Maxwell George Schneider (born June 21, 1992), also known by his
mononym Max (stylized in
all caps), is an American singer and actor. He is best known for his 2016 single "
Lights Down Low" (featuring
gnash), which peaked within the top 20 of the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and received
triple platinum certification by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
A
sleeper hit, the song emerged from his second album, ''
Hell's Kitchen Angel'' (2016), which was released by
DCD2 Records and narrowly entered the
''Billboard'' 200. He signed with
Arista Records to release his third album, ''
Color Vision'' (2020).
Schneider was nominated for Best New Pop Artist at the
2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and, in 2020, his single "Love Me Less" received
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
certification by the RIAA and
Music Canada (MC).
Career
Schneider was raised in Woodstock, New York. He began performing at age three and acquired his first agent at the age of 14.
Schneider was a swing
understudy in the Broadway musical ''
13'' covering 4 roles in 2008 and 2009, and modeled with
Madonna for an international
Dolce & Gabbana campaign. He was the 2010
YoungArts Theater Winner, and released his debut
extended play ''First Encounters'' that year.
In 2012, Schneider co-wrote the song "Show You How to Do" with Ben Charles for the Disney series ''
Shake It Up'' (2010). He portrayed Zander in the
Nickelodeon TV series ''
How to Rock'' and also co-wrote a song for the show, "Last 1 Standing" with Matt Wong and
Claire Demorest, which he sold to the show—the song featured in two episodes of the series.
Schneider also starred in the Nickelodeon original film ''
Rags'', in the lead role as Charlie Prince. Later that year, he toured with
Victoria Justice on her ''Make It In America Tour'', and co-wrote the song "Standing in China" for
Cody Simpson's debut studio album ''
Paradise
In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
''.
Schneider featured on two tracks from
Hoodie Allen's debut album ''
People Keep Talking'' in October 2014. In February 2015, he released an album titled ''NWL''. Originally planned to be an EP titled ''The Nothing Without Love EP'', the album was funded by donations through
Kickstarter. Its first single, "Nothing Without Love", was originally released together with an accompanying music video on May 21, 2013. The singer's 2014 single "Mug Shot", also included on the album, was his first to be released under the stage name Max. Schneider has since gone by Max musically because he "
ants the nameto be more of a vehicle for the music".
On February 19, 2015, it was announced that Max had signed with DCD2 Records and would be releasing new music under the label. Throughout June, he toured with
Fall Out Boy,
Wiz Khalifa, and Allen on the Boys of Zummer Tour. The album ''
Hell's Kitchen Angel'', his first under DCD2, followed in April 2016. It featured the singles "
Lights Down Low" and a "Young Pop-God" by ''GQ''—the former later earned double platinum certifications in the United States and Canada. Max became the lead singer of a new soul group called Witchita, formed with
Tim Armstrong, that same month. The group's first single, "Mrs Magoo", was released via
Hellcat Records on April 21. In June, he was picked as
Elvis Duran's
Artist of the Month and appeared on
NBC's ''
Today'' show, hosted by
Kathie Lee Gifford and
Hoda Kotb, where he performed the single "
Gibberish".
Max released the collaboration single "Team" with
Noah Cyrus in 2018. During the summer of 2019, Max's new single "
Love Me Less", featuring
Quinn XCII, reached the top 20 at Top 40 Radio. Max was named an iHeart 2019 Best New Pop Artist nominee, and labeled by ''Billboard'' as a number one Emerging Artist. Since then, ''Love Me Less'' has been certified Gold in the US and Canada.
Max performed the single on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', ''
the Today Show'', and ''
Live with Kelly and Ryan''. In 2020, he released "Missed Calls" with Hayley Kiyoko, and featured on the mixtape ''
D-2'' by Korean artist
Agust D, the solo moniker of
Suga of the South Korean boy band
BTS.
Suga was later featured in Max's song "Blueberry Eyes".
His third studio album, ''
Colour Vision'', was released on September 18, 2020.
On 16 February 2024, Max released his fourth studio album titled ''Love in Stereo''. In October 2024, the song "I'll Be There" was released by South Korean singer
Jin, which Max co-wrote and co-produced.
Personal life
Schneider grew up in Woodstock, New York. He was raised
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
. His father is from a Jewish family and his mother
converted to Judaism. In 2018, the artist underwent surgery that required a vocal rest for four months.
Max married Emily Cannon at a courthouse on April 1, 2016, and welcomed their child, a daughter named Edie Celine, in December 2020.
In an interview in 2020, Max Schneider explains why he collaborated with so many artists. Since he is an only child, he explains that when he meets other musicians, he feels like the best way to connect is through music.
In the interview, Schneider says, "There's a spark of magic in every collaboration, and you find you made a song that you never would have done if you were alone in your room."
Discography
*''
NWL'' (2015)
*''
Hell's Kitchen Angel'' (2016)
*''
Colour Vision'' (2020)
*''Love In Stereo'' (2024)
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
* Max Schneide
Website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Max
1992 births
Living people
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American male singers
American child models
American child singers
American male child actors
American male dancers
American male film actors
American male singer-songwriters
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American video jockeys
American tenors
Dancers from New York (state)
Jewish American male actors
Jewish male models
Jewish American singers
Male actors from Manhattan
Male models from New York (state)
Musicians from Manhattan
Musicians from Woodstock, New York
Singers from New York City
21st-century American Jews
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)