Victoria Mileson
This year, Maisie Peters has signed to Ed Sheeran’s label and released her debut album, ‘You Signed Up For This’. She is a true modern Gen-Z popstar, utilising TikTok to build a dedicated fanbase, also frequently leaking her songs on the platform and communicating with her fans in a down-to-earth manner. Victoria Mileson reflects on how she got to where she is today.
From busking at 15 in the streets of Brighton to a 21-year-old artist who has just released her debut album and has performed at a variety of major festivals this summer, Maisie Peters has stayed humble and down-to-earth with her cult following. Her festival performances this summer included All Points East, Boardmasters and a secret set at the BBC Introducing stage of Reading Festival. Peters is becoming a well-known artist and she is showing no signs of slowing down.
15 and a busker, 21 and an artist who just released her debut album :’) AND i managed to get my drivers licence in between all that https://t.co/BnjH7Ie0sr pic.twitter.com/u9fxuINqdJ
— maisie peters signed up for this (@maisiehpeters) August 27, 2021
Peters began writing at age 12 after borrowing a friend’s guitar to sing in a school Christmas show. She would organise her songs on her laptop according to ‘good, bad, very bad, very good’. Later at 15, she was uploading her ‘very good’ songs to YouTube, before swiftly being signed with Atlantic at age 18. In 2018, Peters released her first EP, ‘Dressed Too Nice For A Jacket’, and then only a year later she released her second, ‘It’s Your Bed Babe, It’s Your Funeral’.
It seems that those who voted for Maisie as most likely to get a number one single for her school yearbook awards predicted the future
The first single to be released from her debut album, John Hughes Movie, reached number one in the charts in February 2021. It seems that those who voted for Maisie as most likely to get a number one single for her school yearbook awards predicted the future. Her extensive fanbase includes Taylor Swift and Lewis Capaldi, and Ed Sheeran loved her music so much that he signed her to his label and co-wrote three tracks on her debut album.
wtf thank u ??? evermore is my favourite album of yours ur my biggest inspiration thank u
— maisie peters signed up for this (@maisiehpeters) December 17, 2020
Maisie cites ABBA and Lily Allen as some of her main influences; artists who keep storytelling at the forefront of their songs. Showcasing her love of storytelling not only in her songs, but the artist also started an Instagram-based book club called Maisie Peters Book Club to share this passion with her fans. “I love the written word, and I’m big on seeing cool words or ideas or concepts and taking them with me and writing songs with them. The way I write is influenced a lot by reading and telling stories and really setting the scene and using a lot of those visual scenes,” revealed the artist in an interview with Dork Magazine.
She communicates with her fans so closely that sayings that she pioneered have now become commonplace among her fans, including ‘girlbossing’ and ‘feral girl summer’
Her diary-entry style songs deal with relatable experiences, such as heartbreak, drunken embarrassment, and carefree moments with her twin sister. She recently released personalised vinyl records for her fans and wished some of them luck with their driving tests – something that Peters mentions struggling with in the title track of her debut album and that fans closely relate to. She communicates with her fans so closely that sayings that she pioneered have now become commonplace among her fans, including ‘girlbossing’ and ‘feral girl summer’. They have also created a meme page in honour of her relatable nature and accessible songs.
@maisiehpeters is the type of girl that’s never gotten over anything that’s ever happened to her and neither have i and that’s why her music speaks to me
— jas signed up for this ? (@gorgemethyd) August 26, 2021
Before releasing a full-length album, Peters was selling out major venues such as London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. She was meant to go on a tour with Niall Horan until the plans were unfortunately cancelled when the pandemic hit. Now, she is headlining her own US tour. “It was a big, screeching halt, and it was really hard at first, but ultimately it meant I could make the album that I’ve made,” she shared with the BBC.
In 2021, Maisie Peters became one of the youngest musicians in history to write and curate a soundtrack, for the critically acclaimed second season of popular TV show, ‘Trying’. The Apple TV+ Original Series soundtrack featured collaborative songs with likes of James Bay and Griff.
Maisie Peters entered a charts battle with Kanye West following the release of her debut album, competing for the number one spot on the UK Official Albums Chart
Having amassed over 4 million monthly listeners and over half a billion global streams, Maisie Peters entered a charts battle with Kanye West following the release of her debut album, competing for the number one spot on the UK Official Albums Chart. Despite fan efforts to get her album to number one, Maisie Peters reached number two, an impressive feat for a young artist’s debut album, nonetheless. She later entered the Official Record Store Chart at number one, creating a stream of tweets from proud fans.
it’s the headline for me https://t.co/F1DqNv9616
— maisie peters signed up for this (@maisiehpeters) September 2, 2021
For now, fans are waiting for a new single called Girls House, which Maisie promised to release if her album reached number one. Maisie Peters is a breakthrough young songwriter, certified girlboss and the artist with the coolest number one ever.
Victoria Mileson
Featured image courtesy of Rich viola via Wikimedia. Image license found here. No changes made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of @maisiehpeters, @taylorswift13 and @gorgemethyd via twitter.com. No changes made to these images.
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