Max Leone

Narrow “Zooms” w/ Darkroom Records rising, and reflective, alt-pop star

Now part of L.A., via Portland, Max Leone's rise to fame stemmed from making cover videos, and expressing himself. Now, he is set to follow the footsteps of other Darkroom recording artists like mega-star Billie Eilish. If you listen to his music, he just might be ready.

At a younger age Leone was inspired by revolutionary artists such as Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean, Lorde, Coldplay and Kanye. These visionaries tend to hook listeners with new creative beats that would leave any new upcoming artist like Max on the edge of their seat. While creating his own beats, Leone infuses melodies from the app “Notes,” and the ability to create raw art with real instruments. “Usually its just me and my guitar figuring things out,” Leone says when asked about his creative process. He feels this is what sets him apart from other artists today. 

Speaking of creative beats, Leone released his latest single “Untitled,” which gives great imagery through lyrics, has a catchy beat, and an original sound. His voice is very unique and in this single you can interpret what he’s feeling through his art almost as if you’re experiencing it right in front of your eyes. And with the repeated line, “My greatest fear is feeling nothing at all,” while referencing other fears we have all experienced during the song, he immediately turns into the friend you've known since grade school, who has dealt with all the problems you also had your entire life.

Through his creative process, Leone feels he wants to stay true to himself and stay vulnerable.  He portrays this in not only his single “Untitled,” but also in “Malleable,” which helped him express what he is experiencing and dealing with first hand. Some people believe that Max falls into the “anti-pop” category. That is a genre in which an artist embodies deep messages about the struggles, and pain that comes with living life and personal experiences. However, Leone isn’t very envious of the idea of genres in general. He has a very distinct and unique view on the ideas of “genre” and “anti-pop.” 

“Containing one artist into a singular genre is probably not going to be around for much longer,” he says. “Everyone has their own individual qualities in the alt/anti-pop space.” 

Leone also reveals that being an artist has taught him that he’s able to have a safe space to portray real life experiences that might be uncomfortable to talk about in a regular conversation. There were hints of new music being released soon, with hopes in the future of a collaboration with Frank Ocean. His new EP drops April 29th, and it's a musical effort that he feels represents him well, and how he has changed.