Producer Max Jardine, AKA 9lives, spent most of his childhood in Hawke's Bay and is dominating the Spotify charts.
His beats are dominating Spotify charts and TikTok screens and he’s working with some of the biggest names in the music business overseas, but Max Jardine, AKA 9lives, still proudly wears his Hawke’s Bay heart on his sleeve.
The eternally humble 20-year-old producing sensation has gone from strength to strength and recently had the most hits on Spotify’s first New Zealand Global Impact list for his collaborations with artists like Lil Nas X and Trippie Redd.
Mitchell Hageman chats with him about growing up in small-town New Zealand and how nothing really beats Hawke’s Bay’s hospitality (or its coffee).
Max Jardine never imagined people like Kim Kardashian would be using his beats on TikTok.
His music and impressive career have come a long way since his days spent making beats in music class at Hastings Christian School, but his love for Hawke’s Bay and its people remains as strong as ever.
“Coming from such a small town and being in LA all of a sudden is quite surreal. First and foremost, the people in Hawke’s Bay are a lot nicer. I took that for granted, honestly,” he tells Hawke’s Bay Today.
“I’m actually heading back to Hawke’s Bay in late September. It’s my oldest brother’s 30th, so we’ll be celebrating that.”
Spotify recently released its first New Zealand Global Impact list, revealing exactly which Kiwi musicians are popular with listeners around the world.
Jardine, better known by his producing persona 9lives, took the top spot with four tracks, the highest of which is MULTIMILLIONAIRE, at number six, a collaboration with Odetari and Trippie Redd. He also has almost six million Spotify listeners per month.
He credited his Hawke’s Bay upbringing, particularly his family, schoolteachers and classmates, with much of what helped him succeed in the often cutthroat industry.
“I moved to Hawke’s Bay from Melbourne when I was 5 when my parents found work in the area. I started kindergarten in Havelock North and primary school at Hastings Christian School from Year 1, finishing in Year 13 before moving to Auckland to study.”
With a piano playing father, there was always music playing in the house so Jardine was “always subconsciously” listening and learning.
Drum lessons started at school, and when Year 10 hit and mandatory music class started, a different kind of passion emerged.
“One of the assignments was to make an eight-bar loop of a beat or instrumental, and I kind of spiralled off that. I kind of fell in love with it,” he said.
“I always had my laptop with me and was making stuff in my free time.”
Sharing his music with the world wasn’t always an easy thing for Jardine, who admitted he was often shy about his music and expressing himself.
“I’d always have my headphones in if I was making something, or I’d be super-scared to be in the school band, but as the years went on, I realised I had to put it out there, or nobody was going to hear it.”
In his last year of high school Jardine started posting his music on YouTube, and then, when he reached university, progressed to SoundCloud and other streaming services.
Deciding to pursue music fulltime after a year of studying, the risk soon paid off when social media trends led to instant recognition of his music.
“My stuff started going viral on TikTok. After Covid, everyone was using their time to put stuff out and be creative like they’ve always wanted to do,” Jardine said.
“That was the time I spent developing my sound and style, and once I put it out to the public, I guess people started to really like it and resonate with it.”
Even this early in his career, he’s considered a pioneer in his sigilkore genre of music, taking influence from trap, cloud rap, hyperpop and electronic music.
“The one process I love the most is working with people in person. You get to bounce back and react to one another, and it feels a lot more team-based.”
Jardine now splits his time between LA and Auckland, but there’s still plenty of love for his adopted hometown of Hawke’s Bay.
Even after sampling LA’s extensive dining scene, nothing beats a slice of local pizza and a good Hawke’s Bay coffee.
“Honestly, Hawke’s Bay is a place I’d love to live in again. The beaches are 10-20 minutes away, and the Farmers’ Market is awesome.
“Vinci’s Pizza is going to be the first place I go to when I get back, and Hawke’s Bay coffee is so much better than in LA.”
For those in rural New Zealand who want to break into the music scene, Jardine’s advice was simple.
“It feels weird being only two years into the industry and giving advice, but I will say there’s no harm in just putting your music out there. If anything, it’s going to be more positive than negative, and if you don’t put it out, no one is going to hear it.”
Great things grow here? Absolutely.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.