New York-based producer, songwriter, and vocalist Blonde Maze returns with her deeply moving sophomore album, Second Sight, released earlier this year via Enhanced Chill. Known offstage as Amanda Steckler Levesque, Blonde Maze has long been a standout in the indie-electronic world, with releases on labels like Monstercat, Armada, This Never Happened, and Enhanced Music, and praise from Billboard, Earmilk, and NYLON. With Second Sight, she delivers an emotionally charged yet nuanced collection that explores heartbreak, healing, and the quiet clarity found in the space between. Featuring collaborations with artists including Polar Inc., Channy Leaneagh (POLIÇA), Lizzy Land, and Attom, the 10-track album pairs shimmering production with lyrical depth, inviting listeners into a sonic world where softness becomes power. Fresh off composing the score for Demi Lovato’s documentary Child Star and recent appearances at SXSW, Brooklyn Mirage, and Amsterdam Dance Event, Blonde Maze continues to solidify her place as one of electronic music’s most emotionally articulate voices.
Stream Second Sight and read our exclusive interview with Amanda below.
Hello Blonde Maze! Thanks for chatting with us 🙂
Heyyyy thank you for having me!
You describe Second Sight as a story about learning how to love differently after heartbreak. Do you feel like writing the album helped you understand love differently, or was it more about processing what you already knew?
I guess a little bit of both, but mostly processing what I already knew. Writing the music helped me process what I was already feeling. Deep down I could sense that my understanding of love was different, but translating it into the album was what really helped me process it.
Who are your go-to artists that get you through heartbreak?
Going to try to resist the temptation to make this list VERY long but… a lot of indie 2000s bands for sure. And of course some of my favorite electronic artists. Shortlist below:
Death Cab for Cutie
Beach House
Bon Iver
Sasha Alex Sloan
Gabrielle Aplin
Emmit Fenn
The National
M83
ODESZA
Lane 8
Tourist
Coldplay
What’s in your toolkit? Share the gear, gadgets, or software you can’t create without.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve made a track without using any of the Valhalla or Soundtoys plugins, or without at least 5-10 channels of Kontakt libraries. Also u-he Diva or Arturia Pigments. All of the above is in every single track of mine.
Your music often feels like it belongs to moments spent alone — long walks, late drives, quiet mornings. When you’re not writing or performing, what’s your own ideal way to spend time alone?
That is a really beautiful thing to hear. I think my favorite way to spend alone time is in my own apartment with only the fairy lights on, some scented candles lit, listening to ambient/lofi music. I’m a homebody, so having that space and time to do nothing in the comfort of my own home is sometimes all I need to decompress.
You’ve played everywhere from clubs to festivals, but your music feels inherently introspective. Do you feel more at home creating music in solitude or performing it in front of people?
I think in a way it’s a little bit of both. I definitely feel at home when I’m creating music in solitude because it’s my comfort zone – that’s how I process my thoughts and have the freedom to feel all my emotions. But at the same time, playing my music live feels like a second home to me – somewhere we all belong and somewhere I can find love and comfort among people I’ve never met before.
What is the memorable moment you’ve had on tour or at a show?
I think the first time someone flew from another country to see me play live was one of the most memorable things to have happened at a show. It’s not like they took a train or car to see me… they got up in the sky for hours to catch my set! I still can’t wrap my mind around it. It is just so humbling.
Your collaborations on Second Sight feel really intentional. Tell us about how they came about.
There were actually a handful of artists I’ve listened to and admired for years, and I thought this album would be the most special opportunity to collaborate with them. Then there were a couple of artists who I’ve collaborated with before, who I consider really great producers, and who I always think of when I’m looking to bring in a new sound to something that’s starting to feel stale. There were also a couple of artists who I’d gotten connected with towards the end of the album process who I immediately knew needed to be on the album. Ultimately I felt this album was the perfect opportunity to bring in fresh perspectives, which is really funnily enough what the album is about.
‘Where the Birds Go to Hum’ closes the album without words. If that track represented a final message to the listener, what would you want it to communicate without ever saying it aloud?
As for the closing track, to me its purpose is to take a breather and digest the emotions from the album. It’s something for the listener to feel anything and everything. I’d like to imagine birds humming is a sign of them feeling safe, and my biggest hope is for people to find that safeness in my music.
Finally, you’ve said that Second Sight is about love’s evolution. What’s one thing about yourself you’ve learned to love more deeply through the process of making it?
That is such a sweet question. I think I’ve learned to love and trust my inner voice and my choices a little more. I always worry and have doubts about my instincts. But making this album was a long journey with a lot of unexpected bumps in the road, and it taught me that if I show my gut feelings a little more love, they usually lead me to where I’m meant to be.
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