Foundations Partner Max Gredinger Drives Laufeys Record-Breaking Tour and Album Success
When a Boston teenager first entered the music world, he never imagined he’d help an Icelandic‑Chinese singer‑songwriter climb to the top of four Billboard charts and pull in $47.2 million in a single tour.
Max Gredinger, a partner at New York‑based management firm Foundations, has steered Laufey through a year that saw her third studio album, A Matter of Time, top the Independent, Jazz, Traditional Jazz and Vinyl Albums charts, and her 43‑show run gross 12 % higher than the previous tour.
Gredinger’s career began in Boston, where a teenage fascination with hip‑hop blogs and mixtape culture led him to design the digital marketing plan for Mike Posner’s debut mixtape while still a high‑school junior. That strategy helped Posner’s single “Cooler Than Me” become a worldwide hit. After earning a degree from Syracuse University’s Martin Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries, Gredinger joined Foundations and now manages artists such as Noah Kahan, Chappell Roan and Slayyyter.
According to the Billboard story, Gredinger believes that early in his career “there’s a total benefit to not knowing how the business works when you’re just entering the workforce.” This mindset, he says, allowed him to think beyond conventional frameworks and spot talent that others might overlook.
Laufey first broke through with the EP Typical of Me in 2021 and her full‑length album Everything I Know About Love in 2022. Her 2023 release Bewitched entered the Billboard 200 top 20 and earned her a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2024. In 2025, A Matter of Time topped the same four charts and secured a second Grammy in the category.
Gredinger first discovered Laufey during the pandemic when his then‑assistant Jackie Karlsson, now her operations manager, directed him to the singer’s online cover videos. He recalls being struck by her voice, her playing and her “unrelenting drive.” Laufey cites Norah Jones as a major influence and aims to create music that speaks first to Generation Z.
The rollout for A Matter of Time began in February 2025 with two days of global team meetings at Harpa opera house in Reykjavík. Laufey and her identical‑twin sister and creative director Junia Lin led the ideation and implementation of the project. Gredinger notes that the duo’s collaboration was central to creating an immersive experience for fans, which he calls “Laufey Land.” The concept stretches beyond music to include a Discord community, a book club, a youth orchestra foundation and her New York Times‑bestselling children’s book Mei Mei the Bunny.
Tour statistics illustrate the success of the strategy. The 43‑show run, which included a performance at Madison Square Garden, grossed $47.2 million and sold 446,000 tickets—an increase of 432 % in gross and 245 % in tickets sold compared with the Bewitched tour of 2023‑24.
Gredinger emphasizes that partnership decisions are guided by a single “North Star”: projects that excite Laufey. He cites a recent collaboration with Amazon and Lexus for Miles Davis’s centennial, where Laufey wrote new lyrics to the Kind of Blue instrumental “Blue in Green.”
The Foundations team, which includes partners Drew Simmons, Steve Bursky and Brian Winton, works closely with Laufey because of their direct communication style. Gredinger handles operational and administrative tasks, while Laufey focuses on creative output.
As of mid‑June 2026, Laufey has completed the Asia leg of her tour in Shanghai and is preparing for final dates in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Mexico. Gredinger notes that while the arena‑level milestone has been reached, it is not the end goal; he sees Laufey’s potential as limitless.
The Billboard article, published in the Aug. 1 2026 issue, highlights how Gredinger’s early confidence and willingness to learn have translated into a partnership that supports Laufey’s artistic vision and commercial success.
