Max McNown Talks Life, Love & New Music While Reflecting on His Meteoric Rise on The Pupdate
McNown is a true dog lover, fully enjoying his time on set playing with the adoptable puppies from Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue.
Max McNown; Photo by Osprey Media
Max McNown is opening up about life, love, and new music in the latest Country Now Pupdate, where he also gets in some puppy playtime with three adorable dogs from Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue.
A dog lover through and through, McNown instantly lit up when the three puppies were unleashed onto the set. As they played and gobbled up treats, McNown recalled where his love for dogs first began: when he was six years old during a camping trip with family, when he fell in love with a dog named Jake. When he returned home, he convinced his parents to get a dog, and his first pup, Bear, a Rottweiler lab retriever mix, entered his life.
Now, McNown is a proud dog dad to the “sweetest in the world” German Shepherd Pit Bull mix.
“Her name is Astoria, but we call her Stori. We named her after one of my favorite beaches in Oregon, right on the border to Washington. And we’re actually training her right now because someday I want her to be a road dog with me and take her on the bus,” he revealed. “So we’re getting her nice and trained up. And maybe at some point, if we can get her trained up, we might even have her on stage.”
The 24-year-old Oregon native has seen his fair share of stages in recent months, thanks in part to the success of his now double Platinum hit “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes).” The song has fueled his meteoric rise with over 455 million worldwide streams and charting across multiple formats.
What’s wild is that the song almost wasn’t a single. McNown revealed that his manager, who also happens to be his uncle, is who encouraged him to release it. Putting his trust in him, McNown released the song and says watching its journey has been truly “amazing.”
“It’s just slowly grown. The consistency and the slow burn is really, really good for long-term success. There are a lot of songs that can have kind of an initial explosion and then fizzle hard, but it’s been going strong and increasing ever since it came out,” he pointed out.
Watch Max McNown on the Pupdate
Following the release of his 2025 sophomore album Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up), McNown continues to feed fans’ desire for new music, and after writing five to six days a week in recent months, he kicked off 2026 with a steady stream of new releases, including “World Change Me,” “Done For,” and his latest track, “Standstill (My, My, My).”
After making a statement with “World Change Me” about “standing your ground and standing up for what you believe in and not falling for the pull that the world often temps you with,” McNown got personal with “Done For,” which explores falling deeply and unexpectedly in love with someone and choosing a lifelong commitment, despite outside pressure to stay free and not settle down. This mirrors his personal life, as he got married last fall.
The Story Behind “Done For”
“‘Done For’ is a song that kind of acknowledges and affirms my choice to start my life with the person I love early and just bet on the future and kind of choose this one person very early in my career,” he explained.
McNown said people questioned his decision to settle down and get married at a young age.
“As simple as it gets, I fell in love and I’m never looking back and I don’t really want to test the waters anywhere else. Love is something that you work for every day and I want to work for it every day. And so the first line of ‘Done For,’ …’They say you’re only young once. You don’t want forever, boy, you better sleep around while you can.’ And so that’s very specifically what I was told. And this song is basically, screw that, I want to give you a lifetime.”
With “Standstill (My, My, My),” McNown took a different approach.
“That is one of those songs that’s just designed to be a feel good, windows down, belted out song. It’s not as much of a statement like ‘World Change Me’ and ‘Done For’ is, but I think there’s a place for those songs as well as a place for the statement songs. And every album should have its unique messages behind each song. And so I kind of tried to switch it up. It doesn’t always have to be so serious.”
Since the release of his 2023 debut EP and his 2024 full-length Wandering, Max McNown’s life has changed dramatically. He said he tries to soak it all in because he knows it could be gone in an instant.
“To see what my life looks like now, I mean, it’s the cliche, but if you would’ve told me even just a year and a half ago that I would be doing what I’m doing in the places I’m doing it right now, I would’ve called you a liar, not because I didn’t trust you, but because I didn’t believe in myself. And so it’s really just a blessing that I can’t even comprehend right now. And I try to journal and I try to really take it in because I know that it can be gone real quick.”
Just Announced: The Summer Vacation Tour
Fans can catch Max McNown on tour throughout the summer. Following back-to-back sold-out shows at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium as part of the ongoing The Cost of Growing Up Tour, the hitmaker has also unveiled plans for The Summer Vacation Tour, bringing his headlining show to cities across North America throughout July and August. Tickets and VIP info can be found HERE.
Adopt Molasses
One of these sweet pups, Molasses, is still looking for his forever home. Those interested in adopting should contact Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue, a foster-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Middle Tennessee and run primarily by volunteers. Proverbs is fully dedicated to the care and well-being of every animal they rescue. To learn more or make a donation, click HERE.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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