mazie in conversation with FAULT Magazine
mazie’s unique and hypnotic sound has us in a vice-grip. With mazie ‘s recent release of “it’s not me (it’s u),” mazie showcases her signature psychedelic sound with a 2000s throwback feel. mazie’s single is just a taste of what’s to come with her debut album (OUT TODAY) , “blotter baby,”. We’ll dive into mazie’s journey in the music industry, her creative process behind her latest release, and what we can expect from her upcoming album. Get ready to discover the world of mazie and her mesmerizing music.
Can you talk about the creative process behind your new single “it’s not me (it’s u)”?
Yes! The song was written acoustically – it was one of the first times we had approached writing a song on just guitar for the album. I sat on the chorus for a really long time because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to say about it. I tried writing the verses 10000x until one night my producer Elie and I drove around and finished the verses in the car.
Your single “dumb dumb” has been very successful, what was the inspiration behind the lyrics?
We made the song the day of the insurrection – We had been discussing QAnon, misinformation, and how quickly the internet has degraded the concept of ‘fact.’ The lyrics ‘Everyone is dumb’ just felt like a very fitting synopsis of those conversations.
Can you tell us about your upcoming album “blotter baby”?
I have never been more proud of anything I’ve worked on. The entire record is an exploration into psychedelia mixed with my personal experiences of truly beginning my adulthood. The album drops on February 24th and I could not be more excited for the world to hear it!
How has your hometown of Baltimore and your current location in LA influenced your music?
It’s in everything! Baltimore was such a quintessential part of my development – it’s where I grew up, it’s where I started mazie, it’s where I met my producer, it’s home! Leaving Baltimore very much felt like leaving my childhood and that move is what The Rainbow Cassette is based off of. Living in LA has fundamentally changed me as both a person and creative – I am so happy to be here and be developing myself as an artist in such an overwhelmingly creative environment. So much of the writing – if not all of it – on my album blotter baby is based on my experiences living in LA.
What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I hope that they find a part of themselves somewhere in my album – the best part of creating and sharing music is being able to connect with others over it. I hope that other artists listening to my music feel inspired to go and be creative. My producer and I spent the last year making this album and the only thing we were pursuing was creating art that we felt excited and inspired by. I crave that so much when I’m finding new music and I hope listening to blotter baby will encourage someone to go make something weird.
What’s been the biggest challenge in your music career so far and how have you overcome it?
I think learning how to maintain my authenticity and not get so lost in the industry has been one of the biggest things I’ve had to overcome. When you’re working in the music industry it’s really easy to lose focus on what’s important. I used to place so much value on the validation I was or wasn’t receiving about my music – and looking back I think there were a lot of moments where I lost sight of the music and who I am. I’m grateful I went through that because I came out on the other side so deeply confident in myself and my music – but working in the industry can be weird and aimless sometimes!
You’ve received coverage from major press outlets such as The New York Times and Billboard, does that recognition add extra pressure on your releases to succeed?
I don’t feel that much pressure anymore. I used to place 100% of my value (and my mental health) on the success of my releases, how much attention/validation the songs, etc. But I’ve really learned to be at peace with myself outside of those things in this last year. Great press is great but it doesn’t change how I feel about myself or my music.
Who are some artists that you admire and have been influenced by?
Andy Shauf, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Kevin Parker, Crumb, Caroline Polachek, and Grimes are some of my biggest influences. I’ve been obsessed with all of them for so long and it would be a dream of mine to collaborate with any of them.
Can you give us a sneak peek into what you have planned for the rest of the year?
Releasing my album!!!!! And maybe …. Just maybe …. A tour ;)