"Maybe You're the Problem" is a song by American singer and songwriter

Ava Max Amanda Ava Koci (born Amanda Koçi; February 16, 1994), known professionally as Ava Max ( ), is an American Pop music, pop singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2018 with the release of her breakthrough single "Sweet but Psycho". The ...

from her second studio album, ''

Diamonds & Dancefloors ''Diamonds & Dancefloors'' is the second studio album by American singer Ava Max. It was released on January 27, 2023, through Atlantic Records. Recorded throughout 2021, the album is a dance-pop record much like Max's debut studio album '' Hea ...

'' (2023). The song was written by Max, Abraham Dertner,

Cirkut Henry Russell Walter (born April 23, 1986), known professionally as Cirkut, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He has co-produced and co-written commercially successful singles, often in tandem with American record producer Dr. Luke ...

Jonas Jeberg Jonas Jeberg (born January 28, 1975), is a Danish songwriter and music producer residing in Los Angeles. He has written and produced hit songs including Panic! at the Disco's "High Hopes (Panic! at the Disco song), High Hopes", Selena Gomez's "Fe ...

Marcus Lomax The Monsters & Strangerz are an American production and songwriting team from Miami, Florida. The team features The Monsters: Alexander " Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Stefan Johnson, and Jordan K. Johnson and The Strangerz: Marcus "Marc Lo" Lomax and Cla ...

and Sean Douglas, and produced by Cirkut, Dertner and Jeberg. It was released as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from the album for digital download and

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

in various countries on April 28, 2022. Blending

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

dance-rock Dance-rock is a dance- infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and dis ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

music, the song depicts Max's ex as a toxic individual unwilling to accept any form of commitment placing blame on others while absolving himself. Upon release, it garnered a positive reception from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

for its music, lyrics and Max's vocal rendition, with various critics highlighting it as a standout on the album. "Maybe You're the Problem" charted at number 17 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Dance/Electronic Songs Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (formerly Dance/Electronic Songs) is a record chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is their first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according ...

ranking, reaching the top 30 on the

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...

and

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

charts. Peaking at number one in Hungary, the song entered the top 15 in Argentina, Bolivia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Panama, Poland and Slovakia. It received a gold certification from the

Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (; ZPAV) is the trade organization that represents the interests of the music industry in Poland, and the Polish chapter of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Founded ...

(ZPAV). An accompanying music video premiered on Max's

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channel on April 28, depicting her sunbathing in the snow, transforming into an

arcade video game An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-oper ...

character and going skiing. For further promotion, the singer delivered a performance at the

Los 40 Music Awards Los40 Music Awards, formerly known as ''Premios 40 Principales'', is an award show by the musical radio station Los 40. It was created in 2006 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the worldwide station. History Los40 is the ...

in Spain on November 4, winning the Best Video category award.

Background and composition

Early in 2022, Max underwent a notable image change by altering her signature "Max cut" and adopting red hairstyle, prompting speculation about a potential shift in her artistic direction. During the ''

Women in Music Women in music play many roles and are responsible for a broad range of contributions in the industry. They continue to help shape movements, genres, and trends as composers, songwriters, instrumental performers, singers, conductors, and mu ...

event on March 2, the singer announced the upcoming release of the

, "Maybe You're the Problem" from her forthcoming album. Reflecting on the creative process, she detailed her dedication to crafting the album throughout the entirety of 2021, a period she described as "the most challenging year" of her life. Max acknowledged a sense of concern as her recent work embraced heightened "vulnerability" encapsulated by her observation that "Everyone always says 'it's not you, it's me,' but sometimes the problem really isn't me, it's you." On April 14, the singer revealed the cover art of the single across various social media channels, coinciding with the publication of its release date set for April 28.

released it for digital download and

on the specified date as the

of Max's second studio album ''

'' (2023). "Maybe You're the Problem" was written by Max (Amanda Ava Koci), Abraham Dertner,

(Henry Walter),

and Sean Douglas, and produced by Cirkut, Dertner and Jeberg. ''Note: Click on the three dots on the right of the track to display the credits.'' With an

upbeat Up beat may refer to: *Upbeat, in music, the last beat in the previous bar which immediately precedes the downbeat *Anacrusis, a note (or sequence of notes) which precedes the first downbeat in a bar in a musical phrase * ''Upbeat'' (album), by t ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

-tinged sound reminiscent of the

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 335px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Space Shuttle Columbia, Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union, Soviet General Secretary of the Communist Party of ...

, the song blends

and new wave genres. The vocal delivery of Max spans from the low note of F♯₃ to the high note of A₅, with a tempo ranging between 160 and 168 beats per minute. Set in the key of

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

, the song adheres to a

4/4 time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in musical notation, music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure (bar (music), bar). The ...

signature and maintains a chord progression of N.C–Bm-E/B-A-Dmaj throughout. Discussing the song, Max disclosed that its creation unfolded in the aftermath of experiencing two break-ups within the preceding three years. The lyrics delves into a profound realization concerning her partner's consistent evasion of taking accountability for his behavior, depicting him as a toxic individual unwilling to accept any form of commitment placing blame on others while absolving himself.

Critical reception

Upon release, "Maybe You're the Problem" garnered a positive reception from

. Shaad D'Souza for ''

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'' complimented the song as another "bop" from Max, applauding it as a "blast" that accelerates from "0 to 100" in mere seconds. A critic of

Energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

emphasised her career growth, articulating that she once again "surpassed herself" in her artistic career. Reviewing ''Diamonds & Dancefloors'', Ella West from ''Rollacoaster'' delved into Max's artistic progression, highlighting the culmination of her pursuit in the development of the album, leading to the creation of the "pulsating" song. Grace Twomey for ''

Renowned for Sound ''Renowned for Sound'' is an Australian online magazine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print ...

'' identified the song as an "obvious" standout with parallels to Canadian singer

the Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

's single "

Blinding Lights "Blinding Lights" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The song was released through XO and Republic Records on November 29, 2019, as the album's second single. It is a synt ...

" (2019), commending the "infectious chorus" of the song that delivers an "empowering" message. Sam Franzini of ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' described the song as a "playful jab at a breakup", underscoring the "deliriously catchy" appeal of its chorus. Nick Levine from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' labeled the song as a "bop" and praised its "plainspoken" lyrics, conveying a sentiment that, despite its perceived quality, the song may not have received the commercial recognition it deserved in the United Kingdom. Madison Murray for ''The Honey Pop'' lauded the song as a strong contender for "Song-of-the-Summer" and a "total bop", deeming it a "perfect choice" for a lead single that will leave a lasting impression on listeners. According to a critic of ''Women InPop'', the song retained its "intoxicating" allure and the recognition as one of the potentially "most underrated songs of 2022", also complimenting the song's "addictive" beats and lyrics that contains a sense of "empowerment". Jordi Bardají from ''

Jenesaispop Jenesaispop, also known as JNSP, is an online Spanish independent news and reviews website focused on pop music, although it is also dedicated to films, TV series, books and comics. It was founded in 2006 by nine friends, including various jour ...

'' remarked that the song, drawing influence by "Blinding Lights" and English-Albanian singer

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...

's single " Physical" (2020), initially lacked distinction. In retrospect, Bardají observed that it fell short of achieving the impact of Max's previous hits, "

Sweet but Psycho "Sweet but Psycho" is the debut single by American singer Ava Max, released on August 17, 2018, through Atlantic Records. It was later included on her debut studio album '' Heaven & Hell'' (2020). The song was written by Max, Madison Love, ...

" (2018) or " Kings & Queens" (2020), despite maintaining notable streaming numbers.

Commercial performance

"Maybe You're the Problem" attained number 17 on the US ''

ranking in the issue dated February 11, 2023, entering the top 30 on the

and

charts. Peaking at number one in Hungary, the song reached the top 15 in Argentina, Bolivia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Panama, Poland and Slovakia. Other top 100 positions were achieved in Austria, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Flanders region of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Venezuela. It also entered the airplay rankings at number 11 in Spain, at number 48 in France and at number 50 in Finland. In February 2022, the song received a gold certification from the

(ZPAV) for shifting more than 25,000 units in Poland. In 2022, "Maybe You're the Problem" made appearances on the year-end lists of the Flanders region of Belgium, CIS, Croatia, Hungary and Poland. Furthermore, ''Billboard'' included the song in its annual compilation of the top Hot Dance/Electronic songs for 2023.

Music video

An official

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Maybe You're the Problem" premiered to Max's official

channel on April 28, 2022. Under the direction of Joseph Kahn, the three-minute and 16-second video commences with a shot capturing Max and a companion sunbathing amidst a snowy landscape. Following this, she enjoys a

snow cone A snow cone (or snow kone, sno kone, sno-kone, sno cone, or sno-cone) is a ground-up ice dessert commonly served in paper cones or foam cups. This is not to be confused with shaved ice which shaves a thin layer of ice off an ice block instea ...

with a man, and another scene showcases a woman engaged in the same activity. The perspective then shifts, providing a view through a man's

binoculars Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most binoculars are sized to be held ...

that captures Max from a helicopter, using her own binoculars to observe the situation above. The video progresses with the man transitioning to an indoor setting, engaging in gameplay on an

arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...

, while Max transforms into an

animated character Character animation is a specialized area of the animation process, which involves bringing animated s to life. The role of a character animator is analogous to that of a film or stage actor and character animators are often said to be "actors ...

participating in a skiing scenario with other individuals. Taking a directing role, the man guides the virtual ski game through the arcade cabinet. Meanwhile, a man lies on the floor who periodically mutating also into an animated character, with Max manipulating an object over his body. Throughout the video, Max intermittently appears in snowy landscape shots, delivering various performances in different setting. The video concludes by revisiting the opening sequence, depicting Max wielding her ski pole to touch the man's head, causing in his body undergoing a conversion into fragile silver shattered pieces.

Promotion

On June 1, Max premiered "Maybe You're the Problem" for the first time on the American morning show ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

''. Subsequently, on July 6, the singer delivered a rendition of the song on the British magazine show ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...

''. Following this, she went on to perform at the

in Spain on November 4, concurrently winning an award in the category for the Best Video. Between June and July 2022, a series of remixes complemented the release of the song, created by figures including Brazilian disc jockey Las Bibas From Vizcaya and Dutch DJ

MOTi Moti or MOTI may refer to: Names * Mordecai (disambiguation), a Hebrew given name, abbreviated Moti * Motilal (disambiguation), an Indian given name often abbreviated Moti People * Moti (DJ) (Timotheus "Timo" Romme, born 1987), Dutch DJ and ...

Track listing

*Digital download and streaming #"Maybe You're the Problem"3:10 *Digital download and streamingRemixes #"Maybe You're the Problem" (Crush Club Remix)3:02 #"Maybe You're the Problem" (Las Bibas From Vizcaya Remix)4:05 #"Maybe You're the Problem" (

Remix)2:45

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

and

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. *Ava Max (Amanda Ava Koci)lead artist, songwriting *Abraham Dertnerproducing, programming, songwriting *Bryan Bordoneassistant mixing *Cirkut (Henry Walter)producing, programming, songwriting *

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey. Gehringer is known for having mastered recordings by popular artists such as AJR, Dua Lipa, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Harry Styles, ...

mastering *Jonas Jebergproducing, programming, songwriting *Marcus Lomaxsongwriting *Sean Douglassongwriting *

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Ava Max 2022 singles 2022 songs Ava Max songs Atlantic Records singles Song recordings produced by Cirkut Songs about parting Songs written by Ava Max Songs written by Cirkut Songs written by Jonas Jeberg Songs written by Sean Douglas (songwriter) Songs written by Marcus Lomax Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn