Amie Waters Interview: Zelda Month
Amie Waters has produced 24 Zelda covers over the past six years, so it’s safe to assume that she, like many others, enjoys the music of Zelda. With Zelda month coming to a close, I thought now would be the perfect time to learn more about her relationship with a game series that has touched the hearts and stoked the imaginations of millions of people.
What makes the music of Zelda so special?
When you look back on Zelda, you see that each game took what was presented before it, added some level of newness to that collection, and moved the series forward. So, we end up with this pretty vast collection of themes and ideas that constitute the Zelda toolbox, but each game is allowed to take which tools it needs to accomplish its specific goal or idea. And when that game is finished, it tends to add new tools back to that tool chest. The same thing happens with the music.
You have some iconic themes that have been central to Zelda from its inception, but each game chooses how to use those moods, themes, and ideas in its own way. I was just marveling at the inclusion of a b7 walk down in “Kass’ Theme”, which hearkens immediately back to the original zelda theme. But, “Kass’ Theme” is one of the more iconic new pieces from Breath of the Wild. I just love the versatility of the set of moods, tools, and themes that make up “Zelda Music”.
What is your favorite Zelda soundtrack?
Breath of the Wild, without a doubt. The choice to embrace a more minimalist aesthetic for the music in a big, open world game about exploration was absolutely essential to the feel of the game. The gentle pianos that roll in as you crest a hill are exceptional to the feel of the game. I also love the way they incorporated various themes and ideas from the history of Zelda in really unique ways. Also, I think the new music that gets added to the Zelda canon holds up.
How many Zelda covers have you released over the years?
You’re gonna make me open up YouTube and count my videos? Geez, what kind of interview is this?
24. I have done 24 Zelda covers over the course of six years of Zelda Month. I will get at least one more done this month, maybe more, bringing that number up to 25 to 27.
What has been your favorite Zelda cover thus far?
I’m honestly a big fan of my most recent video, Link is Awake. I feel like each Zelda Month stands as a reflection for how I have grown in my arranging and mixing, and I am really proud of how that song came together. I also think the Gerudo Valley cover I did with Rich and AJ is up there in my personal favorites.
Oh, and Wind Waker’s Title Theme last year was also a lot of fun to put together too. I basically had two melodies and had to form a whole arrangement out of it, and that was a lot of fun to do.
What's your favorite Zelda cover that someone else has produced?
What's one Zelda track that you've always wanted to cover, but haven't yet.
“Tarrey Town”. I keep trying to make it happen, but I want to have four collaborators working on it together, and I just never end up getting it ready in time. Hopefully one day it will happen…
You released a Zelda EP for free some time back. What inspired you to do that?
I’ve been doing Zelda EP’s every year actually. It all started because I wanted to give my fans a gift for the holidays, and because December follows November, it just made sense to release the Zelda tracks as a limited christmas EP each year.
Are you doing anything special for this Zelda month?
I wish I was doing more to be honest because November kind of kicked my ass. I have a ton of non-Zelda projects that ended up taking up a lot of time, unfortunately, making this my slowest Zelda Month.
I want to get at least two more covers done this month, because this year I had my patrons vote on 12 different tracks for Zelda Month. I want to make sure I do at least three, if not four because I want the patreon votes to matter, you know? I am just running low on days in November, lol.
Have you had a chance to play Link's Awakening. If so, what are your thoughts?
I played the original Game Boy game, but not the remake. I want to play it eventually, but it’s on a long list of games I want to check out. I did play Horizon: Zero Dawn recently, and that is basically the same game, right? I liked that one a lot. Hunting robot dinosaurs is fun. Now I am playing Outer Wilds, which is not The Outer Worlds and is very good. If you like exploration and space and quantum physics, you should definitely check that out. What was the question again?
What is your favorite Zelda memory?
Time to be super real with you. Although I owned a SNES, I switched to Playstation the moment it came out and never owned a Nintendo 64 or a Gamecube, so my connections to Zelda are somewhat limited, actually. I played A Link to the Past and remember being frustrated by it as a kid, but I loved it as an adult. I have played the Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Wind Waker remakes more recently, but I definitely don’t have a nostalgic connection to any of them.
I would say the majority of my favorite Zelda memories come from Breath of the Wild, honestly, because it’s the game I have spent the most time with. I have so many memories of little moments like sitting on top of a mountain I decided to climb and just taking in the sunset or making a joke about riding a bear and then succeeding and riding it all the way to the stables, only to be turned away. But I think my favorite moment was when I found the Korok Forest.
I heard a rumor about it existing, something about following a river north, and just went straight there. I didn’t get the towers on the way so I had no mapping. I just forced myself north in the hopes of finding it, eventually stumbling into the Lost Woods. So, after forcing my way through enemies and wandering blindly north, I solved the Lost Woods, which encourages you to slow you pace, making the reveal of the Korok Forest that much more epic. That moment as the colors came back in lush greens, the Koroks came out of the woods (like Kodamas), and the music started to fade in as you approached the master sword—everything in that moment was so perfect. Definitely, a highlight of the game.
