| "Sweet but Psycho" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Ava Max | ||||
| from the album Heaven & Hell | ||||
| Released | August 17, 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Cirkut | |||
| Ava Max singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Sweet but Psycho" on YouTube | ||||
"Sweet but Psycho" is the debut single by American singer Ava Max, released on August 17, 2018, through Atlantic Records. It was later included on her debut studio album Heaven & Hell (2020). The song was written by Max, Madison Love, Tix, Cook Classics, and the producer Cirkut. "Sweet but Psycho" is a pop, dance-pop, electropop, and synth-pop song with lyrics about the perception of a young woman. The song's title was inspired by frequent interactions between Max and her parents. It received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who praised its upbeat sound and catchy chorus, but criticized its formulaic production.
Upon release, "Sweet but Psycho" appeared on various Spotify playlists before peaking at number one in 22 countries, including Sweden, Finland, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The song was Max's first top 10 single in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the highest-selling year-end song of 2019 in Slovenia and has attained multiplatinum certifications in 13 countries, as well as diamond in France, Brazil, Germany, and Poland. An accompanying music video was directed by Shomi Patwary and depicts Max's character assaulting a man portrayed by model Prasad Romijn. The video was compared to films Fatal Attraction (1987) and The Shining (1980), as well as music videos by Rihanna and Bebe Rexha. Max performed the song at several televised events and as part of a medley during the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards and 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards shows.