Rising star Max Leone premiered the music video for his new single “Cautious” on Thursday (Feb. 27), exclusively with Billboard.
In the clip, directed by Clyde Munroe (Tove Lo, Selena Gomez, Gracie Abrams) in close collaboration with Leone, the rising songwriter/producer looks the part of a ’90s boy band idol filtered through the lens of a Gen Z bedroom pop star, with his bleach blonde center part, ensemble of chromatic red-and-white looks and brooding gaze.
As the 20-year-old wanders through an empty house — from dining room to sunroom to backyard — Leone laments the emotional walls he’s built up as a defense mechanism. “I’m so sick of bein’ cautious/ I’m so sick of bein’ cautious all the time/ Turning into something caustic/ And I don’t really know what caused it, I’ll be fine,” he croons over spare electric guitar and a wobbling bass line.
“‘Cautious’ came out a period in my life in which I was very alone,” the singer tells Billboard. “I had just moved to a new city, I was living by myself and I didn’t know anyone. I was dealing with the duality of feeling totally in control of my own emotions while simultaneously not being able to feel anything very deeply.”
He continues: “I realized that denying myself vulnerability wasn’t, in fact, protecting me at all, and was actually making me feel even more isolated. Writing ‘Cautious’ was what led me to the conclusion that by confining my life to my own experience, I was actually missing out on the most important part of it.”
The vulnerable track is just Leone’s second release, following his debut single “First Grade” earlier this year. The burgeoning pop star’s debut EP is due out later this year The Darkroom.
Check out the exclusive premiere of “Cautious” below.
