New York-based artist Amanda Steckler Levesque, better known as Blonde Maze, is a producer, songwriter, and vocalist crafting emotionally rich electronic music.
Photo credit: Blonde Maze – Facebook
Known for weaving yearning and bittersweet themes into her productions, Blonde Maze has built a name across labels like Enhanced, Monstercat, Armada, This Never Happened, and more. Her music has earned spots on Spotify’s U.S. Viral 50 and soundtracked series on Hulu and Netflix, with radio support from BBC Radio 1 and SiriusXM Chill.
Her latest album, ‘Second Sight’, reflects a deeply personal narrative shaped by rediscovered love, creative vulnerability, and emotional growth. Alongside a growing catalog and appearances at SXSW, Amsterdam Dance Event, and Pride Fest NYC, she’s also scored the 2024 Demi Lovato documentary ‘Child Star’, blending storytelling and sonic intimacy.
In this conversation, Blonde Maze opens up about the moment that shaped ‘Second Sight’, scoring for screen, and building space for emotion through music and light.
EG: Hi Amanda! Where are you answering these questions from today, and how does it feel to be releasing Second Sight into the world at last?
Blonde Maze: Hey! I am answering these from my apartment in NYC. Finally having ‘Second Sight’ out into the world was like a big breath out. All the anticipation and eagerness to share it with the world once it was wrapped felt like holding my breath for months. Feels great!
EG: Second Sight implies a sudden flash of clarity, can you trace the exact instant when that clearer vision first washed over you?
Blonde Maze: The particular moment that comes to mind is when I told my wife I loved her for the first time. She was driving me to the airport and when she dropped me off, I started walking away from the car, but something came over me and I turned around. I went back, tapped on the window, she rolled the window down, I lowered my mask onto my chin (this was right after quarantine), and told her I loved her. I had no idea I was going to do that. I think that might have been the moment of clarity for me. And yes, she said she loved me too.
EG: Every album begins with a spark. Was there a single sound, lyric, or late-night thought that told you, “This is the story we’re going to tell”?
Blonde Maze: I think, kind of similarly to my answer to the question above, the idea solidified once I realized I’d fallen in love again. I sat with the idea for a while after that, trying to figure out what made this story — this love — feel unique. I think it was a few months after I got married that I came up with the title ‘Second Sight’. That’s kind of when I realized I could finally put into words what felt so special to me about this love — it was the kind of feeling that endures everything, that is there for you through all of life’s changes, that takes time to evolve, and is ultimately something that you want to cherish forever.
EG: How did you choreograph the track order so the listener moves as you intend them to?
Blonde Maze: I think I ended up ordering the tracks by the date I started the instrumentals — or at least this was a loose guide. I wanted the listener to experience the music the way I experienced it. That felt like the most genuine story to me. With the toplines eventually added, I still felt like this order told the story I was trying to tell — with all the ebbs and flows you go through when falling in love. I think the only one that was out of order in terms of when I started the track was the final track — ‘Where the Birds Go to Hum’. This felt like the perfect closing track, and is meant to provide a moment to reflect and feel safe.
“I think learning to live in the moment more made a big difference in moving forward with my life”
EG: Choose one collaboration and set the scene for us — who dropped the breakthrough idea, who muted the kick, who brewed the coffee (or who popped the wine)?
Blonde Maze: Let’s do ‘If I Stayed’ with Modera. It was actually going to be a solo track initially. But I showed it to them, and they were just kind of like “we have some ideas, can we lay them down and show you?” I love working with them so of course I sent them over the stems immediately. Shortly after they sent back a version with those disco strings in the drop and that was literally all I needed to hear in order to lock that collaboration in. They brought other elements to the production as well but that particular moment felt so iconic to me as it wasn’t what I was expecting at all but fell in love with in an instant!
EG: Scoring Demi Lovato’s Child Star meant writing to someone else’s narrative arc. What storytelling instincts from that project slipped back into your own songwriting?
Blonde Maze: That’s an interesting question because I never really thought about how it influenced my work as Blonde Maze, only the other way around. I think the ability to tell a story with someone else is something that I really honed in on after that project. I’m so used to writing/producing alone in my own studio, but working with others to tell a story was one of my favorite things about working on ‘Child Star’, and it really helped when it came to bringing on so many collaborators for my album.
EG: Your mixes feel weightless yet intimate. What quiet studio ritual helps you keep so much space around each element without losing warmth?
Blonde Maze: Thank you. I think isolating all the atmospheric elements together and muting the main chords/drums helps a lot. These elements tend to set the tone for the whole track. I often have a lot of call-and-responses, where one atmospheric element will fill one space, then drop out, and a separate one fills the next space. This gives each element room to breathe. I also try to fill out the mid/top end of the frequency spectrum with different sounds, each sound taking up a different frequency space (though there are often overlaps that I end up needing to carve around…). Then there’s also a balance of making sure that they still feel like they’re in the background — not taking over the song — just taking over the space the song lives in. I think the combination of all of these things helps each individual element keep its sonic identity and its warmth.
EG: You’ve called heartbreak a teacher. During the making of Second Sight, what daily habit turned that lesson into forward motion rather than lingering pain?
Blonde Maze: I think learning to live in the moment more — even if ever so slightly — made a big difference in moving forward with my life. I’m an overthinker by nature, and I find it really difficult to live in the moment. I tend to agonize over the past or worry about the future. So taking time each day to actively focus on living in the moment was a big propellant in being able to ultimately fall in love again and put my mind into creating this new music.
“Work with the people who believe in you and have a passion for what they do, as nothing will inspire you more”
EG: You are filming a live performance of these songs. Which visual or structural curveball are you most excited for viewers to experience?
Blonde Maze: I think having a visual counterpart (ie. tube lighting) that moves with the audio for the first time in my live shows is what I’m most excited for people to see. It makes all the difference marrying the lights and music. It adds an extra dimension to the feeling of the music itself, and helps take you out of the real world and into the world of the performance.
EG: When New York’s roar threatens to drown out your ideas, where, physically or mentally, do you retreat to hear the quieter melodies?
Blonde Maze: I think if I’m in the right room, no matter where it is, I can get into the mental state I need to be in to build a more serene sound. I live in Manhattan, which can get pretty busy, but once I walk into my apartment, and turn on the fairy lights and light some candles, I can isolate myself from the city and get into my head. It’s funny how with the right lights/scents (shoutout to my way too many candles), any room can spark creativity — even in the middle of one of the busiest cities.
EG: If you could send a one-sentence postcard to day-one Blonde Maze, what would it read?
Blonde Maze: It would probably say something along the lines of “work with the people who believe in you and have a passion for what they do, as nothing will inspire you more.”
EG: Beyond the studio, which cause or pastime is fueling your creativity right now, and how might listeners lend their support?
Blonde Maze: I’ve been getting back into film/photography lately. I actually used to be super into that side of things, but hadn’t touched a camera/edited anything in years until recently. I’ve been editing my own videos lately (ie. my album campaign videos) and have been filming some passion projects as well. I can’t think of a way that listeners may be able to lend their support, but I would say just supporting things I post on socials is always really helpful in terms of reaching people!
EG: Thanks for the time and all the best!
Blonde Maze: Thank you for the thoughtful questions, I’m super grateful for the opportunity to share everything.
Blonde Maze’s ‘Second Sight’ is out now on Enhanced Chill. Stream and download here.
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