Editing Max Martin (section)

===Early career and It's Alive===
Sandberg was born and grew up in [[Stenhamra]], [[Ekerö Municipality]], [[Stockholm County]]. His mother was a middle school teacher and his father was a police officer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomsen |first1=Dante |title=Max Martin: "Jag har varit välsignad" |url=https://www.expressen.se/noje/max-martin-jag-har-varit-valsignad/ |website=[[Expressen]] |access-date=16 January 2022 |language=Swedish |date=11 February 2016 |quote=Hans pappa var polis och mamma mellanstadielärare.}}</ref> As a child, Martin was a student of Sweden's public music-education scheme, and once said he had "public music education to thank for everything".<ref>{{cite web|last=Moser |first=Whet |url=https://psmag.com/social-justice/swedish-pop-mafia-music-world-influence-73966 |title=Swedish Pop Mafia – Pacific Standard: The Science of Society |publisher=Psmag.com |date=24 March 2014 |access-date=14 July 2014}}</ref>

As a teenager he sang in a variety of bands before joining a [[Glam metal|glam-style]] metal band called [[It's Alive (band)|It's Alive]] in 1985 as their singer and frontman.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,102126,00.html |title=Top of the Pops – TIME |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608133736/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,102126,00.html |archive-date=8 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It's Alive was formed by Peter Kahm and ex-Lazy members [[Per Aldeheim]] and Kim Björkgren on guitars, and John Rosth who had been a member of Lineout. Martin eventually dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music with his band under the nickname "Martin White". In 1988 It's Alive participated in Rock-SM (English: Swedish Rock Championship), a nationwide [[battle of the bands]], and had a residency at a nightclub in [[Cyprus]]. The band got a breakthrough in 1991, as Dave Constable of [[Megarock Records]] offered them to make a demo record. The later debut album was originally pressed in 1,000 copies and later on given away as a free cover tape in the UK by the ''[[Metal Forces]]'' magazine.

The decision to focus on a music career paid off as they landed a record deal on producer [[Denniz Pop]]'s label [[Cheiron Studios|Cheiron Records]], a [[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]] affiliate. After recording their second album ''[[Earthquake Visions]]'', they released three singles in conjunction with the record and toured through Europe in 1994 supporting [[Kingdom Come (German band)|Kingdom Come]]. ''Earthquake Visions'' eventually sold a disappointing 30,000 copies, despite being released in as many as 30 countries. More importantly though, Martin also began collaborating on songs with [[Denniz Pop]]. Recognizing a talent for writing pop songs in the young rocker, Denniz Pop renamed his new protégé Max Martin and eventually became Martin's mentor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190314-denniz-pop-the-man-who-created-the-sound-of-modern-pop|title=Denniz Pop: The man who created the sound of modern pop|first=James|last=Ballardie|website=Bbc.com|date=4 April 2019 |access-date=27 March 2023}}</ref>