Maisie Peters joined NME backstage at Reading 2026 to talk about her third album ‘Florescence’, her evolution, and her 2027 headline show at The O2.
READ MORE: Maisie Peters – ‘Florescence’ review: a singer-songwriter in full bloom
The singer-songwriter performed on the festival’s main stage, now called The Grid, this afternoon (August 29) – performing what she described as a “megamix” of songs from across her discography.
“It feels like yesterday, and it feels like a million years ago [that I was last here], but that was such a special performance,” she reflected on her last Reading appearance – a surprise set on the now defunct BBC Introducing stage. “That was the day my first album came out. So to be back here on my third album feels very full circle and also very cool to be on the main stage.
“It’s such an honour, and there are so many cool artists on today – Raye, Jade, Slayyyter. So I’m in great company, and I’m honoured to be here.”
Maisie Peters live at Reading 2026. Credit: James Klug/Redferns
Peters’ third album ‘Florescence’ arrived in May, with NME saying in a four-star review: “‘Florescence’’s title refers to the process of flowering, and on the record, you can hear Peters go through her own blossoming.”
“It’s very representative of that time [in my life],” the artist said today. “I think those three albums, especially the second and third, I wrote very intentionally. I really wanted to document and chronicle my exact life in the year-and-a-half that I wrote each album, and with ‘Florescence’, I was in a much more grounded place.”
She continued: “I think sonically, lyrically, you can really hear that in the album. I was falling in love, and I was at home for the first time in four years because I’d been touring and travelling, and I couldn’t have made that album without first feeling that sense of calm and stability. As a result, I think the music really reflects that.”
‘Florescence’ is Peters’ first record to feature other artists, with collaborations with Julia Michaels and Marcus Mumford. She explained why now was the right time to open up her world to other artists, saying: “Like a lot of artists, you want your debut to be purely you. ‘The Good Witch’, it was just made in such a speed that I don’t really remember much else, apart from just racing to get mixes finished and deliver it.
“‘Florescence’ was the first time where I had more time. And when you have more time, there’s more room for thinking about different ideas. With both of those songs (‘Kingmaker’ and ‘If You Let Me’), they came from writing sessions with Julia and Marcus, and that was something I could do with more time. I got to experiment and be in a room with people that you normally wouldn’t get to be in rooms with because of schedules and timelines and all that.”
Michaels, in particular, is one of Peters’ musical heroes, and a songwriter whose music she grew up listening to. “She was supporting Niall Horan, and I went to his show to watch Julia Michaels,” she shared. “Sorry, Niall Horan! I watched his show, too, but I’ve always loved her from such a young age, and she’s always been such an influence on me.
“The way that I make music – I would not make it without having listened to and known Julia. So getting to write together was a dream come true. And then when the song was good, it was even better. When we wrote the song, she texted and was like, ‘I love the song. If you ever want me to be on it, I would love to be on it.’ I said, ‘Julia, hold that thought. Get in the booth.’”
On the live stage, Peters ticked off another dream in June, taking ‘Florescence’ to Nashville’s storied Grand Ole Opry. “I’m a huge country music fan, and I’ve watched so many YouTube videos of people playing at the Opry,” she said. “To get to be on the stage and jump in the circle was just so cool. The house band are amazing – they learned all my songs. It’s so crazy to turn up to a show and soundcheck, and all the musicians have learned your songs without you being there.”
Maisie Peters live at Reading 2026. Credit: James Klug/Redferns
‘Florescence’ was made in Nashville, and Peters commented: “If you told me at the beginning of going to Nashville and making the album that I’d be playing ‘You Then Me Now’ at the Opry, I would have been gagged.”
Peters’ next major milestone will come in 2027 when she headlines London’s The O2 for the first time. The singer-songwriter hesitated to describe the upcoming show as a bucket list moment – but only “because I don’t even know if, when I was making a bucket list at 16, I would have even thought to put that on there”. “It’s going to be so crazy, but I literally can’t fathom it,” she smiled. “You’ll have to ask me again in three to four months when I actually have to start fathoming it. I’ll be fathoming soon.”
Asked what special plans she has for the show so far, she teased: “I’ll probably be on horseback. There’ll probably be a lot of horses – real horses. We might just take out the stage and just do the horses, and then the horse is going to ascend, just like the Ariana Grande show.”
Reading 2026 continues today with performances from Dave, Raye, Gunna, Viagra Boys, Sombr, Jade, Radio Free Alice and more.
Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Reading & Leeds 2026.
The post Maisie Peters talks third album ‘Florescence’ and upcoming The O2 headline show at Reading 2026: “I literally can’t fathom it” appeared first on NME.
