Q+A WITH MAZIE
I spoke with mazie a few weeks ago to talk music, inspiration, and life in general. the bedroom pop singer-songwriter is set to release her newest single “sippy cup” tomorrow (10/13); you can find her on instagram at @heyymazie <3
read on for more!!
what inspired you to start making music?
Oh man. Making music? I have no idea; it just started happening. My grandma and mom put me in voice lessons when I was nine or ten years old; my grandma was always singing always in a choir, and she made me love music so much.
who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Hands down, the Beatles, specifically the Sergeant Pepper album. That album just shook me to my core; I listened to it so often and want to reflect so much of the uniqueness and intricacies of that album into my own music.
are there any non-musical influences that reflect on your music?
AOC. She was just talking about – yesterday on her live – how artists move people to act, and I take that so seriously, because I'm so inspired by people who are active and politically active, if they’re musicians or not (or just politicians in general). But yes, definitely AOC.
what has inspired your recent music?
Probably, again, The Beatles; pushing towards that very psychedelic-influenced kind of pop.
what are you hoping people take away from “no friends” and “i think i wanna be alone,” respectively?
I hope people relate to both, because that's why I make them. It's very self-deprecating and taking a poignant feeling and then kind of making fun of it, or just making light of it––making yourself feel better about it. I think a lot of people feel similarly, especially right now with the state of the world.
how would you best describe the evolution of your music since you started writing and performing?
It has been an arc; I started as a classical vocalist –– a classical and jazz vocalist –– so it has been a very different experience than what I started out with. I was just singing opera for a really long time. Then, when I was 15, I got in the studio and started writing way more and recording in a studio, and it just totally changed my relationship with music. That’s where it became a lot more pop-oriented and less classical, and then, since I went to school, it's just completely evolved into where it is now.
where do you see your music going in the future?
Oh my gosh, I have no idea; I'm really scared to even say anything out loud. I just don't want to jinx anything, because I'm so blown away by the response to anything that's happening at all [music-wise], so I just hope people keep listening to the music.
have you been working on anything specifically since everything shut down?
Actually, “i think i wanna be alone” was written during quarantine, and pretty much everything else coming out has been written in the last couple of months. So yeah, it's mostly being done right now.
have quarantine and the current state of the world affected your musical vision?
Yes and no; we did make “no friends” around a year ago; it was just very weird timing when we released it. Just, everything [happening] in the world right now is definitely impacting the writing and attitude that happens in the studio.
what parts of your personality do you think come through most strongly in your music?
Definitely the self-deprecating part. I do not take myself seriously whatsoever; I just can't. I'm a very anxious person. I'm a very stressed person. So, yeah, I just like making fun of myself because I just can't help it.
what things do you like to do outside of music?
Definitely political activism, whether it's volunteering or just protesting or organizing in general; that's probably where I spend the majority of my time away from music. Oh, and thrifting, because I love thrifting.
what have you been listening to recently?
I've been listening to a ton of hyperpop. I don't know where it came from. But when I heard Rico Nasty’s last song, “iPhone,” it was like, alright. I love this so much. And then I just went deep into like cmten stuff; I just I love it––I love all that stuff.
do you find that you tend to listen to music that’s similar to yours? Obviously hyper pop is very different to your music.
I do not. If I'm recording, I’m not listening to any current music whatsoever, because I’m just nervous that it would influence me in some way or I would like rip [off] someone's idea, in a way, so if I'm recording I'm pretty much only listening to like the Sergeant Pepper album or hip hop; that’s it.
interview has been edited for clarity
all photos courtesy of @heyymazie