Ava Max is making a statement. “Kill It Queen,” her new single out now everywhere, is the first track from a new chapter built around full creative control, a new team, and a sound that pushes her further than anything she’s released before. The big pop hooks are still there, unmistakably hers, but vocally and sonically this is Ava Max operating with a confidence and ambition that goes beyond anything on ‘Don’t Click Play.’
“I’m telling my story my way,” she says. “I’m doing things differently and it feels good. I feel empowered, reinvigorated, and I think you can hear it in this single. ‘Kill It Queen’ is for anyone who wants to feel unstoppable.” That energy comes through in the track, and the sharper avant-garde aesthetic surrounding the release signals that this reinvention runs deeper than a single song.
The foundation she’s building on is already formidable. Over 22 billion streams, multi-platinum plaques, and a string of smash hits including “Kings & Queens,” “My Head & My Heart,” “The Motto” with Tiësto, and “Whatever” with Kygo have established her as one of pop’s most consistent forces. “Kill It Queen” arrives as the version of herself she’s clearly been working toward.