Ava Max is the woman who refused to believe that pure, unadulterated dance-pop was dead. While the rest of the charts were filled with whisper-singers and acoustic guitars, Ava put on her platform boots, cut her hair into that bizarre Max Cut, and brought back the bombast of the early 2000s. No subtlety, just choruses that sound like stadium fireworks.
10. Choose Your Fighter
On the Barbie soundtrack, this was the perfect match. It sounds like plastic, tastes like pink gumballs, and doesn’t take itself seriously at all. Ava channels a video game character here, waiting for you to press start.
9. Dancing’s Done
The lights come on, the floor is sticky, and the DJ is packing up—that’s what this song is about. While most of her hits bathe in neon light, this one sounds darker and more dangerous. The 80s influences are laid on thick, with a menacing bassline and a vocal belt reminiscent of the heyday of the power ballad.
8. So Am I
After the success of her big breakthrough, a successor had to follow, and she chose the anthem of the misfits. Musically, it follows almost exactly the same formula as her number 1 hit—a conscious choice.
7. Salt
There are two ways to deal with heartbreak: cry in bed or run on a treadmill until your lungs burn. This song is for the latter group. “I’m all out of salt.” The violins in the production give it a dramatic disco edge, as if Gloria Gaynor walked into a gym in 2020. It is physical music; it’s impossible to stay still while listening to this.
6. The Motto (with Tiësto)
A trip into the dark depths of a club in Berlin. The collaboration with Tiësto resulted in a track that sounds like a fashion show for vampires. “That’s the motto, drop a few bills and pop a few champagne bottles.” It is cold, detached, and irresistibly cool. Ava sings lower here, almost speaking, which fits the minimalist house beat perfectly.
5. Maybe You’re The Problem
The ultimate “it’s not me, it’s you” track. The synthesizers bounce as if we’ve landed back in 1985. The genius of this song is the cheerfulness with which she dissects her ex. She doesn’t sound angry; she sounds relieved.
4. My Head & My Heart
If you use a sample from ATC’s Around the World, you have to be at the top of your game. Ava doesn’t just replicate it; she adds an extra shot of caffeine. The tempo is killling. This is pure chaos in audio form, the musical translation of a panic attack on the dance floor while simultaneously having the time of your life.
3. Million Dollar Baby
She borrowed the melody from LeAnn Rimes’ Can’t Fight The Moonlight (from Coyote Ugly) and turned it into a story of rebirth. The song has a noir atmosphere, as if she is a detective in her own life. The lyrics are about pulling yourself out of a rut and emerging as a diamond.
2. Kings & Queens
A chessboard metaphor that grew into a global hit. everything about this song is big: the choir, the message of empowerment, and that unexpected electric guitar solo that tears through the bridge. It sounds like something Bon Jovi might have written if he had been a pop diva.
1. Sweet but Psycho
The primal scream where it all began. This song redefined the cliché of the crazy ex-girlfriend and turned it into a title of honor. From that first yell, you’re hooked. It is catchy in a way that is almost scary; after one listen, you’ll never get it out of your head.
