Music Q&A with Amanda Steckler of Blonde Maze

Earlier this month, NYC-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Blonde Maze AKA Amanda Steckler, released her debut album, Something Familiar, via Enhanced! Blonde Maze has quickly become a leading name in the world of indie electronic music since she started the project in 2015. In this Q&A, she talks about the album, the Mazzy Star cover she did (it rules), her favorite thing about making music, and more! Something Familiar is out NOW! Give it a listen and I promise you won’t regret it!

Congratulations on the release of your debut album, Something Familiar! My understanding is that you started working on the album at the start of Covid-19. Was it also at that moment that you decided to make an album? How did that decision come about?
Thank you! Probably a few months before quarantine hit, I was talking to Enhanced about working on a bigger project together, which would include the two singles I had released with them prior (“Not All Flowers Bloom” and “To The Moon”). So I started working with the intention of building the album around then. Some of the songs stem from ideas I created a long time ago, but everything was sort of reshaped once the vision of releasing a whole album became clear. It’s funny - I interned for Enhanced back in 2014 (prior to the Enhanced Chill imprint), when I had just started learning how to produce music. It is so incredible to work with them as an artist now. Full circle!

What is your favorite song off Something Familiar?
This is so hard! Each one feels special in its own way to me. Maybe if I had to pick one it would be “If I Could”. Although “Diamond Eyes” is up there too, that one always felt really vulnerable to me.

You covered Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You”. Hands down. It’s an awesome cover! What made you decide to cover the song?
Thank you! I can’t remember exactly how it was picked, but it originally started as a completely separate project that I was producing. Circumstances changed and I eventually decided to release it as a Blonde Maze cover. I’ve been listening to the original for years. It’s by far one of the most romantic and yearning songs on this planet.

When did you realize you wanted to create music?
I think I started taking it seriously around 2015, but even as a kid I would write these silly little songs. The first song I ever remember writing was something about my birthday. My parents got me a guitar when I was in middle school and I started writing singer-songwriter kind of songs for a while. Soon after I started playing around with Garageband all the time. Eventually something clicked and I realized no matter what was going on in my life and no matter where I was, I always wanted to create music. Music had helped me through a lot in life, and I started using music creation as a form of journalism and expression. I also thought maybe my music could reach people who needed it and do for them what music does for me.

What is one artist or band that you haven’t seen in concert, that you hope to see someday?
It’s so hard to pick one, but maybe Madeon!

What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
The best piece of advice I’ve gotten was to trust my gut. It sounds obvious but I didn’t always trust my own decisions. Sometimes I still catch myself going back and forth about a problem in my head that I already know a solution for. I think it’s great to do things with caution and awareness, and to listen to other peoples’ opinions and points of view, but in the end it’s ultimately up to you on how you want to approach something.

What is your favorite thing about making music?
I think it is just so cathartic. It’s like a serotonin booster for me. And no matter how much music I make, or how much music is out there, there’s still more to be made. Whether you follow convention or experiment with new methodologies, there is so much creativity to be explored.

We all have our days where it may not be going as well as we’d like. People deal with their worst days in different ways. What helps you get through the bad days? How do you stay positive?
When I go through a bad time, I try to remember that I’ve gotten through bad times before. It’s not easy to remember that or stay positive in the moment… but sometimes I try to step outside of my mind and remind myself the worst is not permanent - it’s fleeting. Music is obviously a massive escape for me, and a way to get it out of my system. It’s something familiar to me and a source of comfort.

Thank you for taking the time for this Q&A. Any last words or final message for the readers?
Just want to say a huge thank you for taking the time to listen to my music and getting to know me. I hope my music can do for you what music in general does for me.

Music Q&AJazmin LemusNovember 10, 2021Amanda Steckler, Blonde Maze, music, music q&a