Max Pretends’ first single of 2022 finds inspiration in the good old green-eyed monster. “It was written about someone you truly care for and consider family,” the singer explains, “but sometimes that same person can be the one dragging you down.”

It’s difficult to imagine Pretends being weighed down by anything, with the 26-year-old French singer-songwriter’s pop ascent now in full flight. Living between New York and Los Angeles, the artist whose musical roots lie in theatre and film – he has a theatre background and studied music for film – has pivoted from the EDM toplines he had been cutting his teeth with as he established a place in the industry, to instead, unleash his more hearty pop prowess.

Also a previous intern on The Voice Australia, Pretends’ diverse industry CV to date gives him a natural aptitude for approaching all angles of his own artistry. Suffusing the slick pop songwriting of the likes of Ed Sheeran and Ryan Tedder with light dustings of the EDM sensibilities he’s become acquainted with, on “Alone” he crafts an acoustic-led but propulsive pop sound.

Head below to hear it for yourself right now…