“Maybe You’re the Problem” by Ava Max

Max puts a twist to the saying “it’s not you, it’s me” phrase in her latest single “Maybe You’re the Problem”. In an interview with Audacy, Max said the song’s inspiration was from a past relationship. It is also the first time she’s writing something so personal and feels like it’s “some of the best music (she’s) ever written”.

The Lyrics of “Maybe You’re the Problem”

Max expresses how toxic her previous relationship was. She even notes that everything her partner’s ex once warned Max about makes “a whole lot of sense”.

Her ex’s ego-filled attitude coupled with a drinking problem and hating her friends are what the narrator had to unfortunately deal with throughout the course of the relationship. Furthermore, this toxic ex of hers had the bad habit of always blaming her whenever something went wrong, even when it wasn’t her fault. She goes on to reveal how extremely dangerous her ex’s anger was – even comparing to a “bomb”.

Another very toxic behavior of her ex which is exposed in this song is their “backwards” “point of view”. This could mean that her ex probably wanted a partner who would be submissive to them and cater to their every need.

In the chorus, Ava has had enough of the toxicity of the relationship and bids her ex goodbye for good. But before walking away from the relationship for good, she makes sure to let this toxic partner (who blamed her for everything) know that they’re “the problem” and not her.

What Ava Max has said about “Maybe You’re the Problem”

According to Ava, this song is “the most personal” one that she has written so far.

Release Date

This single was released on 28^th April, 2022. Ava teased the release of “Maybe You’re the Problem” on her TikTok, Instagram and Twitter accounts on 25^th March, 2022.

Credits

As noted above, Ava wrote this song herself. She was inspired to compose this song after surviving an extremely toxic relationship. Ava shares writing credits with several other songwriters, including:

• Abraham Dertner (who has written and produced for the likes of Callum Scot, Jeremih and Olivia O’Brien)
• Cuban-American rapper and songwriter, Xplicit. He has worked with big names like Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean and Niall Horan.
• Canadian producer and songwriter, Cirkut. Katy Perry, Becky G and The Weeknd are just a few of the many famous names he has worked with.
• Danish songwriter and music producer, Jonas Jeberg. Some notable names he’s worked with includes Panic! at the Disco, Selena Gomez and Nicki Minaj.
• American singer/songwriter, MarcLo. He has worked alongside Nick Jonas, Maroon 5 and Chris Brown.·       
• American songwriter and record producer, Sean Douglas. Over the years, he has collaborated with stars such as Lizzo, Thomas Rhett and Demi Lovato. 

Co-writers Jeberg and Cirkut also handled the production of “Maybe You’re the Problem”.

NOTE: Xplicit and MarcLo are part of the production and songwriting team, The Monsters & Strangerz.