Last year, bubbling under pop singer Ava Max finally broke through and scored one of the biggest hit single throughout much of the world, especially in Europe. Her tune “Sweet But Psycho” went straight to No. 1 in countries all across the continent, and that helped her grab the attention of radio programmers and playlist makers in the U.S.

While it’s taking much longer to become a certified smash, “Sweet But Psycho” has been rising steadily, and it just recently became a top 20 hit in the U.S., where Max is from. She’s now followed that up with another poppy composition, “So Am I,” which could go on to become her next major success.

While no official dates have been set just yet, Max says her debut album is coming this year, and with some luck and a lot of hard work, she might just be the next great star to break through and dominate the charts with pop music.

We spoke with Max about how she got started and what her new fans can expect from her coming up.

Can you talk a bit about your career over the past couple of years for the people who are just discovering you? Who are you? What have you been doing?

Ava Max: I've been in this music industry since I was like 14. I've been singing since I was seven. It's tough because you've really gotta have those connections and meet people and they have to love you and you have to be the whole package. It wasn’t an instant thing for me. I never met someone and, oh my god my dreams came true. It was a hussle. I had jobs on the side. Obviously, there were times when I wanted to quit but I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I was only good at this.

So the album is coming and the singles “Sweet But Psycho” and “So Am I” are out. Are you planning on touring these?

Max: We're working on a headlining show after the album comes out.

So probably soon, it sounds like.

Max: Definitely. I can't wait to go out there.

What can fans expect like for the rest of the year from you, the people who are really getting into you now?

Max: They're definitely going to get to know a lot more of me. I think that every interview I do and every video interview I do they get to know a little bit and a little bit more. I'm a new artist to them, so all of this is going to be new. The album, the show. I'm going to be traveling a lot.

Is it strange to think that you’ve you've been doing this for a long time—the album is three years in the works—but there are people discovering you every day. Does that feel weird to you? How are you navigating that?

Max: Oh my gosh, it feels so weird. Like, especially in Europe when there was paparazzi. It was my first time experiencing that. And I did not like that, I was not into it, all the cameras. But, you know, it comes with it.

The album has no features, which can be a really great way for a new artist to build momentum. What made you want to do this entirely on your own?

Max: I think it's because we had so many amazing songs over the past three years, we took so much time on this album, that when the album was done I just couldn't take any songs off. They're really pop songs, so maybe after the album's out...maybe the deluxe album will have a feature. Maybe a surprise feature. We'll see. But I definitely did not want to take out any more song.

Photo Credit: Ava Max