that didn’t make that final cut that you’re hoping to release at another time? One that you hope gets a life of its own?
There’s one song that I hope to put out after the album’s release. It’s titled “Love Me Back” and it was written just a little too late to make the final project on the day of its release. May come out soon though, stay tuned 😉
‘A Lot More Free’ was a big moment for you, that song really brought a lot of people to your music, now that you’re almost a year past the release, how has your relationship with the song changed? ‘
A Lot More Free’ was one of those songs that hit me deeply. It seems easy to claim after its success, but if you ask a few people who are close to me they’d tell you that after writing that song I was more excited than I’d ever been. My producer Steve Fee and I talked about how it was going to be “an anthem” for those who escaped a difficult relationship, and that seems to be true.
You’ve said that music has kind of always been a part of your life and a part of your family dynamic, do you remember a song from your childhood that really kick-started a love of music?
There were several songs throughout my life that really accelerated my love for music. I could make quite the list but the first off the top of my head is ‘Free’ by Zac Brown Band.
You’re about to hit the road with Blake Rose! How are you prepping for this run of shows?
I have less than a week between Blake’s tour and the leg I just completed with Briscoe, so the best thing I can do is rest as much as possible, taking care of my voice and body!
Once again, thank you so much for your time! To finish us out, what can fans look forward to as we continue on into 2024? What’s on the horizon after the album?
We have so much on the way. The album is a big moment for me and I am so excited to share it with the world, but as far as I’m concerned it’s still only the beginning!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to chat with y’all!
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