Max Boyle – Cold As Ice

By starrymag | September 20, 2022

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I say my sound is like a mix of Ed Sheeran, Jason Mraz, Allen Stone and John Mayer all kinda mashed into one. Pop/ soul.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences? *

A) There’s been so many that have influenced me over the years with some key artists being John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Jason Mraz, Allen Stone and Dermot Kennedy.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Cold As Ice.” What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) I think everyone can connect with the idea of being wronged by someone and getting angry about the situation. The song also has a feeling of “screw it” or “I don’t care anymore. I don’t need you,” which also kinda translates to a feeling of empowerment. Not to mention, I think the melodies and production on the track are fun, intense and catchy. So, I think that resonates with listeners and catches their ear.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) A lot of times it can be a mixture of both. Sometimes I’ll have a few lyrics written out or just a bunch of free writing to get out the ideas, and also be messing around on the guitar and singing some melodies. My main focus is to capture the overall feeling and structure in the melodies and production and then start to fit in the lyrics into that structure.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) Everything I’ve been releasing in the past year and going forward has been produced with Joey Liechty, and he runs the sessions and plays many of the instruments. I’m not very proficient in Pro Tools or Logic, but I’ll be in the sessions producing with him and bouncing off ideas back and forth. It varies from song to song, but for the most part I have a pretty good hand in the production side of things.

 

Q) What can you tease are some themes you’ll be exploring on your upcoming sophomore EP?

A) The EP deals with anger, betrayal, heartbreak, lust and finding love again. It really covers all bases of the process of falling out of love and finding it again. There is some edgier pop, acoustic singer songwriter ballads, and a little feel-good tune.

 

Q) How will this one be different from the music you made for Something to Hold?

A) First, I’ve definitely grown as a person and a songwriter since 2018, so the songs I feel like are just overall better quality and better put together. Second, I mainly produced all of Something to Hold myself, so working with a producer here in Nashville who I really vibe with just takes everything to the next level.

 

Q) We loved seeing you on “The Voice.” What advice did mentors John Legend or Kelly Clarkson offer that you took to heart?

A) I think in general they just helped me with my overall confidence. I remember Kelly in a rehearsal just absolutely gassing me up, over and over being like, “Dude – you’re SO good,” after each pass at my song. And to hear that from one of the best vocalists of our time is definitely reassuring and it’s something that has stuck with me to this day.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) There are so many, but I would LOVE to collaborate with Allen Stone. He’s one of my favorites right now. I just love the soul and feel that emanates from his music and live performances.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?  

A) I’ve been starting to dive into Noah Kahan’s music after I fell in love with his song “Stick Season.” I just think his writing is so authentic and beautiful and he really couples his lyrics well with his melodies and production.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) As a musician growing a fan base, it’s very important to give people any reason to connect with you and one of those ways is giving them a peak into your life through social media. You can show them a personal side of you that maybe wouldn’t be as easy to without social media. It’s also awesome being able to message with fans and hear how they’re resonating and connecting with my music.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you so much for sticking with me and supporting me through this crazy journey that is the music industry. It’s a grind and knowing there are people in my corner listening, enjoying and supporting what I’m doing means everything. That’s why we do it as artists, we just want to get out what we’re feeling, put it into a song, and hope someone connects with it. So, thank you so much.