The Australian musician out of Canberra won’t let anything keep him down.
MAXO, the extremely talented singer-songwriter from Canberra, Australia, has returned to bless us with good new music. Drawing inspiration from acclaimed indie-pop bands like One Republic, Imagine Dragons, and Maroon 5, he’s managed to carve out his unique sound, captivating audiences everywhere with his blend of uplifting, positive, and energizing music.
With his new single “Can’t Hold Me Back” already making waves, Maxo’s timing is once again impeccable, providing us with a fresh soundtrack for the sun-filled days of summer.
You know those artists who seem like they were destined for the stage? MAXO is one of them. Having gotten into music from an early age, he’s spent most of his life tirelessly honing his sound, which shows. Every piece of music he makes has an underlying passion that can’t be ignored.
Having been recognized by Australia’s Triple J and UK’s BBC Radio, MAXO has been on a firmly upward trajectory and shows no signs of stopping or slowing down. With a whopping 1.7 million streams on Spotify alone, the sky is the limit for this star in the making.
“Can’t Hold Me Back,” MAXO’s latest release, continues his artistic resolve and desire to provide music to uplift his fans. Over instrumentals that expertly blend pop, rock, and a little country rock, MAXO’s energy overflows defiantly in the face of whatever obstacles he may face.
Dropping lyrics like “Cuz I have been fighting, for this, my whole damn life / And I’m still climbing, this ladder to stay alive” and “Can’t hold me back, I’m going my own way,” MAXO’s charisma is infectious. Nothing can faze this rising star, and after you give “Can’t Hold Me Back” a listen, you’ll feel unstoppable too.
With his talent, charisma, and simple ability to make good music, this Canberra-based musician is destined for even greater stages. Whenever you’re ready, tap in and stream MAXO’s “Can’t Hold Me Back,” available now on all major streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, MAXO! We loved "Can't Hold Me Back"; it felt uplifting yet catchy simultaneously! What was the inspiration behind this release, and could you take us through the creative process for it too?
Hey, Legends! Thanks for having me, and I'm glad you loved the track!
"Can't Hold Me Back" is a bit of a song to myself, and writing it helped me through some of the darkest days of my life. If you've been following my journey so far, you'd know one of my best mates, Frankie, was murdered a couple of years ago, and I didn't deal with what happened and the events that followed adequately at the time. I ended up breaking down and getting diagnosed with PTSD, which led to extreme anxiety and depression.
I took a break from music to work on my mental and physical health but kept trying to write new music while I had stepped away from it. Back then, I couldn't write in my home studio as when I got the news about Frankie; I had just sat down to write there, so it took me a long time to get back in that space. This led me to make several trips down to Melbourne to write with one of my producers, Cam Bluff; it was great, I'd stay at his, and we'd hang out and write and record music. This was where 'Can't Hold Me Back' was born. We were having breaky, and Cam was showing me some different instrumental ideas he had when one tiny bit of rhythm guitar hooked me in, and I just sang "Can't Hold Me Back!" I grabbed my acoustic guitar, strummed some chords, and we wrote the whole song in less than half an hour, haha.
We jumped in the studio to record and got it down, but we felt it could be bigger and didn't have the resources to get it there. So, the next month I jumped on a plane to Adelaide and produced it with another one of my producers, Ash Gale, at Skye Studios. Live instruments and about a million vocal tracks later, the song was taken back to Cam in Melbourne for some final touches, mixing, and mastering, and 'Can't Hold Me Back' was done. Tada! Haha
You mentioned that you've been doing music for a long time. How did you first get into it? Were you exposed to a lot of good music growing up?
Yeah, it's been a while, haha. I first knew I wanted to get into it when I was eight. A kid, a couple of years older than me, had a guitar on the bus ride home and would play it and let me have a go, teaching me some stuff. I knew I needed my own from then, so I kept asking for one for birthdays and Christmas'. Mum finally caved and got me one when I was ten, haha.
From there, I taught myself to play, then started a band with some mates in high school to perform in the school Battle of the Bands comp. I couldn't sing to save myself back then, but we were only doing covers of Pop Punk bands, so I thought I'd put my hand up to sing. After that, I got into singer-songwriter music like The Script and practiced more and more to become a better singer. Then I put up a few covers on YouTube, landed some pub gigs, and kept going from strength to strength. I was definitely exposed to a lot of music growing up, both good and bad, and I still listen to everything these days, even the terrible songs. You can always learn something from it, haha.
So far, what's been your favorite thing about being a musician and putting out your music?
This is a tough one; there are so many different aspects to being a musician and so many "Pinch me" moments so far, but I think my favorite would have to be the response from fans listening to my music for the first time. For most of my songs, I like to write inspiring, uplifting music in the hope that it might help someone through a hard time or inspire them to go further and chase their dreams. So having people reach out and tell me their stories of how my music played a part in their life is so surreal, and there's nothing better.
Do you have a favorite musical memory or performance? Also, how would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before?
One of my favorite performance memories is from a few years ago when I put on a single launch show in my hometown in an abandoned bar just before heading over to the US on tour. We loaded in a huge stage set up, lights, sound, and complete band kit, the works and tickets were only available at the door, so we had no idea how many people would turn up.
The whole place was packed, and so tight I just remembered how hot and sweaty it was there. We started playing, and my foldback blew up in the first song as someone spilled their beer on it, and I couldn't hear myself the whole set, but the show went on. It was the wildest show I'd ever played, and everyone in there was having the best night of their life from what I could see on stage. I always try to make my live shows as big as possible, and that show was one where everyone in the room was having the time of their life. As for describing my music to someone, once you listen to it, it might get stuck in your head. I love writing fun, super catchy hooks, so listeners, beware you might get stuck with me once you have a listen. But other than that, just good catchy Pop Singer/songwriter music that will get your toes tapping and your body moving.
What's next for MAXO? Can we expect to hear more new music soon, and is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?
Yeah, I've got some big plans in the pipeline and big announcements coming soon! More new music will come this year, and a lot more touring next year, both here in Australia and overseas! To my fans, thank you for sticking with me and allowing me to be part of your life. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to do what I love. Hope to see you all soon!
