MAX Says Le Sserafim's Huh Yunjin Sent Him an 'Endearing' Letter Ahead of Their Collaboration (Exclusive)

"I never have duets with girls, so it was really cool that kind of happened naturally," MAX tells PEOPLE of his song "Stupid in Love" featuring the K-pop idol

Collaborating on music was a natural fit for MAX and Huh Yunjin.

MAX released his latest album Love in Stereo on Friday, and the 12-track pop project features the Le Sserafim member on its single "Stupid in Love," which marks his latest collaboration with a K-pop idol.

The song came together while the 31-year-old singer-songwriter (whose real name is Max Schneider) was in South Korea to work with a producer on music for BTS, having previously written 2022's "Yet to Come" for the group and collaborated with Suga on multiple tracks. During the trip, one of BTS' team members pitched the idea of working with Le Sserafim.

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"I was like, 'Wow, I'm a big fan. Yeah, I'll make it work,'" MAX tells PEOPLE over lunch in New York City, before recalling the meeting in which they first discussed a collaboration.

"I show up, and they gave me this gift, which is a really beautiful thing in Korea — a lot of times you give your gift as an album and write a letter. Yunjin wrote me a letter, and it was like, 'I hope we get to meet and work together,'" he details. "It was really endearing, so I extended my trip to see her live."

Upon meeting in person, the "Lights Down Low" singer learned both he and Yunjin, 22, hail from New York — a commonality that made the prospect of working together even more exciting. "It just felt right," he says.

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The lyrics of "Stupid in Love" were inspired by MAX's own relationship with his wife, Emily, whom he married in a 2016 courthouse wedding, so featuring a female vocalist on the song felt like the right call.

"I usually have so many love songs with guys for some reason," he says. "I never have duets with girls, so it was really cool that happened naturally."

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MAX's penchant for working with K-pop musicians stems from his own immense fandom of the genre. "There's such a humble kindness in the culture of music there. I think I gravitate towards that," he explains. "No one ever acts like they're above you. We're all equal and everybody's a part of the team, which I appreciate."

Love in Stereo is out now, and MAX wants fans to connect with themselves as they listen to the album. "If you've got that side of you that's unapologetically a dreamer and romantic, I hope you let that side out. I think I'm really accepting of that side of me, and I want people to feel that self-love," he says. "Why hide from it? Life is too short."

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