The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection last saw English pop singer/songwriter Maisie Peters in March of 2022, on her completely sold-out debut US tour, which featured a Friday night stop at Theatre of Living Arts. The tour was in support of Peters’ first full-length, You Signed Up for This, which dropped in 2021, courtesy of Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records. She’s basically been on the road ever since, performing as more-or-less the official support act for Sheeran’s stadium shows, in addition to playing many of the world’s biggest festivals and a plethora of headlining shows. However, she did manage to find time to put out The Good Witch, her sophomore LP, which dropped this June and has already spawned hit singles “Body Better” and “Lost The Breakup.” At the moment, Maisie Peters is in the middle of The Good Witch Comes to North America Tour, which kicked off in August at Lollapalooza, where she performed alongside PHILTHY favorites like Magdalena Bay, Dehd, and UPSAHL. Peters is currently making her way back to our neck of the woods, and she’ll be headlining The Fillmore Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 10th for the second-to-last night of her American run. I recently got a chance to catch up with Maisie, who told me about some of the highlights of what she’s been up to in the past year and a half.
Izzy Cihak: This is a pretty huge question, but the last time we spoke was in February of last year, just before you kicked off your You Signed Up for This US tour. What have been a few of the personal highlights since then? You’ve done so much, including releasing a new album, and you’ve kind of been touring nonstop since then.
Maisie Peters: Yes! I’ve been on tour with Ed Sheeran, and we’ve played some amazing shows. We’ve played Wembley Stadium five times, which was unbelievable. So, so cool! I have very fond memories of that. We’ve been to Australia and New Zealand and Asia, which was crazy. Just really all the travel I’ve done and all the places I’ve gotten to play have been amazing.
Izzy: You released your second full-length, The Good Witch, this summer. Have you had any favorite reactions to the new music from fans?
Maisie: Definitely! I’m on tour right now, and I’m seeing all the T-shirts and outfits that fans are creating and designing and bringing and wearing. It’s so cool! I love seeing all the lyric T-shirts that they’re making with their favorite lyrics. It’s so cute!
Izzy: How do you feel like the album compares to You Signed Up for This?
Maisie: I’d like to think of The Good Witch as sort of the older sister. I think they’re still very much of the same family. I just think my second record was a little bit more intentional in the making of. And then I think it’s a little bit more cohesive, and maybe a little bit more grounded in reality. But, again, I’m very proud of both of them. They’re definitely sort of kindred spirits.
Izzy: Your most recent single – if you don’t count the acoustic versions – is “Run,” which dropped when the album did. How did that particular track come about?
Maisie: It came about when I was working with two of my friends, Ines Dunn and Ben Ash, and we’ve all known each other for a long time. We were just sharing stories of various different clown experiences in life and love. It sort of began from a funny story about the plight of modern dating, and it ended up being this whole song. It was a little like Britney Spears, as well, so I was thinking about my favorite Britney songs, and so I think it had a little bit of that energy in it.
Izzy: You also made a really cool music video for the song. How did the concept behind the video come about?
Maisie: We had very limited time, but essentially it was about the journey from clowndom to releasing yourself from your clown self. And it’s set in this forest, so it felt witchy and like you’re running away from some sort of beast or monster, which we did not name, but you can insert whichever man you wish [laughs]. And then about reclaiming your life from your clown status.
Izzy: You kicked off The Good Witch Comes to North America Tour in August. How have the dates been going so far? I know some of them are your biggest US headlining shows yet.
Maisie: It’s been amazing! It’s been so fun! The crowds are amazing every single night. We play to the sweetest people. I love seeing the enthusiasm and love for the music, and the community, as well… everyone making friends and handing out bracelets and taking photos. It’s just so sweet. It feels like a real night, and in every city we go to it’s been like that.
Izzy: What can be expected of the live show this time around, in terms of setlist and production, when you play The Fillmore in October, which is two-and-a-half times the size of TLA, which you played last time you were here?
Maisie: The setlist has definitely changed. There’s a lot of the new album on there. We’ve got lights, we’ve got choreo, to an extent [laughs]. It’s definitely a fun show, for sure. I really try to make it the most fun it could possibly be!
Izzy: I know that you’re giving fans a chance to buy tickets for a mini acoustic set and Q&A before each show. How have they been going?
Maisie: Great! I love being able to have that more intimate experience, and getting to really talk to people. The questions are always so interesting and introspective and smart. I have very smart fans! We play older songs that we don’t play anymore, which is also really fun. I love seeing people be really excited when they figure out what song it is.
Izzy: You’re on the road with Grace Enger, who I also really dig. How did you get hooked up with her, and what are your thoughts on her, both as a musician and as a tourmate?
Maisie: She’s amazing! We love Grace! She’s so good! We have mutual friends, and I’d heard them talk about her music, so I checked it out, and I thought she was so talented. I loved her song “The Neighborhood.” From there, we just sort of became friends. I’m so happy to have her on this tour. She’s the perfect person to tour with. She’s so easygoing and lovely, and her music is amazing. Her voice is incredible.
Izzy: You’ve been playing a ton of festivals throughout the course of the year, both before and since the album dropped, so I’m curious if you’ve gotten to catch any acts that you especially loved on any of them, whether longtime favorites of yours or new discoveries?
Maisie: Well, we’re on the festival circuit with a few people that we see a lot. Holly Humberstone has played loads of the same festivals we’ve played this year, and she’s amazing. I love Holly and she’s a friend of mine, as well. She’s so good, and the joke is that we’ve seen more Holly Humberstone gigs than anyone in the world has [laughs], ‘cause we just always go, whatever festival it is, because we just all love her songs. Holly’s amazing!
Izzy: On a related note, the last time we spoke we talked about some of your favorite albums — including Alright, Still by Lily Allen, Red by Taylor Swift, Pageant Material by Kacey Musgraves, and Beginners by Christian Lee Hutson – so I’m curious what you’ve been listening to a lot of recently?
Maisie: I love Megan Moroney’s album. She’s a country artist in Nashville. I love Megan Moroney; I think she’s amazing. I love Ryan Beatty’s album, Calico. I love that album.
Izzy: You regularly play pretty diverse shows, from these festivals, to these huge stadium shows with Ed, and your headlining shows in pretty huge nightclubs and theatres. How does each type of show compare? Do you approach each type differently?
Maisie: Yeah, for sure. They’re all obviously different. The bigger shows and the smaller shows feel different, but it’s good to play them both. The juxtaposition is good for both of them, I think. The crowds at all of them are really fun, it’s just a different experience.
Izzy: Considering that you’ve done so much touring in the past year-and-a-half/two years, I’m curious if you’ve developed any particularly significant touring rituals, whether certain things you do to keep yourself sane and centered, or just certain things you always make a point to check out when you’re on the road?
Maisie: We love trying to see the places we’re in, and try to get coffee, and try and maybe shop a little bit, and just look around. We’re big on coffee, I’m sure most touring crews are [laughs]. And we all just look after each other, and sometimes there’s phases of exercise and sometimes there’s less phases of exercise [laughs]. But everyone’s great. We’re all like a family, so we just hang out a lot, basically. It’s a lot of hanging out [laughs].
Izzy: Finally, you have a ton of upcoming dates that, as of right now, are running through next March, that have you playing all around the world. Are there any shows you’re especially excited about?
Maisie: I’ve got two shows I’m excited for. One of them is next year. We’re playing in Bristol on Halloween, and we’re playing in Paris on Valentine’s Day. So, I’m excited for those two shows!
Izzy: Can fans at those shows expect a special night, or something a little bit different?
Maisie: We’ll see! We’ll have to see…
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