It’s been a couple of weeks now since Canberra-based singer-songwriter MAXO dropped his latest single Light It Up, and for that entire time, we’ve had it spinning on repeat.
So, we caught up with the artist himself to chat about the new track, its accompanying video, and what the future holds.
“There’s a lot building in the pipeline at the moment“: We caught up with Canberra-based singer-songwriter MAXO for a chat.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
MAXO: Hey Guys, going pretty good thanks! Just been flat out getting Light It Up out there and getting ready for a bit more recording in a couple of weeks.
HAPPY: We’re loving Light It Up! How does it feel having it out there in the world?
MAXO: AMAZING! Absolutely stoked how this one turned out and it’s easily my favourite song of mine so far! So, I’m very happy to finally be able to share it with everyone!
HAPPY: Could you tell us a bit about the track?
MAXO: I wrote this song at the end of 2017 just as I decided to pursue music full time and head off on my first US tour. So, it’s basically about that, leaving the 9-5 jobs and chasing your dreams and in my case wanting to bring everyone along for the ride!
HAPPY: How do you see Light It Up as being different from past material? If at all…
MAXO: It’s definitely the realest song I’ve written and the one I most resonate with. It just has that ‘F**K Yeah!’ uplifting vibe to it, especially the build-up at the end.
HAPPY: We love the track’s music video too! Could you walk us through how this clip came together?
MAXO: Glad you like it! I never really know what I’m gonna do for my music videos until the tracks are fully produced but then it usually hits me pretty quick. For Light It Up, it’s such an anthem of a track and it’s one for the people, so I wanted to have all my friends and family involved! I knew I wanted to do a live performance shoot with my full band and have a lot of lights at night-time. So, I decided to put on a couple of kegs and throw a partay at my parents’ farm three days before Christmas. Mum wasn’t too happy at first cause she’d been cleaning the house rigorously for weeks as they were hosting Christmas, but as you can see from the video she definitely had a great time, very hard to miss!
At first, I thought it would be hard keeping everyone from getting restless as we did about 20 takes, but we broke it up with a few live performances of my other tracks which kept everyone entertained, the crowd was great! Also, If you look closely you can see some of the best pretend guitar playing ever! My guitarist couldn’t make it so I gave one of my guitars to my mate Carl and told him to pretend like he knew what he was doing. He definitely had a red hot crack and even cut open his fingers on the strings haha.
HAPPY: You’ve had a few experiences playing alongside some pretty big names in the past… do you have any favourite gig experiences?
MAXO: It’s definitely hard to pick a favourite, as the big ones are always great and playing alongside big artists is always exhilarating. But, one of the funnest gigs I’ve played, was when I held a single launch in a shutdown restaurant, set up a stage and packed out the place. Someone spilt a drink and blew up my foldback within the first song, so couldn’t hear myself at all, but had an absolute ball! The rowdiest gig I’ve played so far for sure!
HAPPY: We’re picking up a few different sounds in your music… are there any particular artists you’re currently getting inspiration from?
MAXO: Pretty much everything I grew up listening to such as The Script, U2, Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Maroon 5, Matchbox Twenty, The Maine and The Sundance Kids. They all definitely influence the way I write, I was even lucky enough to get Ash Gale (Lead singer of The Sundance Kids) to produce Light It Up for me. It made a massive difference having him on board to get the sound I wanted out of the track.
HAPPY: What’s next for Maxo? Any other exciting plans in the works?
MAXO: There’s a lot building in the pipeline at the moment, which could include a multi-continental tour in the near future. But for now, as mentioned earlier just a lot of promotion of Light It Up and a lot more recording of new music.
HAPPY: Definitely keep your ears and eyes open, and watch this space.
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
Light It Up is available now. Listen above.
