Inspired #437 - Mae Stephens
With over 500 million streams - Mae Stephens lets her intrusive thoughts loose on her new single 'Tiny Voice'.
‘Tiny Voice’ sees Mae share the thoughts in her mind that she struggles to keep locked away, from the desires to eat parts of a chemistry set, to a compulsion to draw penises on a toilet wall - all those things which divert your mind from emotions or tasks that you don’t want to face… but ones that you regret as soon as you do them.
Mae’s towering, effortlessly cool voice is the figurehead of a song which makes every element of the song as addictive as possible. That opening bassline takes such five seconds to embed itself in your mind, the beat provides an instant earworm, and Mae’s forthright hook is so catchy it’ll become meme-able seconds after its release.
Mae took a moment to talk to us about the inspirations behind her music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
Remi Wolf, Sigrid and Meghan Trainor. Purely because I love their music….Remi always has those scream in the car songs, Sigrid got me through my childhood bullying and will always be remembered as the songs I sang with my mum. Meghan is truly just an icon with an ear for insane music!
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
I remember sitting in a cinema in Blackpool when I was a kid watching interstellar for the first time and feeling so overwhelmed with emotions because of how incredible the soundtrack was. that’s where I really fell in love with the emotions that music can give you or memories that music can resurface.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
Funnily enough I actually find where I live truly inspiring. I find big cities or busy areas so irritating. I live in a quiet village surrounded by fields and nature. My most inspiring moments come from my evening walk and I have one particular spot I have to stop and look at the view. Life is so hectic that I find so much peace and inspiration in a simple view of the sunset over a field near my house.
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
Defiantly my Nan. She was truly a good soul though and through. She taught me to love music and what it gives you, she used to sing to me when I was a kid and in those moments nothing else mattered at all. I aspire to live as kind and giving as my nan.
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
The tiny voice in my brain… I wish I was joking….i always imagine this tiny voice is a person trying to mess with me constantly. Like a tiny little kid sat on my shoulder giggling at the word “boobs”.
How would you like to inspire people?
If you truly want to become a musician… GO FOR IT! I was bullied pretty much most of my school years for my music. People would get my old YouTube videos up on the board and laugh at me while they played. It truly broke me down and I almost lost sight of the end goal. School can be brutal and even though I’m 22 I still feel it now. If you want to become an artist, performer, actor, singer etc…do it. School doesn’t define who you are, they do not define who you are….you do….
