Ava Max’s greatest weapon is an unwavering self-belief in her new disco-pop bop “Weapons,” out today (November 10) via Atlantic Records. Last month, Max expressed she was “extremely upset” that her forthcoming album Diamonds & Dancefloors was allegedly leaking online, but there’s no sight of any melancholy on “Weapons.”
“Stop using your words as weapons,” Max proclaims in the opening line, setting up a strong first verse sung atop an infectious beat. “I swear this town’s a battlefield / Can make you feel strong and vulnerable / These empty hearts are made of steel / But underneath I’m not invincible.” And by acknowledging her human fallibility and vulnerability, Max realizes she actually is invincible, with “a bulletproof vest under my dress” and a big heart that makes her a target. “Stop using your words as weapons,” the multi-platinum star reasserts in the chorus. “They’re never gonna shoot me down.”
“Weapons” was co-written by Max, Ryan Tedder, Henry “Cirkut” Walter, Madison Love, Michel “Lindgren” Schulz, and Melanie Fontana. It joins the similarly catchy, upbeat Diamonds & Dancefloors singles “Million Dollar Baby” and “Maybe You’re The Problem.” Max also teamed up with Tiësto for “The Motto” late last year.
Max foreshadowed the tone of these releases as Uproxx’s August 2021 cover star. “It’s like a new wave of pop music, and it was needed. I love it,” she said, reflecting on her June 2021 single “Everytime I Cry.” “Like, yes I can do a song about something like drinking. And I might, because it’s fun. But it doesn’t mean anything. I want to release meaningful songs. New empowering music. I think empowering music is important.”
Diamonds & Dancefloors is out 1/27/2023 via Atlantic. Pre-order it here.
Ava Max is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.