Maisie Peters: “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is basically the only hope for our future” | My Life in 20
11 March 2021, 14:58
Maisie Peters takes a trip down memory lane and shares her hopes for the future in My Life in 20.
Maisie Peters wears her influences on her sleeve and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess who inspired her latest single ‘John Hughes Movie’.
It's the first single from her soon-to-be announced debut album and hints at an exciting new era for the London based artist. Referencing Regina George's Burn Book and Ariana Grande's 'Thank U, Next', as well as Hughes, the video for 'John Hughes Movie' adds a distinctive UK flavour to the American director's iconic teen movie oeuvre (if you didn't get drunk on vodka and coke and embarrass yourself at a house party when you were 15, did you even grow up in the UK?) and ends with a gruesome, bloody twist.
Describing how she wrote the song, Maisie explained: "I wrote ‘John Hughes Movie’ when I was 17 about a house party that I had gone to. It’s a really honest depiction of being a hopeless, melodramatic teenager, being awkward and drunk and getting your heart broken by people you don’t even remember anymore. John Hughes films encapsulate that foolish romantic energy of high school and everything that I, a small town English wannabe Molly Ringwald wanted to be, but was not.”
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To celebrate the release of 'John Hughes Movie', we asked Maisie to take a trip down memory lane and answer our My Life in 20 questions. Read her answers below.
Maisie Peters - John Hughes Movie (Official Video)
20) What did you learn about yourself in 2020?
That I’m a better cook than I thought I was. That I am way more self-sufficient than I thought was, and that I love and would dearly miss morning train journeys.
19) What was your favourite album from 2019?
Dermot Kennedy’s album Without Fear became really important to me, and I also loved the Bon Iver album i,i. And shoutout to Lover also, obviously mainly for 'Death By A Thousand Cuts'.
18) What was the most important thing to happen in your life when you were 18?
Probably moving to London into a spirit channeller’s spare room in her attic. That whole year I bounced from place to place, travel suitcase in hand, and that was inadvertently very formative in discovering what makes home.
17: Who was your crush at 17?
I would have to say Patrick Dempsey in Greys Anatomy (the blueprint) or Henry from The Secret History (sucker for a smart sociopath with curly hair, what can I say).
16) What can you remember about your 16th birthday?
Very little! I think I went to Laser Quest with my twin sister and her boyfriend at the time, and I think we still have a family photo from it stuck to our fridge, which is maybe the most iconic piece of photography in recent history.
15) What did you hate at 15 which you love now?
Nothing! 15-year-old me was elite in her unabashed love of everything she wanted to love, and I think everyone has aged pretty well. In reversal, I remember loving some pretty interesting jeggings which I think I would maybe hard pass on these days.
14) What TV show were you obsessed with at 14?
I loved 10 Things I Hate About You the TV show, which is criminally underrated and undiscussed. They never made a second season but it was perfect, and I was obsessed.
13) 13 is unlucky for some. Do you have anything that you’re superstitious about?
I’m superstitious when it comes to talking about anything going well (it’s the realist in me), so I’m constantly saying “touch wood” and on the lookout for a hardwood surface. I’ve even started texting it, which I think is too far maybe. Before shows, I also have to do a secret handshake with my whole band, and on my last tour I had a pair of fake snakeskin boots that I was convinced were lucky so I wore them every night.
12) If you could live the life of any other person for 12 hours, who would you be?
AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), because she is so inspiring and basically the only hope for our future, and I’d love to walk around in her shoes just to see how she does it.
11) Who was your best friend when you were 11?
A girl called Annie, who is still one of my best friends; she works in a primary school and we call as often as we can to talk about her students and my attempt at being a popstar, she is the best.
10) Where do you hope you'll be in ten years’ time?
In a living room surrounded by watercolour art, nice throw cushions, a window facing East so I can see beautiful sunrises, a couple of cats, a couple more guitars, and a couple more albums under my belt. Happy.
9) What was your biggest fear when you were 9?
Spiders? And I still haven’t faced that fear, I will be 80 and still phoning friends asking them to please remove them.
8) When you were 8, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A teacher, because I like the sound of my own voice and feeling self-important – so, in a way, I feel like I really smashed that one.
7) Which of the seven deadly sins are you most guilty of?
Envy, but I’m spending less time on Instagram and more time on watercolour renaissance painting Pinterest and I think that is definitely helping.
6) You can invite six people to your dream dinner party (dead or alive), who would you invite?
Taylor Swift, Anne Boleyn, Wendy Cope, my past, present and future self.
Maisie Peters - John Hughes Movie (Behind The Scenes)
5) Name five things you can't live without.
My glasses, my guitar, my earphones, a strong hairband, wise friends in other continents who pick up my phone calls.
4) Describe yourself in four words.
Shorter than the average.
3) Your top three songs of all time.
‘One Of Us’ by ABBA, ‘Between Me and You’ by Brandon Flowers, and the last song I wrote…
2) Can you love two people at the same time?
Yes, but differently - I’m not sure though, ask me again in a couple years.
1) What or who is your one true love?
Music.
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