Ava Max Asks Fans to ‘Respect My Art’ and Not Leak Her Songs

Ava Max loves her fans, but she doesn’t love it when they leak her music. So on Thursday morning (Jan. 2), the “Sweet But Psycho” singer made a plea to her followers to stop leaking unreleased demos. In an Instagram Story, Max shared a screenshot of what she said was a visualizer for an as-yet-unreleased song called “Phenomenon.”

“ok yes I have a lot of demos I’ve written that are not finalized records, and I’d appreciate it if you stop leaking these records ^ like this one,” Max wrote alongside a snippet of the mid-tempo dance number with an alluring, Middle Eastern-inspired groove. “It’s a phenomenon-on/ One dance and then it’s gone-on/ One touch can make you wonder, wonder, what’s going on,” she sings on the track.

The note continues: “A lot of records I write do not ever see the light of day and I understand your frustration, but this is not right. I write a lot of records I wish I could put out. This is one of 5 songs I have found today. It’s not right.” Max did not name the other four songs she said she found, but the post ended with a stern warning.

“I will find out who did this,” she wrote. “Like I usually do. So plz Stop.” A follow-up slide expanded on her plea to fans, adding, “I’ve never posted about this since the leak of my second album prematurely. Plz respect my art so I can keep working on making the songs I wanna put out that make sense for my project, and who I am perfect for you.”

Max broke through in 2018 with her Billboard Hot 100 No. 10 single “Sweet But Psycho,” followed by her 2020 debut studio album, Heaven & Hell. Her sophomore LP, Diamonds & Dancefloors, was released in January 2023 after a several-month delay caused by she said at the time was a leak. She addressed the incident in a since-deleted TikTok in which she explained the delay.

“I wanted to come on here personally and talk about all the leaks that have been happening [with] Diamonds & Dancefloors.  I am extremely upset about it, obviously,” she wrote. “I don’t want anyone thinking I am trying to avoid this or anything. I see what is happening. I, personally, haven’t seen the leaks or where they’re coming from online. I just know that it’s out there and — I don’t know… My team and I are trying our hardest to bring it down. We’ve all worked so hard on Diamonds & Dancefloors and I can’t wait for everyone to hear every single song on the album.”

Last May, Max told Billboard that that she was preparing for her third album cycle with “no heartbreak attached and no man attached.” She explained then that those crucial elements are tied to the vibe of the untitled collection’s debut single, “My Oh My,” which she described as feeling like “the beginning of me.”

“For the first time I’m really finding myself, honing in on healing… I really feel like this is everyone’s healing era,” Max said of the in-process album, whose release date has not yet been announced. She released the dance pop banger “Spot a Fake” in September 2024.