'Before the Bloom': Maisie Peters’ Journey from Heartbreak to Hope in Brussels

Maisie Peters and her band on stage at La Madeleine (Brussels) on March 16th 2026. Picture by @macainconcerts

Every new era has its origin story. For Maisie Peters, it traces back to 'There It Goes', a song from her previous album 'The Good Witch' that she now credits as the foundation for her upcoming record Florescence, set for release on 15 May 2026.

The 25-year-old British singer-songwriter made her debut in 2021 with 'You Signed Up for This', after being signed by Ed Sheeran to his label Gingerbread Man Records. Praised by the likes of Taylor Swift — who invited her to join the record-breaking The Eras Tour in 2024 — as well as Coldplay, Noah Kahan and Conan Gray, she has quickly built a reputation as one of the most promising voices in modern pop songwriting. Following a sold-out show in Ghent in 2024, she arrived in Brussels with her ‘Before the Bloom’ tour — a concise 75-minute set (with well-chosen opener Essence Martins) that offered a telling introduction to this new chapter, while paying homage to the songs that laid its foundation.

“Florescence' is all about being hopeful, about being in love… but those who have been here for a long time know that wasn’t really my vibe — I was more about throwing a man into the river”, Maisie Peters told the Belgian crowd with a cheeky smile, just before performing ‘Volcano’ from her debut album. Certainly, she is in a much better place personally than with her first two records, yet as she explained at La Madeleine, even though she has moved on from writing about heartbreak, disillusionment, and learning her worth as a woman, “I will never stray from songs that make you want to crash your car.”

The setlist was carefully curated to pave the way for 'Florescence'. It began with her younger self in a small town in England, desperate to leave and see the world (‘Place We Were Made’), followed by a reflection eight years later, when she longed to return home to her loved ones and step off a life that had begun to feel rushed and purposeless (‘Audrey Hepburn’).

For her most devoted fans, the night included classics such as ‘Lost the Breakup’, ‘John Hughes Movie’, and ‘History of Man’, as well as a rare performance of ‘Yoko’ — a treat for the Belgian audience, not performed since the Australian tour earlier this year. Even the unreleased material, including ‘Vampire Time’ about the beginnings of her new relationship, was met with enthusiastic sing-alongs, proving the crowd already knew every word, to Maisie’s disbelief.

The peak of the night came with the finale: Maisie teaching the audience to dance to her latest single, ‘My Regards’, joining forces with her keyboard player, and sending the crowd into pure joy. “Brussels, you made me feel as if you had been waiting for me! … I will be back.”

With that, the night ended on a high note, leaving no doubt that this is just the beginning of a confident, playful, and emotionally rich chapter for Maisie Peters, one that promises to carry her fans along for every step of the journey.