On his deeply personal new single “By Your Side,” pop star Conor Maynard channels the frantic experience of watching a relationship come to an end that you so badly don’t want to let go of. “It’s getting so hard to breathe,” Maynard sings, “whatever happens keep hold of me.” The second in a series of singles inspired by an extremely difficult breakup he went through in the winter of 2022, “By Your Side” is Maynard’s message to his fans who reached out to him in the wake of the breakup and his disappearance from social media, as he took time to heel and reflect on his experience.
“I received a lot of messages when I came back online, from fans and even just people that related to the feeling of wanting to take a break from the pressures of social media,” Maynard recalls. “I realized just how many people have been through a similar notion, even when the circumstances that have led to that decision are different. For that reason, I kept the lyrics of ‘By Your Side’ a little more open, so it can be interpreted to fit all different types of relationship; romantic, friendships, family, and all different reasons for letting go, whether it be through just going your separate ways, or in the hardest of scenarios, death.”
“By Your Side” follows the release of Maynard’s previous single “If I Ever,” the first taste of a bold new slate of material that Maynard plans to release throughout 2023, loosely inspired by his breakup. Featuring fiercely personal songwriting and a new confidence found touring the world, the releases mark a creative turning point for Maynard, as he lets the abundant skills of his youth blossom and steer him into new directions of artistry and creativity. “If I Ever” was released alongside a music video, directed and produced by Maynard himself, exploring trust and suspicion in relationships and the different outcomes that they each can lead to.
Maynard rose to fame in 2012 when he won MTV’s Brand New for 2012 award, competing alongside Delilah, Michael Kiwanuka, Lana Del Rey, and Lianne La Havas. He was signed to Parlophone and become one of the first home-grown talents to transition from online to IRL pop-stardom, proving the power of digital audiences while breaking new ground for countless other upcoming artists. He earned the mentorship of Ne-Yo and then exploded with his debut album ‘Contrast,’ which reached #1 and produced 5 Top Ten singles. The album catapulted him to international stardom, with his YouTube channel alone boasting 13.3 million subscribers and 2.5 billion views. World tours, awards, and collaborations with major artists followed, including Pharrell Williams, The Invisible Men and Rita Ora. Maynard even starred in the Broadway show Kinky Boots, showcasing another side to his multi-faceted talent.
But 10 years after the debut album that changed his life, Maynard realized it was time for him to go at it alone. He left his label and took his career to new and unchartered heights, racking up over 300 million streams in 2021 along, without any major player backing. It takes his worldwide reach to a staggering scale: Spotify streams of his music surpassed 2 billion, and he quickly become the 7th most followed TikTok music account in the UK, despite only joining the platform in 2020. The decision also allowed him to bring his music to new, adventurous heights, with a sense of artistic liberation lying at the heart of his new material.
“Sonically, this song is very different from any of my previous work, drawing inspiration from artists like The 1975 and The Weeknd,” Maynard continued. “The song may sound quite upbeat and positive at first, but upon a closer listen, you’ll realize that the lyrics are about a desperate heartbreak. I collaborated with one of my close friends on this track, writing and scrapping more than 50 songs over the course of a few months before we finally found a way to translate the story in a way that felt authentic to me.”
Maynard will continue to release material from this new era of creativity throughout 2023. Stay tuned for continued updates, and keep an eye on Maynard’s socials to follow his return to the world stage.
