Selling out gigs all over the show, our Maisie here makes thoroughly beautiful and heartfelt tunes that have seen her tipped by the likes of Sam Smith and man of the moment (and former Dork cover star, no less) Lewis Capaldi. She’s got her biggest dates ever coming up too, at Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms and London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. It’s all going on.
Hey Maisie, how are you doing? Busy summer?
I’m great, thanks! Very busy, I’m in LA right now, writing lots of songs and drinking lots of iced coffee which is making my bank account weep.
Congrats on your new Shepherd’s Bush Empire show, that’s huge – is it a venue you’ve spent much time at before?
Ahhhhh thank you, it’s crazy to me that I’m headlining it. I’ve actually only been once. It’s so beautiful, and I can remember so many of my favourite artists playing there, so it’s pretty surreal.
Things seem to be happening really quickly for you now. Was there a particular moment where everything suddenly started to woosh along?
I’ve been consistently writing songs since I was 13 so I like to think I’ve been making pretty steady progress, haha! My song ‘Feels Like This’ played on Love Island this year, so we’ve really got to shout out the half boyfriend half girlfriend Curtis and Amy.
When did you first realise you wanted to pursue being a musician? Did you grow up in a musical family?
Not at all, my dad is a geography teacher, and my mum was a journalist, although they do both love music and used to play it all the time when I was growing up. I always wanted a big Osmond family band, but that is a tale for another day. I always loved writing and creating stories, and I think when I heard ‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift and saw her playing that white guitar, it sort of subconsciously flipped a switch in my mind and made me want to combine all my favourite things into one big all-encompassing thing.
How did you transition from making tracks on your own to getting them ‘out there’ for other people to hear, and performing live?
I began busking in Brighton and performing at open mic nights and old men’s pubs, then I started a YouTube channel when I was about sixteen and just borrowed my friend’s equipment and filmed a couple of songs as one mic demos in my bedroom, my mum often pressing the on button coz I couldn’t reach! From there I started gaining a small but so lovely and interested and engaged group of people who would listen and comment their fave moments and lines, and I guess it snowballed into me filming more and more videos, which I guess snowballed into me today.
Was it tough juggling music with school?
Sort of difficult, but I used to bring my textbooks on the train and make post-it notes on the way to and from my sessions.
Do you remember the first song you wrote? What was it about, and how does it compare to your current material?
I found an old notebook the other day, which had a song called ‘Sandcastles’ in it, about sand, written when I was nine. Riveting stuff, it must be said. I would like to think my newer stuff delves slightly deeper into more important topics but then, who knows? Sand is pretty important.
Do you get much downtime? What does a typical day look like for you?
Downtime, who is she? We don’t know her! When I do get some days off, I like to sleep, hang out with my cat, get my eyebrows done, go to my local pub with my friends and chat absolute shit for hours.
Will you be releasing new music in the lead up to the November shows?
Yes, yes and yes again, and that is all I can say on the matter. But yes. Shhhhh.
What else have you got planned for the next few months?
Releasing more songs! I filmed a video the other day which I’m really excited to release, and I also want to take more driving lessons so I can pass my test at the end of this year and be a bad bitch on the roads. I’m a terrible driver so me writing it here is willing it into existence.
Taken from the October issue of Dork. Maisie Peters’ new single ‘This Is On You’ is out now.
