In the opening track of her newly released third studio album, “Florescence,” Maisie Peters references a viral moment focused on her singing.

The track is called “Mary Jane’s” and the lyric is linked to Peters’ performance as an opener for the record-breaking Eras Tour in London. Many online criticized how Peters sings and attacked her credibility as an artist.

“Sometimes when I sing, I get the big note wrong. The teenagers held onto that all summer long,” sang Peters.

How well of a singer an artist boils down to preference. In an industry where we have access to many artists with powerful voices, where do we make room for artists who simply want to voice a story?

Peters’ artistic style is a mix of whimsy-acoustic pop, sprinkled with lyrics that illustrate physical elements of her experiences.

In 2023, her song “History of Man” gained positive attention on TikTok.

In the track, Peters uses Greek mythology figure Helen of Troy, and biblical characters Samson and Delilah to symbolize the patriarchal norm of blaming women.

The highlight of this song is inarguably the bridge, which Peters sings:

“He stole her youth and promised heaven / The men start wars yet Troy hates Helen / Women’s hearts are lethal weapons / Did you hold mine and feel threatened? / Hear my lyrics, taste my venom / You are still my great obsession”

Similar to “History of Man,” her songs “Wendy” and “Yoko” use feminine figures to relate to her relationships.

Aside from opening for Taylor Swift, Peters has opened for other artists like Noah Kahan, Conan Gray, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.

Peters talked about the experience on the Inherited Podcast, where she mentioned a medical issue at the time.

“I’d actually had vocal polyps like six months before,” said Peters.

Vocal polyps are similar to blisters, and develop on the vocal cords. The condition is common in singers, but requires weeks to months of healing.

On her TikTok video posted of her performance on August 19, 2024, users took the comment section as an opportunity to leave negative comments.

“I’d lowkey need some kind of compensation for this,” said one TikTok user.

I believe her voice is soft in all of her songs, nothing standout, but nothing bad. The highlight of Peters’ talent is her pen game – and that is okay.

“Florescence” brings a flowery, mellow tone to Peters’ discography, compared to “The Good Witch,” her second studio album, which is more pop based.

A standout track from “Florescence” is the song “Flat Earther.” I admit, the title caught me off guard during my first listen, but the lyrics were clever enough to make me forget.

“I loved you like a flat earther / So deluded, no looking back / I was flying in the face of science / But it sure was something, believing like that”

Rolling Stone described that difference as “a significant tonal shift,” noting her songwriting has “long thrived in emotional chaos, but this record feels much calmer.”

For me, I’m drawn to artists who write their emotions in a way that builds connection – who hold a pen on fire like Gracie Abrams and Lizzy McAlpine. Their music is their way with words.