Maeve Steele has a library in her brain. As a Nashville session songwriter during her time at Vanderbilt University and as a creative writing major, she knew she wanted to pen songs that were in conversation with each other and with the important literary works in her life. From Joan Didion’s work to the popular novels of today’s zeitgeist, Steele uses literature as fuel to create music that is extraordinarily thoughtful, imaginative and rich in meaning. I sat down with her to chat about her latest EP “Honeyland,” released on January 19th, as well as her writing process and sources of inspiration.
With an Americana noir sound reminiscent of Lana Del Rey and a sweet, earnest voice in the shape of Anna of the North, Steele’s whimsical “Honeyland” is a love letter to the sticky-sweet feeling of nostalgia for things yet to come, along with the pangs of sadness that tinge the transition from girlhood to womanhood. The tracks on “Honeyland” are largely metaphorical, from the soaring intro to the haunting, emerald-toned “Strangers in the Garden”. Shifting from the more literal and grounded “Overland” EP, inspired by various settings in Los Angeles, “Honeyland” is a place made of feelings. Packed with memories and daydreams, each song is a chance for the listener’s imagination to fly.
Steele’s approach to her work is uniquely academic and word-oriented in a way that provides extra depth and “lore,” if you will. After finishing the “Honeyland” EP, she wrote accompanying essays for each song to flesh out the meanings behind them. “I give myself so much homework,” she joked. However, her extra credit work is not in vain, as it provides a whole new dimension to her music and allows the listener to see her thoughts in motion.
Steele has begun publishing these essays online in “The Honeyland Journal,” where her second entry, “On Lorena and the Men Who Make Worlds,” shines as an example of her artistry. Digging into the anger of feeling out of control of your own narrative and the shameful angst of lacking a viewpoint, Steele explains why the character in her song “Lorena” saved her and brought her out into the open.
“She’s like me, I thought, cast in some fantasy to show up and disappear when the plot so requires. I could write my story through hers, give her a voice, for feminism! I tried and failed to write this song over and over again…She was braided together with a story that feels a little like one that I know, and a little like one that a lot of my friends know. Lorrie never needed me, I needed her.”
The ballad of “Lorena” sees Steele address her alter-ego, and is full of lyrical and thematic mysteries to unravel.
A fun fact about “Arcade” (which is my favorite) — Steele was heavily inspired by Gabrielle Zevin’s novel “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” which she was reading at the time. “I have never really cared about video games or virtual anything, but the way it made me think about how people find new lives in different ways … I was totally inspired by that and didn’t even realize it.” The song explores the tantalizing idea of endless second chances, and what we might do if we knew we could be anything. Full of eclectic sounds it is, Steele admits, “the weirdest love song ever.”
“Honeyland” may make you believe that Steele’s been at this for quite a while, but it was only recently that she began writing music for herself rather than for others — which has proved to be an entirely different beast. “It’s been stressful in that it’s been more work, and more stuff to do in the day, but you need to trust your gut.” Inside, a voice was speaking to Steele that she needed to create for herself, regardless of the opinion of others. “It’s hard, especially when you’re young, and there are adults in the room with experience and with careers. But there’s a reason you’re in that room, that you want to be doing this, and it’s because there’s something inside of you telling you that you have something to say.”
It was a live performance at The Cowan in Nashville her senior year of college that flipped the switch for her, and she hasn’t looked back since. It’s clear that she’s been thriving off the creative freedom she now has just by the sheer amount of writing she produces.
Each morning she practices freewriting her morning pages, three pages of strictly stream-of-consciousness longhand that are meant to declutter the mind and provide new avenues for thought. “It’s just so satisfying when you’re writing about one thing and it leads to another idea”, she gushes. However, the process still ebbs and flows, as creativity will. “Whenever I’m supposed to be resting I’m productive, and then Monday through Friday … nothing. Classic creative brain.”
You can listen to the “Honeyland” EP now on Spotify as well as keep up with Maeve Steele on Instagram and TikTok. You can also check out her website for her accompanying essays to the EP, which I strongly recommend you read first thing in the morning with Steele’s coffee order of choice, hot and bitter diner coffee with half and half, for the authentic experience.