9lives

Last updated

9lives
Birth nameMaxwell Warren Jardine
Born (2004-03-10) 10 March 2004 (age 21)[ citation needed ]
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
Genres
Occupation(s)Record producer, songwriter
Years active2022-present
LabelsPulse Records

Maxwell Warren Jardine (born 10 March 2004), known professionally as 9lives, is a New Zealand record producer. Known for aiding in the popularisation of sigilkore, a mix of trap, hyperpop, cloud rap, and electronic music, he has released music collaborations with Odetari, Trippie Redd, Kanii, and Lil Nas X. [1] [2] 9lives has an RIAA certified Gold single "I Love You Hoe" with Odetari, [3] and was named in Rolling Stone Australia's Future of Music, a celebration of the most exciting and innovative artists from Australia and New Zealand. [4]

Contents

Life and career

Maxwell Jardine was born in rural small-town Hawke's Bay, New Zealand and is of South African descent. [1] [5] He grew up in a musical household where everybody in his family played instruments, and he played the drums from a young age. [6] 9lives claims that playing the drums is what got him into production in the first place, making his own beats after playing drums for 12 years and eventually transitioning into production drum loops during his free time in high school. [1]

9lives began posting beats and remixes on SoundCloud in 2021. [1] He released his first instrumental project titled #exclusive on November 13, 2022. [7] [ non-primary source needed ] In late 2022, 9lives' music, in particular debut single "Khaos Emerald", began going viral on TikTok. "I guess that's how it started" says Maxwell when referring to his early success as an artist, "all those kinds of edits of movie visuals with the sound behind it just started happening out of nowhere". [1] He continued releasing singles more frequently, collaborating with other artists in the underground to reach new audiences. 9lives released "Xtayalive" [8] with jnhygs on February 22, 2023 and "Go (Xtayalive 2)" with Kanii on April 28, 2023. [9] His single "I Love You Hoe" became his first to chart when it reached #3 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic charts on September 2, 2023 as part of the collaborative EP, 3x3 , with Odetari. [10] On January 16, 2024, 9lives had signed to Pulse Records. [11] [12]

Musical style

9lives' music has been described as sigilkore or dark trap. [13] He describes his music as "the back end of hyperpop, but more in the space of Raider Klan where it's a bit more dark, grungy and underground". [6] Laura McInnes of Sniffers wrote that 9lives' music "fuses together ethereal lofi trap textures of cloud rap, the manipulated chopped vocal pitches of hyperpop, and the uptempo bounce and animated sound FX of electronic club styles". [1] Jon Barlas of Our Generation Music wrote that "9lives' sound feels like you're fighting a final boss on the last level of Arkham Asylum, gripping your controller ever-so-tightly". [6] He has referred to Luci4 and Raider Klan as musical influences in multiple interviews. [14] [1] [6]

Discography

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with release year, label / distribution partner, and format.
TitleDetails
#exclusive
  • Released: November 13, 2022
  • Label: The System
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
33.1FM
  • Released: February 17, 2023
  • Label: The System
  • Format: LP, Digital download, streaming
3x3
(with Odetari)

Singles

List of singles, with title, year released, album, and chart positions shown
TitleYearPeak chart positions Certifications Album
US
Dance

[15]
NZ
Hot

[16]
"Khaos Emerald"2022#exclusive
"Glacier"
"Ghostrider"2023Non-album singles
"Xtayalive"
(with jnhygs)
"Go (Xtayalive 2)" [17]
(with Kanii)
Exiit
"Reassure Me" [18]
(with Odetari)
3x3
"Jerk!"
(with jnhygs)
45Non-album single
"I Love You Hoe" [10]
(with Odetari)
318
  • RIAA: Gold [3]
3x3
"Baby I'm Home"
(with Odetari & Kanii)
38Door to Dusk
"Multimillionaire" [19]
(with Trippie Redd & Odetari)
202443Non-album single
"Light" [20]
(with Skaiwater & Lil Nas X or Midwxst)
#Gigi
"Canada" [21]
(with jnhygs)
Non-album single
"Nuk3" [22]
(with Luci4 & Lazer Dim 700)
TBA
"Abu Dhabi" [22]
(with Lancey Foux)
"I Did It" [23]
(with Kanii & Anycia)
"My Way" [24]
(with Kanii & Rico Nasty)
"Up Freestyle" [25] [26]
(with Odetari)
2025
"—" denotes a single that did not chart, or no chart data is available.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 McInnes, Laura (28 November 2023). "The Myth & Lore of 9lives (Interview)". Sniffers. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  2. Downs, Sarah (22 April 2024). "9lives Praises the Power of the Internet on New Single 'CANADA'". Rolling Stone Australia . Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "American certifications – 9lives". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  4. Lochrie, Conor (18 April 2024). "Meet Rolling Stone AU/NZ's Future of Music". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  5. "9lives: Why New Zealand Producer Is the Future of Music". Rolling Stone Australia. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Barlas, Jon (22 April 2024). "9lives Interview: 'I want to be the Metro Boomin of the underground'". Our Generation Music. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  7. "#exclusive". Spotify. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  8. "9Lives Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic .
  9. "9lives". Spotify . Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  10. 1 2 Zellner, Xander (8 October 2024). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Odetari Manages to 'Keep Up' With His Chart Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  11. Paine, Andre (16 January 2024). "Pulse Records signs South African artist 9lives". Music Week . Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  12. Eggertsen, Chris (23 January 2024). "Signed: Shinedown Goes Global With WME, Alex G Inks With RCA". Billboard. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  13. "9lives' Latest Single Pushes Sigilkore". Office Magazine . 19 April 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  14. 9lives in studio w/ Bear1Boss, Rio Leyva | Day in the life + Interview. MONTREALITY. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024 via YouTube.
  15. Peaks on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart:
  16. Peaks on the RMNZ Hot Singles chart:
  17. Williams, Kyann-Sian (8 April 2024). "Kanii: "I don't hold back when I express how I feel"". NME . Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  18. Zellner, Xander (16 August 2023). "10 First-Timers on Billboard's Charts This Week: Ez Mil, Malcolm Mays, Crypta & More". Billboard. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  19. "9lives, Odetari, and Trippie Redd reunite for new collab, 'MULTIMILLIONARE'". Sniffers. 18 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  20. Kylene, Jazmin (22 March 2024). "skaiwater, Lil Nas X, and 9lives Serve Up a Dose of Digital Nostalgia in "light!"". Ones to Watch . Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  21. "9lives Praises the Power of the Internet on New Single 'CANADA'". Rolling Stone Australia. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  22. 1 2 Kelly, Dylan (13 July 2024). "Lancey Foux Links With 9lives for New Track "ABU DHABI"". Hypebeast . Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  23. Sadler, Armon; Brown, Preezy (2 August 2024). "Big Sean Uplifts, A$AP Rocky Pulls A Jack Move, Ice Spice Keeps It Raw, And More Hip-Hop Releases". Vibe . Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  24. Horvath, Zachary (12 October 2024). "9lives Produces An Ethereal Jersey Club Piece With "My Way" Featuring Rico Nasty & Kanii". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  25. "9lives Drops Dark Fantasy-Inspired Video for 'UP FREESTYLE'". Rolling Stone Australia. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  26. "9lives & Odetari Drop Fiery New Collab 'UP FREESTYLE'". Rolling Stone Australia. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.