AJ Mitchell Talks 'Slow Dance' EP & What Fans Should Know About His Music

After its recent release, AJ Mitchell's "Slow Dance," which features Ava Max, became the most added song at pop radio. And if that wasn't exciting enough for the 18-year-old breakout pop singer, he also released his second EP named after his hit song, and recently performed during this year's MTV VMAs.

Slow Dance includes four songs, including its title track, and Mitchell exclusively tells iHeartRadio of the EP, "Pretty much with this EP, it's all of my favorite songs in one. These are the newest releases that we just released, and kind of put it all on one thing. This is, like, track one to a much bigger project that's coming out later."

As for "Slow Dance" the song, AJ explains, "We went through so much trying to get this song. My A&R, when he sent it over, it was just, like, 'This song fits so well.' Like, it was something that I probably would have [written]. It's something that every time I sing it, it's something I really enjoy singing." He adds of working with Ava Max, "I recorded my part, and then we sent it over to her and she recorded her part, [and] put it together. I actually just met her for the first time. It was great. She's super sweet."

Mitchell also tells us that he and Ava recently filmed the "Slow Dance" music video, and fans can expect to see that soon. He teases of the visual, "It's gonna be fun."

Aside from "Slow Dance," another one of AJ's favorites on his new EP is a song called "Out My Mind," which he tells us he wasn't sure about at first. Mitchell explains, "I think that one's my favorite because it's just so different from everything else that I have out now. When I got that song back, I didn't like it the first time. And, it took a while for me to get used to. My manager had to tell me, he's like, 'This is the best song you have.' I'm like, 'I don't know, I just don't hear it.' But, I performed it for the first time the other night. I liked it before but, I performed it for the first time, and I was just like, 'Okay. I really, really enjoy this song.'"

In case you're just getting familiar with AJ and his music, he is originally from a small town in Illinois, and began making music at just 13 years old. He gained notoriety by posting incredible covers to YouTube and social media, and eventually landed himself a deal with Epic Records. He is currently working on a bigger project, and describes his music as "more like a Justin Timberlake. Like, Timbaland mixed with old Chris Brown, you know. I would say, like, verses and pre are more R&B, [and] choruses [are] pop-heavy."

Photos: Adrianna Casiano