WOMEN WE LOVE: Maisie Peters

Rising to fame after signing with Ed Sheeran’s label, Gingerbread Man Records, for her second album The Good Witch, Maisie Peters became the youngest British female solo artist to reach the top of the U.K. album charts in almost 10 years. With The Good Witch now being certified silver in the U.K., Let's take a look back at her career to see how far she has come in honor of her achievement!

Growing up in Steyning, a small town in West Sussex, England, she began singing around 8 years old, steadily writing songs at 12, and performing them on the streets of Brighton at 15. She independently released her first single, "Place We Were Made", in the Summer of 2017, following it up with “Birthday”. "Place We Were Made" was named BBC Introducing Song of the Week the following year, gaining her attention from Atlantic Records U.K.. After signing with them, she went on to release two EPs; Dressed Too Nice For A Jacket and It’s Your Bed Babe, It’s Your Funeral.

In 2021, she went on to write and perform the entire soundtrack for the Apple TV+ show, “Trying” before leaving Atlantic Records to sign with Ed Sheeran's new label. In August of the same year, she released her debut album, You Signed Up For This, which went to #2 on the U.K. Albums Chart. The album featured hits such as the upbeat anthem “Psycho” and the nostalgic song “John Hughes Movie”. She set out on her first headlining tour the following year, traveling across the United States after previously opening for Tom Walker and Mahalia.

Over the course of 2022, she released multiple fun, confidence-boosting singles, including “Not Another Rockstar”, “Blonde”, and “Cate’s Brother”. 2023 marked the start of her The Good Witch Era, with the vulnerable single “Body Better” being released in January. The upbeat pop song touches on feeling insecure regarding your body after comparing yourself to your ex’s new partner. “Lost The Breakup”, the second single which came out in April, is the complete opposite of “Body Better”, with its themes exploring self-love, rebuilding, and empowerment. The full album, which she noted as a "twisted version of a breakup album", came out in July, hitting #1 on the U.K. charts. The album takes inspiration from Greek mythology, referencing The Iliad, Helen of Troy, and Icarus, while also naming-checking well-known pop culture figures like Syd Barrett, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Bruce Wayne, and Michael Cera. The deluxe version of the album was released in October, including 6 new tracks that seem to have a Taylor Swift influence. Maisie has stated in the past that she is a massive fan of hers, as well as Girls Aloud, Lily Allen, Fall Out Boy, and Arctic Monkeys.

In 2023, Peters was the first recipient of the Rolling Stone U.K. Breakthrough Award and went on to tour her second album throughout the rest of the year and into 2024.

So what’s next for Maisie Peters? She’s currently working on her 3rd album (which she alludes to as "MP3"), she’s opening for Coldplay this Summer on their Music of the Spheres World Tour, Noah Kahn next, and Conan Grey this fall. Stay tuned!