Maya Hawke is releasing her second album "Moss" on Sept. 23, revealing that it is about her growing pains.
The "Stranger Things" star explained how she explored and reevaluated aspects of herself as a grown-up through the process of writing the songs on "Moss."
"I think it's cool that when I play shows, young queer women who love Robin can come and connect to my music, too," she told Flood.
Hawke plays a queer teenager named Robin on "Stranger Things." She further explained that she sees herself in her role and how it relates to her in real life.
"There's a lot of cohesion there. I don't feel like they're so disjointed, or I need them to be different in the same way that I don't need people to pretend I don't have famous parents."
"I love Stranger Things! I love Robin. I love my parents. I love writing music. And I'm me in all of those situations."
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Maya's "Sweet Tooth"
Two years after the release of her debut album "Blush," Hawke dropped "Thérèse," the lead single of her second album "Moss," in June. Two months after that, she released "Sweet Tooth."
It follows Hawke visiting the dentist. They slip on a mask, putting her to sleep. She proceeds to dream about her friends holding a memorial for her on the beach.
"'Sweet Tooth' was born out of conversations with Maya about the song, the album, and the unique feel of sweetness, cavity, death, and joy," said Celine Sutter, the music video director. "We discussed care, caretaking, and childhood adult friendships."
The 24-year-old actress shared the meaning behind the album's title, "This record is called Moss because I've been gathering a lot in the last few years."
"Sitting still and collecting a green blanket of memories and feelings. Making this record was me trying to get up and shake it off and look at all of it. It was the first step in untangling myself and really trying to look at the rock under the moss."
Hawke revealed that "Sweet Tooth" was the last song she wrote for the album, "When we finished the first recording session, I felt this eruption of joy, and I knew this feeling had to be on the record."
Inspiration Takes From Art and Real Life
In a line out of "Sweet Tooth," Hawke sang, "Told my mother that I love her," referencing her mother, actress Uma Thurman. For the rest of the song, she sang about her gratitude for Thurman, "I'm grateful for everything you put me through/ It's the only reason I'm any good to talk to."
Aside from taking inspiration from her mother and her own experiences, Hawke shared with podcast host Kyle Meredith that she took inspiration from Taylor Swift.
"I was super inspired by Folklore to the point which I wanted to work with Jonathan Low, who mixed Folklore and ended up mixing this record, as well as the single I released a little while ago," she said.
"[...] The idea that you can both run to it and also fall asleep to it on an airplane is how I feel about Folklore and what's so amazing about that record."
"This combination of it being motivating and moving forward, without being the way that some pop music [...] wakes you up from your nap when it comes on the playlist. I wanted it to feel like it could be part of a dream."
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