Multi-talented, confident, and unique are a few words to describe the absolute pop powerhouse Max Restaino from London, UK. Singer/songwriter extraordinaire, he released his debut album titled “The Time It Takes” in 2017 and since then has been keeping his passion for music growing and thriving. Max has worked with several notable artists and has performed countless BBC Radio shows.
Max Restaino’s newest single “Messed It Up” is proof of his artistry and creative mind. Max is skilled at playing the sax, piano, guitar, harmonica and accordion. Most of these instruments are featured on the self-produced track, “Messed It Up”. The saxophone and keys in the beginning of the song are such a alluring intro to a pop song. His style is unlike anything I’ve heard before but it’s undeniably catchy. “Messed It Up” proceeds to explode into Max’s deliberate and smooth vocals. His lyricism and ear for melodious lyrical arrangements is admirable. “I know where I belong ‘cause something feels so wrong” is a lyric that resonates with me and I’d love to hear more about the meaning and feeling behind this track. I love the piano breaks with just Max’s vocals that really highlight his range and talent. “Messed It Up” has previously been proclaimed “an absolute summer smash” and it’s not hard to see why. Max Restaino can relate to his listeners and fans effortlessly. He’s an all around accomplished artist and we can’t wait to see what he does next! I highly recommend you check out Max Restaino’s newest single “Messed It Up”
Listen to "Messed It Up" here and get to know more about Max Restaino below!
Can you start by telling our readers more about your upbringing into music?
My Italian grandmother bought an Italian folk accordion for my brother's birthday. He wasn't interested in it and left it laying around the house. I was only 5 years of age at the time and thought the instrument was interesting to play with. I was somehow able to play it and was soon listening to my grandmother's old Italian folk cassettes and transferring what I was hearing from the music to the accordion. By the time is was nine, I was playing live on TV, Radio and stage. BBC TV- Look North News https://youtu.be/icSYgVMrEfo
How do you feed your passion for music daily?
I am a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer so I find there are always sessions, gigs, rehearsals & producing to be done. I am always playing music at some capacity every day, so in a sense my passion for music is always being fulfilled. If I am in a creative mood and just want to play, I'll usually get on the piano or pick up a guitar and just play around with it, but if a great chorus or melody comes out, then it becomes work. I have to try and come up with lyrics & start working on it. I do miss having time to just jam for the fun of it, but performing live makes up for it.
What are some challenges you’ve faced as an up and coming artist and how have you overcome them?
The most challenging part about being a musician for me personally is writing lyrics. I find lyrics the most challenging part because I am so critical of my own work. Also, as with all art, every piece of music you write & produce, perform or sell, is only as good as your last job, so if you don't carry on creating, it's game over unless you are in a position to be commissioned to write music- but may be that comes with its own stresses and pressures so I'm probably better off being a free agent.
What would be your dream collaboration? Why?
My dream collaboration would be to work with Jeff Lynne of ELO. He was alway my inspiration growing up and since he is very similar to me in that he is a multi-instrumentalist, a producer and also writes his music, I think we would have very similar outlooks in the studio. It would be interesting to see what we could create in a collaboration and it would be great to have that opportunity to find out.
What’s the meaning behind “Messed It Up”? What was the writing process like?
'Messed It Up' came from a night out with a group of mates. We were tormenting a mate, singing stupid jokes to him about his constant stream of girlfriends, when the 'Messed It Up' melody came out. I soon as I got into the studio I put the melody down and wrote lyrics. I wrote them from the other person's perspective, because I wanted the song to explore how it feels to be dating someone who is constantly messing up. I had to work on the song and lyrics to make them relevant to me. The song now has absolutely no connection to my mate what so ever. It is a totally fictional scenario. I've never done a rap in any of my songs before and everyone who heard to demo said I'd never get away with it. I'm not a rapper and have no intensions of trying to become one, I just wanted to put something different in the song. I always try to do something different in all my songs, because I don't want them to all sound the same. The rap just seemed to fit the theme and it was fun to do. It's always great to see fans singing the lyrics.
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