Blonde Maze tends to write from the middle of the feeling. Not after it’s passed, and not from a polished distance. Her new album Second Sight came out May 23 on Enhanced Chill, and it’s one of those records that feels fully lived in. The project focuses on love, heartbreak, and emotional renewal, but it stays grounded in the people who helped shape those moments.
Amanda Steckler, the producer and songwriter behind Blonde Maze, has always built her music around relationships. That shows up across her catalog, but it’s even clearer here. Most of the tracks on Second Sight started from a feeling tied to someone specific. She’s writing what happens when love changes, when people change, and when the feeling still lingers after the fact.
We caught up with her right as the album dropped to talk about what role relationships play in her writing, how she navigates vulnerability in her process, and why emotional honesty helps her finish songs. If you’ve ever used your DAW like a journal, this one is worth reading.
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What role do relationships play in your music?
Relationships are a large part of what influences the emotion I try to transfer into music. I think music can be used to process how you feel about someone you have a relationship with – whether it be a romantic one, or a friendship, etc – as well as how that relationship makes you feel about yourself.
Have you ever created something entirely because of someone you know?
Absolutely.
While there are a few tracks of mine that lean more towards solo introspection, most of my tracks are entirely inspired by a connection I’ve had (or haven’t had) with someone – or by how I’ve been influenced or impacted by them. Most of my music is processing love, heartbreak, yearning, discovery, and nostalgia, all of which are usually tied to someone I know or have known.
How do you process personal experiences into creative material?
I generally process my experiences into my music as they happen, versus writing about experiences I’ve had in the past – I find it easier to pour my feelings into a track as I’m feeling them and am in that space emotionally and mentally.
That said, sometimes I’ll remember something fondly or yearningly and will be able to recall emotions I’ve felt in the past. I guess it’s just about the mindset I’m in, and if I’m in an environment or situation where I feel like I can be vulnerable enough to process certain experiences.
Everything that you hear in my music is an emotion I’ve felt at some point in my life.
Do you think strong relationships lead to stronger creative output?
Yes and no.
I think sometimes strong relationships lead to strong feelings, which in turn lead to stronger creative output, at least in my experience. But sometimes I don’t need to have a strong relationship with someone in order to make music about an impact they may have had on me.
When has a friendship or connection led to a breakthrough?
In general, seeing my friends being inspired by their craft in turn inspires me. If I’m ever feeling like I’m in a slump or have a creative block, something as simple as watching a friend get joy out of finding the right snare drum or finding the subject of their next podcast episode will give me the little nudge I need to revive that creative spark.
There were a few tracks on the album I got stuck on creatively, but I started doing co-production/writing sessions with friends (unrelated to the album), and these sessions gave me the inspiration I needed to finish the album.
What’s one piece of music that wouldn’t exist without someone else?
Probably 99% of my catalog. Music is my journal. Take this album for example, which was prompted by discovering a new type of love after I met my wife. It’s kind of crazy to think about actually – this music would never have existed had I not met her.
Maybe very small pieces of instrumentals that I’d started prior to meeting her would exist, but they’d consist of entirely different melodies and lyrics and be part of completely different sounding tracks.
How do you preserve boundaries while still being emotionally honest in your work?
In my personal opinion, I think what’s beautiful about creating music is that you don’t have to worry so much about boundaries in ways you would need to in other parts of your life, as long as you’re not hurting anyone.
Music gives the world the ability to process their most vulnerable thoughts and feelings – whether creating it or listening to it. The emotions I put into my own music – love, heartbreak, nostalgia, etc. – are pretty universal, so while the subject of a song might be a specific person for me, it will be an entirely different person for someone else.
Separately, emotional honesty is what feels so cathartic for me to build around, so I try to push my own boundaries and let my most guarded feelings see the light of day.
The post How Personal Connections Shape Every Blonde Maze Track appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.