From the English countryside, rising singer-songwriter Maisy Kay blends pop and 2000s EDM on her debut EP Wonderlust: The Dawn, released on May 13, 2024. Following the success of her singles “Distance” (2017), “The Storm” (2020), and “Mascara Tears” (2021), Maisy’s talent and light voice are rising within the music industry. Accompanied by a fantasy, video-game influenced aesthetic, Wonderlust: The Dawn’s six tracks follow Kay’s journey of love and discovering herself with all these changes.
Your musical journey is really interesting. You were discovered at ten, by the local news?
Yeah, I got in the local papers when I was ten for a musical I had wrote. Then, that sort of started the whole thing.
What type of music were you into at that time?
I really loved Freddie Mercury, Queen. I grew up with a lot of Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion on my mom’s side. It was really interesting, I didn’t really listen to pop music until high school. It was all older stuff or musical theater.
What kind of songs were you writing at the time?
Well, the play was about a dragon. It wasn’t very relatable, it was fantastical and other worldly I suppose.
You moved to the U.S. when you were fourteen. How did you deal with anxiety that came with it?
I think it helped that I knew [my parents and I] were going to pursue a dream of mine, and that I had the best shot. I was nervous, but mainly really excited. And I coped, I would play a lot of Xbox with my friends back home. It was a way to connect, so I played loads of Xbox.
What were some of your favorite games?
Back then, we really liked Mass Effect. I did a lot of Call of Duty: Black Ops, funnily enough. I was a big Call Of Duty girl.
How has your creative writing process changed from when you first started to now?
I think now I trust myself a lot more. Before I spent a lot of time really overthinking whether something was good enough to the point where I couldn’t really enjoy it that much. It took away from the fun of it. I think now I’m a lot better at committing, finishing it, and just seeing it through without overanalyzing. ‘Is this good enough?’ ‘Is this melody catchy enough?’ I think I just have a bit more fun with it now.
Do you have any ideas in mind before writing or do you go with the flow?
I normally have some sort of idea. There have been times where I know I want to write something, but I have no idea what. Then, I’ll mess around on the piano and hope something comes.
What was your vision of success when you first moved here?
Well, I definitely wanted to perform for a lot of people. I wanted to get to have my own tour one day. I always thought that would be really exciting. I obviously hoped that my music would essentially do well enough that I could take care of myself. It was never ‘Oh I need to be the next global superstar,’ because that’s a lot of pressure. I would drive myself crazy with that amount of pressure. But definitely to a point where I can do this for a job. It doesn’t just have to be for fun, this can be my job because I love it so much. I think that’s honestly still my idea of success, just being able to love all the time.
That’s a really good outlook. A lot of artists, not only musicians, lack your outlook. They tend to do it for the success.
Yeah, you forget sometimes. You get so caught up in wanting things to be hooky and popular that it takes away from what really matters. The creative process and how fun it’s supposed to be.
Earlier you mentioned touring, last year you toured with JVKE. What was your best experience?
I think honestly, the first night was a huge moment for me. I had never performed to a crowd of that size, I had never been on tour before, and I was so convinced no one would like me. I was really nervous. I was like ‘No one is going to know who I am. No one’s going to care. It’s not going to be good enough.’ And then I went out, and instantly everyone was so into it. I was so surprised. I thought I was going to hate touring and I was so hard on myself every night. It was one of those things where I went out on the stage and I realized ‘Oh, no I love this.’ I was so relieved. I didn’t suck. So that was probably one of the highlight for me, that first night. Just proving myself wrong and getting to enjoy it.
One of my favorite things about going to concerts is seeing the openers’ reaction to the crowd. It’s really beautiful to watch.
It was amazing. So many people knew my songs, and I didn’t think anyone would know them. But they actually took the time to learn them, it was so cool.
You’re touring with Tori Kelly at the end of the year. How did that come about?
Funnily enough, it came on a day where I was stressing about how I’d never book a tour again, and I was so terrible and such a failure. I was crying to my partner about it. I was like ‘I feel like I’ve just let everyone down,’ and then later that same day I got told about the tour on the phone. It was so funny, it was literally hours later. It was perfect timing.
How has it been since the release of your EP, Wanderlust: The Dawn?
It’s been really lovely. It’s been wonderful seeing all the feedback to it. It’s really new music for me. I’ve never really written anything like this. I’d never put out a love song, I’d never thought I’d put out an EP full of love songs. But they came from a very genuine place which is what I love about it. It’s the most authentic I feel I’ve ever been, and I wasn’t trying to make a hit. I was just someone that was feeling all these positive emotions really for the first time, and I wanted to talk about it. It’s nice when people connect to it, because it is so authentic and I didn’t have to try very hard which was incredible. I’m not used to it.
The aesthetic is very pretty. How did you choose what to go with?
I always knew it would have a sort of dreamy, angelic colors, because I wanted to represent falling in love, the dreaminess of it. I called it “Wonderlust,” because I couldn’t find a good enough word to describe my own feelings. So I thought ‘Well, I’ll make one up.’ I definitely still wanted it to feel fantasy and whimsical, but I always knew it would be a lot of lavender and dreamy lighter periwinkle blues. That was always very clear in my mind.
What songs almost didn’t make it on the EP?
“Heaven With You” almost didn’t make it, because it wasn’t finished until a couple of months before we released it. It was one of those where I started it, and just left it like that, half finished. The track list was done. I kept being like ‘Eventually, I’m going to write the rest of this song and we’ll add it to the track list.’ But the months kept coming, and I was not finishing that song. I ended up finishing it on the music video for “Sunlight.” Funnily enough, it was a real piano and I wrote the second verse and second pre-chorus out of shoot in between takes. That almost didn’t make it on just because it wasn’t done.
That’s a really cool story! Do you think you would try and make an EP out of the other songs that didn’t make it? Or are you planning new music and going an entirely different route?
That’s a really good question actually. Let’s say that there are definitely more songs from this era to come very soon.
How have you retained your British accent after all these years? It’s easy for people to lose it, especially when they’re younger.
Oh, that’s funny. It’s really interesting, because every time I go back to England my friends always say how American I sound and make fun of me. They’re like ‘Oh, you sound awful.’ So in England, it’s not as impressive, but I think mainly if I catch myself going too American. Which I will, when I go ‘sure’. It’s always the r’s that get me. So if I catch myself doing it, I try to actively work on reeling it back in and keeping it all British. It definitely helps that both my parents came with me to America so I was always surrounded by them.
Do you have any fun traditions that you started here that you would bring back home?
I would bring a Michael’s and a Barnes and Noble to England. Definitely. I love going into Michael’s and craft shopping. I don’t really feel like there’s a place in England that I ever saw that was like that and felt fun. I’d love to bring that and a Barnes and Noble over. I think that would be cool. I love going there.
Going back to the music you listened to as a child. You said you discovered pop music in high school. Were you given a list by friends or did you branch out into the genre on your own?
It was definitely from my friends. I distinctly remember it, because someone told me about “TikTok’ by Kesha. I was so scared, I had never heard anything like that in my life. I was like ‘Wait, this is what’s on the radio right now? That’s crazy.’ “TikTok” is a banger. I definitely didn’t appreciate it as much as I should’ve at the time. I still very vividly remember it happening.
That era of pop music was phenomenal. What artists are you listening to currently?
I just got really into Chappell Roan. She’s really fun. My friend is a huge Swiftie, so I’ve been listening to more Taylor Swift songs because of her influence. Shoutout to Paige! I’ve always loved Adele.
If you could write a song for a score or soundtrack for any tv show or film, what would it be?
Is it cheating if I say a video game?
Anything you want.
I would love to sing in Skyrim. It’s my favorite video game of all time. I’ve always thought of how awesome it would be to get to work on that.
If you could have one artist, living or dead, be your music teacher, who would you choose?
Well, I have to go with Freddie Mercury. He’s always been my idol. My cat, Freddie, is named after him. I feel like it would be wrong of me not to say Freddie Mercury at this point.
Do you think at some point later in your career you would choose to do a documentary or biopic like Bohemian Rhapsody?
Oh, wow that would be very cool! I’m not sure if anyone would be interested in that about me. But in theory, if the opportunity came around I would be open to it. As long as my cat got a very big cameo. He’s the real star.
Going back to your creative vision when you came to the U.S.. Do you have one in mind for where you’ll be in the next ten years?
Yeah, I’ve always said I do eventually want to go back to England. Or maybe live more between the two, and go back and forth because I do miss it so much. Here [L.A.] is great for the industry, but in an ideal world I think I’d probably come back and forth between California and somewhere in England. I miss it a lot. I miss it a lot.
