With 500 million+ streams for a catalogue that includes the global mega hit ‘If We Ever Broke Up’, Mae Stephens has achieved a Top 15 UK single, Gold certification in both the UK and US, and #1 chart positions in Japan and China. Time for another mega Mae hit to strike?
‘Tiny Voice’ sees Mae Stephens share the intrusive thoughts in her mind that she struggles to keep locked away, from an illogical desire 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 wrote ‘Tiny Voice’ with Pablo Bowman (Louis Tomlinson, Anne-Marie) and the track’s Grammy-winning producerLostboy (Sabrina Carpenter, Calvin Harris).
The success of ‘If We Ever Broke Up’ saw Mae Stephens embraced by big names across the global artist community, from live shows with BLACKPINK, P!NK and Tom Grennan to collaborations with Meghan Trainor, The Chainsmokers and Alok.
It’s a far cry from her schooldays, where she was bullied for her ADHD. Music provided her escape from that nightmare. It provided another escape years later too, when her songs and TikTok virality resulted in a record deal that meant she could leave her day job in a supermarket behind.
‘Tiny Voice’ is Mae’s second new track this year after ‘Woah Man!’, an anthem for female empowerment.
We caught up with Mae as she talks about her latest single and more!
How has the release of Tiny Voice gone down with fans so far?
It’s been amazing! So many people have reached out to say the song speaks to them — and to their own ‘Tiny Voice’.
So the song is about intrusive thoughts, is this something you wanted to get across that it’s okay to have these thoughts?
Our brains have two sides — like every hero/villain story, there’s both good and bad. I’m not condoning the thoughts that cause pain or distress, but Tiny Voice is really about those silly little brain farts we all have. The goofy, impulsive stuff our minds randomly conjure up.
You’ve mentioned before that you were bullied at school for ADHD, how important do you think music is to cope with this?
Music is therapy — I can’t say it any simpler than that. I was once told that even the most emotional scenes — like two lovers kissing or someone passing into the next life — wouldn’t hit as hard without music. I believe that wholeheartedly.
We connect music to emotions, memories, and healing. For a little girl questioning her worth — wondering if she was even worth hanging out with — music gave me peace. It told me: you are who you are, and that’s more than enough.
How important do you think anti-bullying campaigns are and do you think there’s more that needs to be done?
Bullying is something I absolutely cannot stand — I could go on a full rant about how infuriating it is. A lot of mine happened inside school grounds. You’re basically locked in for 5-6 years with kids you don’t know, forced to make friends, and if things go wrong, you’re stuck.
Schools definitely need to update their bullying policies. Half the time, my bullies would get a one-day suspension or isolation — it’s just not enough. There’s a growing lack of real consequences.
And now with social media, bullying has moved to a whole new level. Kids join these platforms young, and in a world that overshares everything, it’s easy for bullying to go unnoticed — or worse, accepted.
Kids don’t speak up. I didn’t. We need safe spaces to talk, and the confidence that something will actually be done when we do. Without that, what outlet do we have?
If you could work with an artist or band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Honestly, I’d love to work with Meghan Trainor again — she’s such an icon!
But lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of CHINCHILLA, and it would be epic to collaborate with her. She’s got such a sick style and a phenomenal voice.
What’s next for you? Are you looking at an EP/Album?
Maybe… maybe not. Right now, I’m focused on putting out a few more singles and building up a solid tracklist. But yeah — I’ve got big plans for one someday!
What would be your dream venue or festival to play at and why?
The Royal Albert Hall — with a full orchestra. That’s always been the dream. My grandad used to talk about hearing me perform there, and I fully intend to keep that promise.