In 2003, Pezzali began work on his first solo album, Il Mondo Insieme a Te, which was released in 2004. His style of writing differed very little from his music with 883. The main themes of his songs were still friendship, honesty, and relationships. In 2005, a greatest hits album was released, credited '883/Max Pezzali' and which included a DVD with all of the music videos made to date; it stayed at the top of the album chart for 10 weeks. His second solo album, Time Out, was released during in 2007. It proved to be a great success, with its most popular songs remaining at the top of the charts throughout the summer. Pezzali is beloved by his fans for his friendly approach, charismatic stage performance, and his commitment to his music. In 2008, he came out with the new album Max Live 2008, which contained the greatest hits of his live performances and also included two unpublished songs ("Mezzo Pieno o Mezzo Vuoto" and "Ritornerò"). In the summer of 2008, the 'Max Live Tour' began in June and took in more than 25 Italian cities. The first concert took place in Monza; Pezzali followed with more 24 concerts and ended with his last stage performance on 31 December at 'Castelsardo'. Following this tour, he decided to take a break, when he decided to place his musical life in the background to dedicate himself to his newborn son. During these three years of semi-time off, he found time to collaborate with other singers and even participated in some reality shows (for example, participating as a guest star on X-Factor Italia in 2009). In 2010, he decided to take a year long sabbatical to write his next album, which was released the following year.