Max McNown

Max McNown married Sallie Kate Goff on October 25, 2025. Goff appeared alongside him in the music videos for "Strong as Iron" and "Forever Ain't Long Enough."

McNown grew up in Bend, Oregon, after being born in West Linn. He graduated from high school in 2020 and attended college for two years before moving to Southern California in August 2022, where he taught himself to play guitar.

He began busking on Southern California beaches and built an online following through videos of his performances. He later relocated to Nashville and signed with Fugitive Recordings. His debut single, "Freezing in November," was released in April 2023, followed by the EP A Lot More Free in August of that year.

The 2023 single "A Lot More Free" became McNown's breakout song. It accumulated more than 55 million streams, went Platinum, reached number one on TikTok's Breakthrough USA chart, and helped place him at the top of Billboard's Emerging Artists chart. Its music video was viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube.

McNown made his Grand Ole Opry debut in August 2024 and performed at the UK's C2C Festival. He also made his television debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show and was named a 2025 Artist to Watch by Amazon Music, Holler, and Country Now.

McNown released his debut album, Wandering, in April 2024. His second album, Night Diving, followed in January 2025, while the EP Willfully Blind was released in September 2024. His music combines country and folk-rooted Americana with indie influences, with an emphasis on personal storytelling.

"Better Me for You (Brown Eyes)" became another major song for McNown. The track reached his highest position on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the iTunes Country Songs chart, and earned Gold certification as an album track. Other notable songs include "Turned Into Missing You," "Love Me Back," "Marley," and "Love I Got Left."

McNown auditioned for American Idol in 2023 by performing Zach Bryan's "Jamie." He received a golden ticket and made meaningful connections through the programme, but decided not to continue because he did not want his emerging career to be defined as that of an "American Idol kid."