In the winter of 2022, pop star Conor Maynard disappeared from social media, leaving his 13M+ followers scratching their heads. The silence was even more curious after what had been a whirlwind year for the famously prolific songwriter and YouTube star, which saw him travel the world on his biggest headlining tour to date, hitting more than 20 cities across the US and Europe.
Today, with the release of his new single “If I Ever,” fans are getting the answers they’ve been looking for. “If I’m honest, at the end of 2022 I went through a really rough breakup, which led to the decision to take a step back from everything, rather than trying to pretend I was fine,” Maynard revealed. “I took the time to pour it all into the only thing that ever seems to help me get through difficult moments – my music.”
Now, following his time away from the spotlight, Maynard has returned with “If I Ever,” the first taste of a bold new slate of material that he plans to release throughout 2023. Featuring fiercely personal songwriting and a new confidence found touring the world, “If I Ever” marks a creative turning point for Maynard, as he lets the abundant skills of his youth blossom and steer him into new directions of artistry and creativity.
“‘If I Ever’ is the first of a series of songs I wrote about an extremely difficult breakup I went through last year,” Maynard recalls. “It was a unique relationship and hard to write about, because 90% of it took place over phone calls and video calls, which I understand was common during the pandemic. This song captures my emotional experience following that breakup, and the anticipation I continue to feel about my upcoming appearance in her hometown of Sydney, Australia, since in our last conversation, she told me she still hopes to see me there.”
The pop star adds “Sonically, this song is very different from any of my previous work, drawing inspiration from artists like The 1975 and The Weeknd. The song may sound quite upbeat and positive at first, but upon a closer listen, you’ll realize that the lyrics are about a desperate heartbreak. I collaborated with one of my close friends on this track, writing and scrapping more than 50 songs over the course of a few months before we finally found a way to translate the story in a way that felt authentic to me.”
Maynard will continue to release material from this new era of creativity throughout 2023.
Listen to ‘If I Ever’ below and read more music news here.
