Max Jason Mai
| Max J. Mai | |
|---|---|
 Max in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Miro Smajda |
| Also known as | Max Jason Mai, MAXJMAI |
| Born |
27 November 1988 Košice, Czechoslovakia |
| Origin | Prague, Czech republic |
| Genres | Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore, Experimental, Pop Rock, Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer. |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar, Piano |
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Labels | Sony Music, Independent |
| Associated acts | MAXJMAI, Terrapie |
| Website | http://maxjmai.com; http://mirosmajda.com |
Max J. Mai (born Miro Šmajda; 27 November 1988 in Košice, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of the hard rock/pop rock band Terrapie and alternative/metalcore band MAXJMAI.
Max was raised in Košice, Slovakia, where he played with several projects. He began his music career in 2004 as the singer and rhythm guitarist of the pop rock-jazz band Skivers, played in heavy metal/trash metal band Blackened. In 2009 he achieved a success in Czechoslovak Idol, ranked 2nd place. From 2010–present he's been touring Czech Republic and Slovakia with his band Terrapie, releasing three studio albums - Čo sa týka lásky (2010), mirosmajda.com (2013) and Terrapie (2015), achieving success in "Zebrik Music Awards" - and winning 3 awards of 4 nominations in categories - The newcomer of the year, The record of the year, The song of the year.
In 2012 Max founded new project and the stagename Max Jason Mai / MAXJMAI using his childhood PC games nickname "MaxJMai", participated in Eurovision Song Contest for Slovakia with single "Don't Close Your Eyes". In the end of 2015 he released new single Rising Angels and started working on new material for debut record, announced release date - end of 2016 - first half of 2017.
Artistry and influences
Max is influenced by a wide range of artists of several genres. His earliest influence was Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, and the first album he owned when he was only 8 years old was Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzmosis which was also one of his earliest inspirations as a singer. Additional influences include Whitesnake, Guns N' Roses, System Of A Down, Alice In Chains, Alter Bridge. Max's favorite singers include David Coverdale, Robert Plant, Serj Tankian, Myles Kennedy, Rob Halford, Chris Cornell, Axl Rose, etc. He fuses together his favourite elements of rock, pop and soul singers into his own singing style based primarily on emotion, wide palette of colours and four-octave vocal range.
Personal life
Max currently resides in Prague, Czech Republic. He's also known for being a vegan/raw vegan and a supporter of animal rights campaigns. Besides that he's a big fan of fitness and healthy lifestyle, nature, travelling and as he said, he doesn't divide the music as a hobby and as a job. "Music is a hobby and a passion and thanks God that my hobby is my job".
Discography
With Terrapie
- Čo sa týka lásky (2010)
- mirosmajda.com (2013)
- Terrapie (2015)
With MAXJMAI
- Don't close your eyes (2012)
- Rising Angels (2015)
Guest appearances
- White Black (2013 / feat. Poison Pen Projects)
References
Official links
| Preceded by TWiiNS with "I'm Still Alive" |
Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
 Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest | |||||||||||||||||
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(Note: Entries scored out are when Slovakia did not compete) | |||||||||||||||||