Glad Rags: Maeve on Her Evolving Style
Get your glad rags on gang! Glad Rags is a column where we chat to some of our favourite musician's about their best garms. This week we're joined by alternative electronic pop singer-songwriter Maeve ahead of her new single Can We Just Get High?
How important is clothing to you for a stage presence?
Every visual aspect of my art is intentional so yes, for me it’s really important. I do all of my own styling for my live shows myself and I search for outfits that will fit with the stories that I am telling but that can also move well with the way that I move.
Do you have a different style on stage compared to off stage?
I would say that it’s the same style but a more exaggerated and theatrical version. I think of writing songs and performing like I am writing a movie - I am obsessed with transporting people to different worlds and I think of that a lot with my styling on and off stage.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___
Do you think image is important for musicians wanting to be successful?
I think it’s important for people to know who you are, your truth and what you believe in and that is essentially your “image” - every artist has one whether they like it or not. Personally, I’m a very obsessive person, I become fixated with time periods, films, and different characters and that bleeds into every way that I live my life.
Who are some of your style inspirations as an artist?
Like music genres, I love so many different styles and eras. I think my first inspirations came from women in my family. My grandmother used to make me the most creative and beautiful costumes for me when I was younger. I was obsessed with dressing up and collected all different kinds of hats. Then I remember discovering Grace Jones when I saw the cover of “Nightclubbing” in a shop and I was mesmerised by it. Her style is so theatrical and playful and she is forever a style inspiration for me.
What is your favourite piece of clothing to wear on stage and why?
I don’t have a favourite piece of clothing but I’ve got a favourite colour to wear on stage - red. I think it’s a very powerful, theatrical and sensual colour and it feels right with the stories I’m telling.
What is your favourite piece of clothing to wear offstage and why?
I am very much still obsessed with headwear. A lot of my favourite pieces come from that collection. To name a few, I have a really pretty cream bonnet, a bright green sailor hat that I got on tour in Edinburgh and my vintage pillbox hats. I love pairing the hats with outfits that shouldn’t really go together: like a pill box hat and a hoodie.
How has your style evolved alongside your journey as an artist?
Just like my sound, my style has definitely evolved a huge amount. It’s always been playful and I’ve always tried to be innovative but it’s become more confident. I am more sure of what I like and what I don’t like and I have found power within the more feminine sides of me as well.
What advice would you give someone struggling to find their image as an artist?
When I’ve personally felt lost it’s been when I’ve listened to too many people’s opinions. There is a lot of noise out there. And when it comes to your art, the artist knows best. The industry puts a lot of pressure on artists to be a brand and find their image, but I think that it cannot come from anyone but the artist themselves and that people can feel if something is constructed. Trends come and go, be yourself, you will project who you are and enough people will fuck with it
Do you think there is too much emphasis placed on artists’ personal style in the age of social media?
I don’t think there is too much emphasis on personal style in the age of social media but there is definitely a massive pressure to keep churning out content in the hopes that something will become viral. I think social media can actually be a great form of self expression and a way to add colour to the world that that you create and for me styling is important so that bleeds through. When the content overtakes the music in importance that is a real problem for me.
