Max Mertens

Growing up in rural Nova Scotia, Max Mertens developed his music taste listening to his father’s record collection, which ranged from Bob Dylan to Grace Jones to Patti Smith. After moving to Toronto to study journalism at university, he began interviewing artists, and reviewing albums and concerts for Canadian and international publications. His writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The Globe & Mail, CBC Music, Bandcamp, The Creative Independent, and many more. Passionate about discovering and championing new music, Mertens also serves on the jury of the Polaris Music Prize. As lead music curator at BELLOSOUND, he manages the curation team and growing roster of freelance curators, which ensures no one day is the same.

Favourite BELLOSOUND memory to date?

“Travelling to the Four Seasons Houston and Minneapolis for the first time in May 2023. It’s one thing to curate playlists remotely for clients, but it’s another to see the spaces, and witness hotel guests and staff reacting to the music in real time. In Minneapolis, I also got to visit Paisley Park, which was a bucket list experience!”