Karl "Max" Martin Sandberg is one of the most acclaimed, successful and influential songwriters of all time. He started his career as the frontman of the glam metal band It's Alive, who never found that much success even in their native Sweden, although, recognizing his talent for writing pop music, Max was taking under producer Denniz PoP's wing as he taught him everything about music production. His first successful work was with Ace of Base's The Bridge in 1995, and eventually with the Backstreet Boys and Robyn, both pop acts that jumped from their international dominance to success in America. Max Martin's breakthrough hit, however, didn't take place until 1998 with the release of Britney Spear's ...Baby One More Time, one of the largest and most influential hits of the decade. After the closing of PoP's label Cheiron Records in the year 2000, Max co-funded his own company, Maratone, and took there under his wig producers that would later find success independent of him like Shellback, Savan Kotecha and Dr. Luke. During that decade the sound of pop-rock hybrid music would be defined by Max's output thanks to his work with the likes of P!nk, Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne, as well as the radio-friendly output of Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift the decade-after, all while Max's sound continued to both complement the current trends and influence them.

Max Martin's method of emphasizing melody over lyrics and working on every aspect of the production have helped shape the way pop music is developed. He is considered a fundamental piece of the rise of teen pop in the late-90sa and the rise of electropop in the late-00s.

During his career, he has written and produced 23 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits, third overall among writers (behind Paul McCartney and John Lennon) and tied as a producer (with George Martin). His productions have sold over 150 million records worldwide and has earned him a record 11 Songwriter of the Year Award by the ASCAP and 5 Grammy Awards and the Polar Music Prize as well as 2 Golden Globe and 1 Academy Award nominations.