If your New Year’s resolution includes setting boundaries, Mae Stephens has written your new alt-pop anthem, “Done With U.”
The defiant track marks a bold reintroduction for the Gold-Certified British songstress, who first captured global attention with her breakout hit “If We Ever Broke Up.” Now 22, Stephens continues to write candidly from personal experience, unafraid to tell it exactly how it is.
The single arrives alongside an equally unapologetic—and cheeky—music video directed by Willow Hazell. Set within a satirical talent-show format, the visual finds Stephens confronted by contestants pushing their luck for her attention, with little success.
On the latest episode of The Juice Box Sessions podcast, we sat down with Stephens to discuss collaborating with Billen Ted (Becky Hill, Joel Corry, Wes Nelson), her advice on protecting your peace, and what’s next in this exciting new era.
Excerpt from the podcast (This interview has been edited for clarity)
JUICE BOX PRESS: Who do we have to thank for inspiring your new single “Done With U”?
MAE STEPHENS: What’s really funny—so I wrote it with the amazing Billen Ted. It was a great session, but it really started as just, like, a song in a session, and then more came to relevance. But it started as a in the session and then really gained relevance with a few of my friends recently. So the funny sort of side of it is, I mean, it’s got a deeper meaning about having the going through the process of understanding that it’s okay to cut someone off and that you’re okay and valid to go, actually, I don’t have to deal with this. And so a lot of it actually came from relations of me at school, where I didn’t have the nerve—let alone, you know, the backbone—to turn around and go, actually, we can’t be friends. But the whole relationship side of it just hit relevance with a few of my friends and a couple of things that were going on in their life. And then it just became, like, the perfect release. I have not had so much fun recording a video, doing a song, just promoting this, because I feel like, as well, it’s such a 180 from what I would usually do. I’m calling it my Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” moment. I love it. But yeah, it really does have that deeper meaning, and especially we’re calling this hour the curse of the empath, because as a kid I would take so much grief from my friends and then just go, “It’s fine. They’re going through a rough time,” or, “It’s okay.” Like, I get it. You know, people lash out when they’re angry, but not really understanding the deeper side of, no—actually, they’re just a bad person, or they’re just doing bad things, and you at your expense. And so, yeah, it’s also been a learning curve for me, like now as well, and reminding myself that I don’t have to tolerate it if it’s not good for me. And I have the power, as a fully grown adult—still can’t believe that’s a thing—to say no.
JUICE BOX PRESS: What inspired the concept for the music video, and what was it like to work with Willow to life?
MAE STEPHENS: I mean, Willow is just a character and a half. They are the most incredible person, and I just remember them telling me about this video, and I was sat there like, how is this going to work? Like, originally, I think the horse was going to be a poodle, and like, there was a few other changes. But then, when they turned around and was like, yeah, we’ve—we’ve got thisthis person who can put a firework up there, and like, it’ll be really funny. And like, I just remember sat there going, okay, so it’s not just dipping my toes in the water. I’m gonna throw myself straight in the lake. Yeah. And I obviously, again, you’re gonna be a little bit scared, but I just kind of went, okay, screw it, let’s do it. Cool. Let’s just do it. Let’s give it a crack. And I trust Willow a lot. Obviously, “Tiny Voice” was an incredible video, and then we had this, and I’m also working with Willow again for another project, which is really exciting. I would love to know what goes on in their head, genuinely, but yeah, this, this video was incredibly fun to record. And I stood there and watched the whole process of this person, like, getting prepared, getting on the aerial. Like, that day was so chaotic. I have so many faint memories of that day because it was so busy, but I was just in such utter disbelief that we were doing a video like this. There was glass, sand, and water everywhere the whole day. The heels that I wore that day were destroyed.
Juice Box Press Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Amelia Cordischi is a highly accomplished digital marketing professional, with over a decade of experience in the field. Amelia’s work has been published in renowned publications, such as the Boston Globe. As a communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston and manager of Simmons College Radio (The Shark), Amelia launched and co-hosted her radio show, “The Find,” and showcased her artistic talents as a freelance photographer for Blended Magazine and CelebMix. Her journey in the media industry began at WCVB-TV Chronicle, an ABC Boston affiliate. There she gained valuable insights into the dynamic world of broadcasting.When not ricocheting around photo pits with her camera, interviewing emerging artists, or crafting the next Juice Box Press article, she can be found indulging her thrifting passion and immersing herself in the world of sustainable fashion.