A Britney Spears fan account on Instagram pointed out that for all the criticism Ava Max is getting for the slightly problematic nature of her No 1 single Sweet but Psycho, we should be excited that she's having such an impact so early on in her career. Posting a video of her recent performance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, the account then draws a comparison between Spears and Ava Max. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. She's no Spears.
Ava Max started 2019 as the No 1 artist in the Irish singles chart and almost everywhere else in the world, except the US, with her third single, Sweet but Psycho and there's something about the Bulgarian-American singer that suggests she'll be a chart mainstay for quite some time. While it's too early to decide if she's a forever VBF, here's why we think she'll be worth sticking around for.
Not since Lady Gaga have we seen a pop star try to make a statement so strong with their hairstyle. Where Gaga had her platinum blond hair tied into a giant bow, Ava Max wears her curtain of blond hair in a bob on one side and cascading down in gentle waves on the other. Why, you might ask. Well, according to one of her Twitter posts, this haircut is about individuality. Apparently. “A lot of you guys have been asking about my hairstyle and why I chose to cut it this way,” she tweeted in December. “I wanted to show that doing something daring and unique is okay. The Max Cut represents strength, confidence, and being comfortable in your own skin. Setting trends, not following them.”
Crazy women
That's a bit of a reach, a trait she displayed again when explaining what her current single actually means to Gay Times. In light of mental health charities calling her out for using the word "psycho", as well as people calling out the tired trope of women being crazy, she has this to say: "It's basically about being in a relationship and you might be getting triggered and they might call you 'psycho' for being outspoken, but really you're being strong and confident and standing your ground. 'Psycho' per se doesn't mean psycho, it means being who you are and the guy loves you no matter what." Again, it's hard to fully digest that explanation. Still, Ava Max possesses a certain star power and if we give her enough time, maybe she'll grow into the daring pop star she should be.
Chronologically speaking, she's in the Just Dance stage of her career. If you compare Lady Gaga in 2008, when she released Just Dance, with Lady Gaga in 2009, when she released Paparazzi, there's a huge difference. Her aesthetic became bigger and bolder. It was mainstream culture mixed up with high fashion and modern art, and she had the finances and the audience to explore different themes and ideas. Ava Max is certainly not the next Lady Gaga – there can only be one – but as her career progresses, it feels as if she has a bigger vision to fill and she's only getting started.
