Child Actor (producer)
American music producer

Child Actor
OriginNew Haven, Connecticut
Boston, Massachusetts[1]
Genres
Years active2012–present
Labels
Members
  • Max Heath
Past members
  • Sedgie Ogilvy
  • Natalie Plaza
Websitechildactor.net

Max Heath, better known by his stage name Child Actor, is an American underground hip hop producer.[2][3][4][5] Heath has contributed production to artists such as Earl Sweatshirt, Navy Blue, Open Mike Eagle, billy woods, and Armand Hammer.[6][7][8][9]

History

Child Actor was originally a dream pop duo formed by cousins Max Heath and Sedgie Ogilvy.[10] They released the Partner EP in February 2012[11] and the Window EP in July 2012.[12]

Their first album, Victory, was released on Fake Four Inc. on October 16, 2012.[13] Don Yates of KEXP-FM described the album as "an impressive set of maximalist, R&B-tinged electro-pop with a huge, lush sound featuring walls of glittering synths, hip hop-influenced rhythms, chopped samples, wispy vocals and sugary pop melodies."[14] Alyce Currier of Earmilk said, "With more emotional staying power than a lot of music caught up in today's rapid release cycle, I think this one is a keeper."[15]

Ogilvy left Child Actor in December 2012 with Natalie Plaza taking her place.[5] Child Actor released their sophomore album, Never Die, in September 2014, followed by A Perfect Cloud in 2016.[16]

In 2021, Child Actor released an album entitled Respawn with frequent collaborator Televangel via Fake Four Inc.[17]

In 2022, Heath played keyboard in a recording session along with jazz musician Shabaka Hutchings that would form the foundation for the 2023 Armand Hammer album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips.[18][19][20]

Heath gained wider recognition in 2024 after making contributions to critically acclaimed albums by artists such as Navy Blue, Elucid, and Previous Industries, as well as releasing his first full-length collaboration album with underground rapper Cavalier.[21][22][23][24] In a 2024 interview, producer The Alchemist, when asked his thoughts about upcoming producers, responded:

Child Actor is insane. Child Actor is out of his mind. That guy's really good, he’s impressed me a lot lately. ... [I]f I have my vote, then Child Actor is the one.[25]

Discography

Albums

  • Victory (2012)
  • Never Die (2014)
  • A Perfect Cloud (2016)
  • Respawn (2021) (with Televangel)
  • Ajai II Instrumentals (2023)
  • CINE (2024) (with Cavalier)
  • Here and Here (2025) (with August Fanon)

EPs

  • Partner (2012)
  • Window (2012)
  • Promise (2013)
  • Siempre Mia (2020) (with Televangel)
  • Sunscreen (2024) (with Shemar)

Guest appearances

Production

  • Busdriver – "Utilitarian Uses of Love (Child Actor remix)" from Beaus$Eros (Deluxe Version) (2012)
  • Ceschi – "Work Song" from Forgotten Forever (2014)
  • Serengeti – Energy EP (all songs, 2019)
  • Billy Woods – "Shepherd's Tone (feat. Fielded)" from Terror Management (2019)
  • Armand Hammer – "Charms (feat. Keiyaa)" from Shrines (2020)
  • Moor Mother and Billy Woods – "Rapunzal", "Blak Forrest" (featuring Fielded), "Tiberius" (featuring Elucid), and "Portrait" (featuring Navy Blue) from Brass (2020)
  • Fielded – "Justus (Child Actor remix)" (featuring Billy Woods) from The Sherita Sessions: Demisexual Lovelace Remixes (2021)
  • Elucid – "Spellling", "Old Magic", "Mangosteen feat. Billy Woods", and "Split Tongue" from I Told Bessie (2022)
  • ShrapKnel – "Running Rebel Swordplay", "Obol", and "A Tribe All Stressed" from Metal Lung (2022)
  • AKAI SOLO – "Sun 2 Moon" from Body Feeling (2022)
  • Amani & Robalu – "Starchild" from I'll Be Right Black! (2022)
  • Serengeti – Ajai II (all songs, 2022)
  • Open Mike Eagle – "The Song With the Secret Name", "I Retired Then I Changed My Mind", and "Peak Lockdown Raps" from Component System with the Auto Reverse (2022)
  • Open Mike Eagle – "A New Rap Festival Called Falling Loud", "The Grand Prize Game on the Bozo Show feat. Video Dave & Still Rift", "We Should Have Made Otherground a Thing", "The Wire S3 E1 feat. Blu", and "Dave Said These Are the Liner Notes" from another triumph of ghetto engineering (2023)
  • Fielded – "Take Me There feat. Teether", "You Chasing Me", "Dream Interlude", and "Goddess Woes feat. Wolf Weston" from Plus One (2023)
  • Armand Hammer – "The Flexible Unreliability of Time and Memory" from We Buy Diabetic Test Strips (2023)
  • Armand Hammer – "Drowning Machine" from BLK LBL (2024)
  • Previous Industries – "Showbiz" from Showbiz / Braids (2024)
  • Ceschi – "Fin" and "Santa Lucía" from Bring Us The Head Of Francisco False (Part 1) (2024)
  • shemar – sunscreen (all songs, 2024)
  • Cavalier – "50 Bags feat. Lord Chilla" from Different Type Time (2024)
  • Previous Industries – "Showbiz", "Pliers", "Roebuck", "Montgomery Ward", "Babbages", "Fotomat", "Zayre", and "Kay Bee" from Service Merchandise (2024)
  • Navy Blue – "Low Threshold" and "Basis" from Memoirs in Armour (2024)
  • money for water – "A Canvas For Us All" from Traveling Light (2024)
  • Elucid – "Yottabyte" and "Voice 2 Skull" from Revelator (2024)
  • Cavalier – CINE (all songs, 2024)
  • Child Actor & August Fanon – Here and Here (25 songs, 2025)
  • Previous Industries – "West Coast Video", "Rock N Roll McDonald's", and "Goldblatt's" from Evergreen Plaza (2025)
  • Premrock – "Void Lacquer" and "Plunder" from Did You Enjoy Your Time Here...? (2025)
  • Fly Anakin – "NOTTOOSHABBY feat. Quelle Chris, $ilkmoney, & Nickelus F" from (The) Forever Dream (2025)
  • Open Mike Eagle – "me and aquil stealing stuff from work feat Mr. Aquil", "ok but Im the phone screen", "relentless hands and feet", "a dream of the midnight baby (not a euphemism)", "wide leg michael jordan generation x jeans", and "sorry I got huge (also not a euphemism)" from Neighborhood Gods Unlimited (2025)
  • Sainté – "DSM feat. Wiz Khalifa" (co-producer) from 4L - EP (2025)
  • Vic Spencer – "Repeated Strains" from Trees Are Undefeated (2025)
  • Kelly Moonstone – "Happy Ending feat. Cavalier & Quelle Chris" from New Moon (2025)
  • Earl Sweatshirt – "Heavy Metal aka ejecto seato!" from Live Laugh Love (2025)
  • Navy Blue – "Orchards", "Sunlight of the Spirit", "Guardadas", and "Kindred Spirit" from The Sword & The Soaring (2025)
  • Deniro Farrar & Child Actor – Raw Materials (all songs, 2025)
  • Ghais Guevara – "Painnnn" from A Quest to Self-Mythologize (2025)

References

  1. ^ Brown, Emma (2012). "Discovery: Child Actor". Interview Magazine.
  2. ^ Lewis, Dash (July 8, 2024). "Service Merchandise". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  3. ^ Timmhotep, Aku (October 11, 2024). "Revelator". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Paul Lester (September 25, 2012). "New band of the day – Child Actor (No 1,358)". The Guardian.
  5. ^ a b Niespodziany, Benjamin. "Full Moon Music: An Interview With Child Actor". Mishka Bloglin. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  6. ^ "billy woods on Backwoodz Studioz". The Wire. June 1, 2020.
  7. ^ "Open Mike Eagle Announces Component System With the Auto Reverse, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. August 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "How Child Actor Became an Underground Hip-Hop Producer to Watch". Bandcamp. November 10, 2022.
  9. ^ "Open Mike Eagle makes himself a mixtape". NPR. October 5, 2022.
  10. ^ Lester, Paul (September 25, 2012). "Child Actor". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Uddenberg, Brett (March 12, 2012). "Child Actor Premieres "Getaway" From Debut EP Partner (Video)". URB. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012.
  12. ^ Uddenberg, Brett (July 10, 2012). "Premiere: Child Actor Drops 3D Video for "Get Up" and Free Window EP (Video)". URB. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012.
  13. ^ Milton, Jamie (September 11, 2012). "Listen: Child Actor Preview 'Victory' LP With 'If You Loved Me'". DIY.
  14. ^ Yates, Don (November 2, 2012). "Child Actor: Victory". KEXP-FM.
  15. ^ Currier, Alyce (November 16, 2012). "Child Actor – Victory (Album Review + Video Premiere)". Earmilk.
  16. ^ Montanez, Eric (July 23, 2014). "Child Actor: Last Time". Hypetrak.
  17. ^ "New Albums". San Francisco Chronicle. September 29, 2021.
  18. ^ Lejarde, Arielle Lana (August 2, 2023). "Armand Hammer announce new album with lead single "Trauma Mic"". The Fader. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  19. ^ Moore, Marcus J. (September 26, 2023). "Armand Hammer Keeps a Foot in the Past, but Its Eyes on the Future". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  20. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (October 3, 2023). "We Buy Diabetic Test Strips". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  21. ^ Ihaza, Jeff (August 9, 2024). "Navy Blue Got Dropped From Def Jam. His Response: A Great Independent Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  22. ^ Aku, Timmhotep (October 11, 2024). "Revelator". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Breihan, Tom (May 29, 2024). "Previous Industries – "Zayre"". Stereogum. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Corcoran, Nina (November 15, 2024). "9 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Flo, Pa Salieu, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  25. ^ "Artist Feature: Alchemist". Carhartt. November 30, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  • Official website
  • Child Actor on Backwoodz Studioz
  • Child Actor on Fake Four Inc.
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