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\n\tLast week, Ava Max<\/a> decided to break her silence on what\u2019s been happening behind the scenes over the past few months. After days of teasing what appeared to be the start of a new era on social media, she posted<\/a> an open letter to her fans \u2014\u00a0\u201cAvatars,\u201d as they\u2019re called \u2014\u00a0revealing that she\u2019d been working on new music and, as some had suspected, that she\u2019d left Atlantic Records, her label home of nearly a decade.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIn retrospect, I\u2019m better off now because it taught me to stand up for what I believe in and not be afraid to speak up about what\u2019s important to me,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI had to change a few things around and do what\u2019s best for the music I want to make.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tToday, Max is speaking candidly as she looks back on the year that led her to this moment of newfound confidence. \u201cI know what I want, and I think honestly it\u2019s a good feeling to know what you want,\u201d she tells Variety<\/em> in the lobby of her new apartment building in Los Angeles, just two days before the arrival of her new single \u201cKill It Queen.\u201d<\/a> \u201cAnd that is a beautiful place to be in. When you wake up, it makes you excited about life. Indecision was what was stressing me out before. Being stuck, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMax is lighting the fuse on the next phase of her career with a new team that she refers to as her \u201cwolf pack.\u201d On Wednesday, she released \u201cKill It Queen,\u201d the first offering from her upcoming fourth album, due later this year. She partnered with Artist Partner Group, reuniting her with former Atlantic executive Mike Caren who fostered her early success with the imprint, and retained a new publicity team.<\/p>\n \n\tAll of this, she says, is a welcome sea change: \u201cThey\u2019re calling me all day and night. I\u2019m just like, wow, they\u2019re more excited maybe than me. How is that possible?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cKill It Queen\u201d is a self-empowerment anthem in a classic Max mold, a forceful pop tune that leans even harder into the towering sound of past singles. She taps into her artistic roots \u2014 her mother sang opera back in Albania \u2014 and embraces her falsetto, something she honed with Eric Vetro, the gold standard of vocal coaches (clients include Ariana Grande and John Legend). The track is produced by Arthur Besna and Sam Martin, collaborators who have been working with Max on her next single and album.<\/p>\n