\n<\/p>\n
\n\tIt wouldn\u2019t be an Ava Max<\/a> release without a pre-release leak. On Tuesday, fans of Max circulated an unreleased snippet from her album Don\u2019t Click Play<\/a>\u2018<\/em>s title track, in which she directly addresses the hate and comparisons to Lady Gaga that she\u2019s faced throughout her career. A source confirmed to Rolling Stone<\/em> that the snippet is real. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cShe samples, singing Gaga imitations. Can\u2019t kings and queens look good with poker faces?\u201d she sings on the track, referencing her own hit \u201cKings and Queens<\/a>,\u201d and the Gaga favorite. \u201cBut I\u2019m loving myself even if you hate it.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tMax has addressed the comparisons to Gaga in the past, especially related to their appearance. In 2023, she told Nylon<\/em><\/a>, \u201cNo matter how many haters there are out there, or people who want to bring you down \u2014 or people who think I\u2019m a Lady Gaga comparison, which is huuuh-larious.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShe added at the time: \u201cWho doesn\u2019t love Gaga?! I can\u2019t help that I look like this. I was born the way I was born too! I can\u2019t help that I\u2019m 5-foot-2 as well. Like what do they want me to do, dye my hair black?! I did that, and then they started comparing me to Dua! You can\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBoth Max\u2019s debut LP,\u00a0Heaven & Hell<\/em>, <\/a>and her sophomore album,\u00a0Diamonds and Dancefloors<\/em>,<\/a>\u00a0were pushed back for release because of leaks, and Max has addressed her music\u2019s proneness to making its way online before release in the past. \u201cI have a lot of demos I\u2019ve written that are not finalized records, and I\u2019d appreciate it if you stop leaking these records like this one,\u201d she asked fans in January.<\/p>\n \n\tThe \u201cDon\u2019t Click Play\u201d leak comes just days before she\u2019s set to release her album of the same name after she\u2019s been absent from social media for weeks. Last week, the same source who confirmed<\/a> the \u201cDon\u2019t Click Play\u201d leak told Rolling Stone<\/em> that \u201cAva\u2019s third studio album is in fact still set to be released on August 22nd,\u201d despite her absence.<\/p>\n \n\tRolling Stone<\/em>\u00a0also acquired the track list and credits for her 12-track project. The LP features songs titled \u201cHow Can I Dance,\u201d \u201cTake My Call,\u201d \u201cSkin in the Game,\u201d and \u201cWorld\u2019s Smallest Violin.\u201d Most of the project was produced by Pink Slip and Inverness.<\/p>\n \n\tMax released a trio of singles \u2014 February\u2019s \u201cLost Your Faith<\/a>,\u201d May\u2019s \u201cLovin Myself,\u201d and July\u2019s \u201cWet, Hot American Dream\u201d \u2014 for the album earlier this year. When she dropped \u201cLovin Myself,\u201d she\u00a0told\u00a0Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that the \u201csong came from a moment where I finally realized I didn\u2019t need anyone else\u2019s validation to feel whole.\u201d<\/p>\n