If you haven't heard of Maisie Peters . . . oh boy, get excited. Listening to the English singer-songwriter's music is like spilling tea with your best girl friend — she writes about everything from youth to friendship to love (and heartbreak) in her songs, making her an icon for young girls just trying to navigate life. Her two EPs, Dressed Too Nice for a Jacket and It's Your Bed Babe, It's Your Funeral are made up of killer storytelling and catchy beats that you can dance to, or have an existential crisis in your car to. Either works!
She starting posting original songs on Youtube at 15, gracing the internet with her music and her bubbly energy, and her career has taken off since then. Now, at 20 years old, she has toured all over and has developed a considerable fan base that just keeps growing. Here's everything you need to know about Peters.
She's the Self-Described "First Lady of Emo Girl Pop"
Peters has described her musical genre as emo girl pop, and has even written photo captions such as "First Lady of emo girl pop reporting for duty." [1]
The Music Origins Project wrote that emo girl pop could be understood as "sad girl songs," [2] which is fitting because Peters released a single called "Sad Girl Summer [3]" back in July.
Taylor Swift Is a Fan
Taylor Swift [4], one of Maisie's biggest inspirations, has written positive comments on two videos of Peter singing covers of Swift's songs, "Enchanted" and "Betty." In an interview with The Independent, Peters said, "Me and my sister were just shrieking around the house. I didn't know what to do with myself afterwards, I was just pacing and screaming. It was so exciting." [5]Peters was first inspired to make music after seeing Swift's music video for "Love Story," according to an interview [6] with Beyond the Stage Magazine. From then on, she started writing songs on a guitar she borrowed from a friend.
She Also Likes Rap Music
Although she does not make rap music herself, when confronted with the question of whom she would want to collaborate with, she added on to her immediate answer of "Taylor Swift [7]" to say that she would love to work on a rap song with somebody [8] because she loves the genre.
Her Love of Writing Is What Led to Her Musical Career
In an interview with FaceCulture, Peters said that she always loved reading as a child [9], especially stories about female friendship, love and loss from writers like Louisa May Alcott. She started writing lots of her own stories, but didn't start writing songs until she was thirteen.
Peters said her songs are very lyric-driven, and very focussed on stories, setting the scene and place.
"To write a really good pop song," she said, "I think it's a massive challenge. Because you have to be so concise and get this universal feeling across in so little words in so little time."
She Runs a Book Club
As she is a lover of storytelling, it's no surprise that she started her own book club. And according to its bio on Instagram (@mpbookclub [10]), it's the best book club in town!
She made her first post in April 2020, where she had everyone introduce themselves and state their favourite book in the comments. Her favourites were The Great Gatsby,The Secret History, and Memoirs of a Geisha.
The books are selected each month according to a specific theme such as self acceptance, science and the self, race dynamics and emotional labour, and "Where do we get the idea for what is a successful life?" The most recent book she's reading is Poor by Caleb Femi.
Her Music Was Played on Love Island
Peters's song "Feels Like This [11]" was featured on an episode of the hit reality television show!
She Had a Cameo in the UK Series "Trying"
"Trying," the first original series from the UK on Apple TV, is about a couple in London trying to have a baby. Peters plays a busker in the streets, singing her original song, "Favourite Ex [12]," "which is very full circle and fitting," she said in an Instagram post, "considering I literally used to be a busker playing for couples walking down canals." [13]
She Has a Twin Sister Named Ellen
Ellen Peters, Maisie's twin sister, goes to university in Nottingham, England. The two of them were quarantining together this past summer, and they made a series of Youtube videos called "Maisie & Ellen Save Your Sad Girl Summer [14]" in which they answered relationship questions and gave advice to viewers who emailed them asking for help. "Sad Girl Summer" is in reference to Peters' song [15] of the same title.
She Loves to Travel
Peters, who is from West Sussex, England, has gotten to travel so much for her career at such a young age. She said in a video made by Pop Flash that her favourite places she has visited in the world have been Stockholm, Paris, and London. [16]
Her Hidden Talent Is Speaking Quickly
Obviously, singing and songwriting is her non-hidden talent. But when asked if she had a secret talent or hobby, she said that she is able to talk very, very fast [17]. Apparently when people hand her menus, she can breeze through them faster than anyone else.
"I'm not a very talented person, so that's she end," she joked. "Everyone moves onto the next one."
