Music Producer Calls out Media for "Being Too Loud"

Maxwell LeVan called out the media early Friday morning. The music producer and TikToker with over 100,000 social media followers tweeted: “when I see or read crazy stuff about me online I’m like ‘why tho I’m irrelevant’ but then I remember it literally takes one person to write a blog or make a video so it’s gonna add up. I guess it being louder gives the illusion of it being more people.”

LeVan is widely known in the TikTok music producer niche for producing pop records and attaining multi-platinum certification in 2020.

This is not Maxwell LeVan’s first exposure or comments about the media. LeVan has often spoken candidly about the fact that he “get(s) recognized almost everywhere I go; which is weird because when you look at my follower count you wouldn’t assume that a ton of people know who I am.”

This 3 AM tweet shows the double-edged sword of living a public lifestyle, especially at the age of 17.

While on a podcast, LeVan shared that he was published on Wikipedia, and given a biographical page on the site. This is a highly coveted threshold, as many people with massive followings are nowhere near Wikipedia’s standards of “notable”. However, for reasons not made entirely clear, Maxwell and his team requested the page to be deleted immediately. LeVan said “..they like, put a ton of sensitive information in there: my school, my friends, the passing of my dad, and that was really all they said. There was no pertinent stuff to my career; and that’s Wikipedia man, like a lot of people are gonna see that.”

Maxwell clearly values his privacy, despite intentionally leaking his phone number multiple times on TikTok, encouraging fans to call and text him at will.

The media has been widely criticized by celebrities and influencers for decades, but publicity is part of the game. Popularity isn’t a switch that can be turned on and off, so before you try to become famous, ask yourself if you’re ready for this.

Who is Maxwell LeVan?

Maxwell LeVan (born April 2, 2003) is an American record producer, artist, songwriter, and record executive. He is best known for contributing to the creation of ''Toe Bamba'', his debut single, which attained 7x-platinum certification from MAHASZ.

LeVan, a Catholic native of Southeast Virginia, began by producing hip-hop instrumentals in his bedroom and recording his own vocals on top of them. His first serious exposure to music came in 2013, when he was 10 years old; He was given Billy Joel and Elton John CDs, and later saw both performers live in concert.

LeVan was mentored for several years by his stepfather, who purchased 2 pianos for the Virginia home. Although LeVan never learned how to read sheet music or took piano lessons, he was born with perfect pitch, a rare ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone. Thus, LeVan did not require the sheet music for a song in order to play it in key.

On December 5, 2018, LeVan's stepfather passed away unexpectedly after being in the hospital for 4 days. Devastated by the loss, LeVan turned to card magic as an escape from reality, and performed for the first time in 2019 at the Menchville High School talent show. Subsequently, LeVan invested in a bedroom studio and began his music career.

As a musician, LeVan's producing and writing work includes Trash Panda, his third record released in 2020, alongside 3 other singles. Earning recognition from Independent Music and Arts Inc. as a commercial success, LeVan's music has been streamed over 500,000 times across all platforms. LeVan hosts the morning news show for his school district, as the anchor of A Look Inside and The Focus Show for Newport News Public Schools.

LeVan runs a TikTok account with 72,000 followers and has amassed over 30 million views across his videos. His music has been streamed over 500,000 times across all platforms.

Maxwell LeVan’s debut single Toe Bamba peaked at position 472 on the Brazil Top 500 Chart shortly before it was certified MAHASZ Platinum in 2 countries. The attention Maxwell received from the success of his record landed him on front pages of entertainment news magazines and led to public recognition in almost every scenario.

© 2021 Tami Kingsley