We had the incredible opportunity to sit down with The Blaze after their mind-blowing performance at Bilbao BBK Live festival, the mesmerizing duo known for their emotive electronic music and bewitching music videos. Throughout this interview, we delved deep into their creative process, inspirations, and their latest music video, gaining insight into the minds behind their unique artistic vision.
For those who may not have heard your music before, how would you describe it? What does The Blaze sound like?
Guillaume: Well, I’d say our music falls primarily within the electronic genre, but what sets it apart is the emotional essence. We infuse deep basslines, heartfelt melodies, and rich vocals to create what we call “emotional electronic music”.
Jonathan: Absolutely, and our aim is to craft music that enables listeners to close their eyes and embark on a poetic journey of imagination. It’s like a soundtrack to your dreams, where you can paint images and stories in your mind while experiencing music.
Your music videos are truly captivating pieces of art. Your latest music video, ‘Madly,’ feels like a celebration and a love letter of festivals, music and love. Could you tell us why you decided to keep the story at the center while allowing the music to serve as a soundtrack?
Jonathan: Thank you for the kind words! For ‘Madly,’ we wanted to explore a more cinematic approach to the video, surpassing our previous works. The track itself is very energetic, making it a bit challenging to visualize directly. So, we decided to tell the story through the poetic voiceover of a young teenager, narrating the experience of someone attending their first festival while discovering love for the very first time.
Guillaume: It’s like a declaration of love to festivals, the underground electronic scene, and a portrayal of a touching love story. We sought to convey a meaningful message through our work while maintaining a thematic focus on youth, discovery, emotions, the expression of the body… Like we always do.
I’m really interested in your creative process. Could you share more about how you collaborate and bring your ideas together to create such cohesive and emotionally impactful music and videos?
Guillaume: There is no rigid recipe for us. We cherish the natural flow of creativity during our sessions. We find ourselves in the studio, surrounded by instruments, computers, effects, and then simply let the ideas flow, trying out different combinations until something truly resonates with us.
Jonathan: Our creative journey is very much process oriented. We don’t impose strict timelines or pressure on ourselves. Instead, we give ourselves the freedom to explore and experiment until we find the perfect sound, melody, or concept that genuinely speaks to us.
Every artistic journey comes with its share of obstacles. Can you share some challenges you faced, especially in the beginning, when you first decided to work together?
Jonathan: Certainly. Performing live is always an exhilarating yet nerve-wracking experience, especially with larger crowds. Stepping onto a stage with thousands of people watching and singing along can be quite overwhelming, it certainly doesn’t feel natural in the beginning. However, we’ve learned to embrace these nerves as an essential part of our growth as artists.
Guillaume: Additionally, after our first album ‘Dancehall‘ received really positive recognition, we felt the desire to continually innovate and create something new. It’s not necessarily an obstacle, but more of a challenge to explore and evolve creatively. We believe this pursuit of originality is essential for our artistic growth.
It’s evident that you prioritize artistic freedom in your work. We always talk about what the audience expects from musicians, but what do you expect from your audience?
Guillaume: Actually, our expectations from the audience are quite simple. We hope they take the time to fully immerse themselves in our music and videos. During live performances, we encourage people to be present in the moment, to dance, enjoy with their loved ones, setting their phones aside for a while.
Jonathan: On a more profound level, we aspire to create lasting memories for our fans, much like how other artists work has influenced us. It’s a beautiful feeling to think that our music could positively impact someone’s life in a significant way.
While focusing on the present is important, can you offer any hints about what you might be working on next?
Guillaume: At the moment, our main focus is our tour, with plenty of shows lined up for the summer and beyond. While we’re constantly working on new projects, we prefer to keep them under wraps until they reach full fruition.
As we conclude this fascinating conversation with The Blaze, Noctis Magazine stand in awe of their dedication to artistic authenticity, emotional expression and the powerful connection they forge with their audience. Their music and cinematic artistry continue to inspire, enchant and move countless individuals, as they did in BBK Bilbao Live, where the combination of their visuals and classics like ‘She’ and ‘Territory’ or ‘Eyes’ and ‘Madly’ from their latest album ‘Jungle’ enveloped every single person in the audience, creating a magical experience that left us in awe and craving for more. They truly achieved what they were aiming towards, creating core memories that will last for us for a lifetime.
Thank you, The Blaze, Jonathan and Guillaume, for your incredible dedication to your craft and thank you to BBK Bilbao Live for giving us the opportunity to do this interview.
If you want to know more, read the full festival review below.