Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Embers.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in a small town in Germany and somehow, for as long as I can remember I sort of felt like an outsider. I can’t exactly say why, because I did have friends and my family has always been incredibly supportive, but throughout my childhood there was always a sense of longing to be somewhere else, to find my own path.
My parents had an old white Yamaha upright in our living room.
On my 6th birthday my parents told me that I could start taking piano lessons and my dad said that one day when I’d move out the Yamaha would be mine to take with me (sadly I had to leave it with my dad in Germany when I moved to the States, but I still play it every time I go home). While I played classical piano all throughout my childhood, I also had a small collection of pop records that I proudly owned. I’d lock myself up in my room, listen to those same albums day after day and learned to play them on the piano by ear. I think, living in an area in Germany that is quite far away from the contemporary music scene and pop culture in general forced me to find my own style.
When I finally started writing songs it was like therapy. For a long time I didn’t really share those with anyone, because somehow, I still felt like I didn’t really belong. That’s probably what made me want to leave home, go out into the world and meet people who shared the same passion. Luckily, I was able to go to music school in the US and to meet musicians from all over the world, which was everything I’d ever dreamed of and what made me the person and artist I am today. But I believe that coming from that musically secluded background is what really makes my music unique and special.
Please tell us about your art.
It took me a very long time to find myself, as an artist and as a person. I’ve moved across the world to understand and find love for who I am. When I studied in Boston, I met people from all over the world who shared their stories with me and it was probably the most eye-opening experience because it showed me that I wasn’t so different from everybody else after all; that at our core, we are all the same. We all have hopes, dreams, fears and flaws and at the end of the day everybody wants to feel loved.
This might sound grand and somewhat corny, but I mean it – when I write, produce or perform my music, the most important thing to me is to be honest with it. I want to share my unique story in an intimate, genuine way and create a shared experience for my listeners. The best moments of my musical journey have been when people reach out to me after they see me perform live or after they listen to a song of mine and tell me that it was just what they needed to hear in that moment, because they’d been feeling lost, or misunderstood, or lonely. I just hope I can bring people together from all different places of the world with all the different perspectives of their personal experience and connect them through my music.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Honestly, I think a lot of artists struggle with their insecurities. I’ve come long way but I’m still working on it. I know that there’s tons of other people out there who share the same dream as me and some days it’s hard to remember that I do really have stories to tell and songs to sing that people out there need to hear, that there’s something special and unique about my art. So more than anything else, trust yourself. Trust that your voice is important and deserves to be heard. And keep good people around you who love you for who you are and genuinely want the best for you. Obviously, that’s important in anyone’s life, but maybe particularly necessary in an industry where it’s so easy to get lost in the pressure of success and your own doubts.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I currently have two songs out – “Lying” and “The Way I See You Now” – and have the next few releases ready to go. The plan is to put out an album next year! People can listen on all streaming platforms, really wherever they usually listen to music – Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, iTunes… Other ways to check out my music and follow what I’m doing are on YouTube (recently put out a live video for “Lying”!), my website www.maxembers.com, or my Instagram @maxembersmusic – that’s probably where I am most active!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maxembers.com
- Email: maxembersmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxembersmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maxembersmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/maxembersmusic
Image Credit:
Alex Harper
Kelly Sayer
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