My favorite new artist of 2018 returns to the Pop Gazette.

I’m a pop music guy, always have been. I especially like dance pop reminiscent of the 1980s. That’s what I found in 2018 when I first heard Ava Max and her debut single, “Sweet But Psycho.” Since then she’s released several follow-ups―many of them I liked―but “Kings & Queens” is my favorite so far of her post-“Sweet But Psycho” tracks.

I’ll always remember “Kings & Queens” as the first—and so far, only— track I ever caught on an artist’s social media page that was “counting down” to its live world video premiere. I can’t recall if it was on Facebook or Instagram, but I just happened to catch the notification on my phone teasing the song’s big bow (no pun intended), which happened to be just minutes away. So, I stayed tuned.

The first thing that struck me is that strong, a cappella opening chorus—a frothy, punchy party-starter that still makes me perk up on repeated listens. And that’s just the aural thrill; the lyrics are also fun: “If all of the kings had their queens on the throne / We would pop champagne and raise a toast.” Sounds like a party to me!

It was an interesting juxtaposition watching the playful, fun-loving music video as it debuted on March 12, 2020—literally parallel to the dark, cloudy mood wafting over the country as the coronavirus pandemic began to kick into high gear. I recall thinking to myself, “Oh crap; they obviously filmed this before the worldwide pandemic was a thing.” But I loved it! It was nice to see something brand new at the time that still seemed sunny and bright. Eventually, an “official quarantine video” titled “Kings & QuaranQueens” was released, complete with Ava sporting a mask.

But stop dancing for a moment to dig deeper into the lyrics and you’ll find at least a tad bit of sorrow. For example: “To all of the queens who are fighting alone / Baby, you’re not dancin’ on your own.” Like her earlier single, “So Am I,” there’s a girl power theme to “Kings & Queens,” and the soaring synths and chorused vocals help bring out a grandness befitting the stately setting.

For the longest time I waited for an Ava Max album to drop, and with “Kings & Queens” riding the charts it finally has: Heaven & Hell was released in September of 2020. The belated release features all the singles dating back to and including “Sweet But Psycho,” which means that Heaven & Hell sports nine (count em!) officially-released singles: Following “Sweet But Psycho” in 2018, Max’s 2019 singles included “So Am I,” “Torn,” and “Salt” (another personal favorite); and 2020 (so far) saw the release of “Kings & Queens” followed by “Who’s Laughing Now,” “OMG What’s Happening,” “Naked,” and “My Head & My Heart.”

Busy girl.