Tik Tok musical sensation, Mae Stephens steps back into Tresham College

Singer and song writer Mae studied Musical Theatre at Tresham College, before being discovered by a scout at EMI after releasing her song ‘If We Ever Broke Up’ on social media. She became the first UK developing artist to debut in the Global Spotify Chart on launch in over two years.

Despite her global success and busy career, Mae felt it was important to return to her old campus and do a talk for the students at Tresham College, sharing her experiences with them, she explains: “I wish someone had told me this stuff when I was 16.

"I was so rose tinted about the industry just thinking I am going to be a big star. I feel like you have to be told how hard it is. You have to work hard, you have to have that dedication and the time to do it to succeed.”

After shooting to fame overnight, Mae had to juggle college life and her new career, as well as managing her own personal anxieties and being ADHD. Mae spoke to the students about her challenges and was able to share some tips and advice to help others cope.

She also mentioned how Tresham College had supported her throughout any struggles she faced whilst she was studying.

“Being ADHD my attention span is horrific so when I am working I have taught myself to take breaks or have a fidget toy on hand or something that can help me keep my focus."

She added: “Tresham College really helped me with performance, I lost a lot of my performance anxiety here. They helped me with vocals and music, learning how to project your voice across a stage. I use the same hacks, tips and tricks that I learnt in College now.

"Before I came to College, I really struggled to string a sentence together and with my vocabulary. Coming into musical theatre and having to learn complex bits of text or having to portray emotions like hysterical crying, all of these aspects have helped me with my stage performance and confidence.

“I feel like my tutors, Kim and Abby, really pushed me to come out of my shell when stepping into a new character which has helped me with stepping into Mae’s shoes as an artist.

"Being here even taught me how to stand with confidence. Everyone was so supportive and it felt like a space where you were never going to get judged. They created a safe space for us. I miss my college days, I loved it here so much.”

During the talk, students had the opportunity to ask any questions they had, which included discussions about being neurodiverse, anxiety tips, how to be more productive and what games Mae’s music had been featured in.

Mae spoke openly about some of the things she has been through, all the incredible experiences she has had such as meeting other amazing artists, fan encounters, performances at places as big as Glastonbury and witnessing all the challenging work that goes on behind the scenes and the magic of an artist's team.

She also gave one valuable piece of advice: ‘Work for future you and think for future.’

During her time at the College, Mae had a Personal Achievement Tutor Charlotte Daniell who supported her during her studies. Charlotte was delighted to see Mae again and reveal how proud she is of her achievements:

Charlotte commented: “It’s been great to welcome Mae back into Tresham college. We always saw how talented she was throughout her time here and we are extremely proud to see that her hard work during her time here has paid off.

"We wanted someone in the industry to come in and share their experience to hopefully give the students a clear insight, showing them what they need to do to get to where they want to be, and how College had an impact on getting Mae to where she is now.”

Find out more about the Musical Theatre course Mae took at Tresham College on the website: Musical Theatre Advanced (Level 3) – L124 | The Bedford College Group