British singer-songwriter, performer, and producer Max Cinnamon is back with a hot new release to scorch your speakers titled "City On Fire."
The 22-year-old recording artist began his musical journey at age 5 by playing guitar, violin, piano, and drums. At 14, he was busking around France, eventually leading him to work alongside Emmy-winning CBS technical director Fountain Jones, not to mention co-writing Croatia's 2021 Eurovision entry "Tick Tock."
Max Cinnamon has landed over 16 million Spotify streams through his many collaborations with artists and producers worldwide. And with the release of his newest single, "City On Fire," we can only expect that number to skyrocket.
The blazing new single, "City On Fire," powerfully opens with a thick, vibrating bass line and subtle snaps alongside Cinnamon's alluring vocals, instantly reminding us of the likes and stylings of Two Feet. But as he makes his way to the all-encompassing hook, he ramps up the electronic production and sets our speakers ablaze. It's an incredibly robust, sensual, and hypnotic listening experience that blesses listeners with a mighty mix of sultry alternative and invigorating electronic music.
In terms of his lyrics, Max Cinnamon highlights some sort of societal breakdown, represented by the chaos of a burning city. His imagery is unmatched, perfectly depicting scenes of high rises and danger zones and feeling at risk of these threats amid the chaos. It's a reminder that society is set to face extreme challenges, and we must be prepared.
Keep the energy high and channel your inner fight or flight with Max Cinnamon's sweltering new single, "City On Fire," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
We're head over heels for your recent powerful single, "City On Fire." What inspired you to create this wildly catchy, anthemic new track? Was there a specific message or concept you wanted to convey to listeners with your lyrics in "City On Fire"? What did you want them to take away?
I wrote City on Fire with Jonathan Bluth and producer Vincent Ott in Los Angeles, which inspired me to add several interpretations to the song. It could represent the city being highly energetic, fun, and exciting, or the way I see it, when we wrote the song, it is more about how world leaders can so easily manipulate the urban population to cause chaos and division, quickly imposing new mandates to gain complete control over their lives.
However, I didn’t want to make this too evident in the lyrics. I still wanted the listeners to have a song they can simply jam to, whether alone in their bedroom, in the shower (where our inner rock star comes out), at the gym, or on an epic road trip with friends. I wrote something that I’d want to add to my playlist. Something that makes me feel good as a music fan. It’s easy to forget that. Ask yourself, would you add your song to your playlist? That’s when I started becoming more proud of my work. I started to enjoy the process much more, and it was exciting to delve into unknown territory, a style of music I hadn’t done much of before.
How would you describe the sound and style of "City On Fire" in terms of genres? Do you usually create songs of this nature, or was this a new experience for you?
I see my music sitting in the Pop/Rock world. When I’m on stage, I’m automatically drawn to the rawness of a band, the energy, and grit you can get out of a rock performance while keeping those hypnotic, catchy pop hooks. A healthy mix of Imagine Dragons and Harry Styles.
Being in LA opened me up to this world. Collaborating daily with new artists, writers, and producers makes it much easier to identify what sits right with you as an artist. I had time to figure that out and ensure I was ready and confident with my sound. Many people say you must find your lane and stick to it, but I disagree. I can’t wait to show people the different sounds I’ve been experimenting with.
No, the 4th song won’t be identical to the first, and yes, the next EP/Album might be completely different. But it’ll always be me, my honest take on songwriting, and the emotion will always remain. City On Fire was the perfect “here we go” moment. Big and anthemic. But I can’t wait to take people on a journey - I have so much I want to say.
Did you work alongside any artists or producers when crafting the powerful instrumentals and production for "City On Fire"? What were those collaborations like?
I met both Jonathan Bluth and Vincent Ott in LA. Jonathan has a way of creating such a safe space in sessions. It’s always such a lovely time—always filled with laughter. We always speak the truth, which can often be the best therapy session. You learn so much about yourself and others in six hours of sitting down and writing a song. Working with Vincent was easy—he’s a great producer and musician. He quickly turned my vision into something epic!
On a more personal note, what was the highlight of creating "City On Fire?" What part of the process did you enjoy the most?
The highlight of creating this song has to be a mix of all the above. The fact that it’s become my first release makes it more unique and special. If only every session would go as smoothly as this one did!