Maple’s Pet Dinosaur – real name Maple Johns – has had a year that many artists would not have had in their entire career.
Last year, the Newcastle artist’s music video for her debut single, “Lego,” went viral, racking up over 30 million views on social media within a few weeks. Just months later, she joined the lineup for Good Things Festival. And just this past August, she joined the Warner Music Australia roster. And now, Johns has stamped those accolades with the release of her debut EP, Child’s Play.
All by the age of 15.
The new EP, complete with warped VHS-horror promo, leans into what fans have gotten a taste of over the last few months: a blend of alt-metal, pop rock and nu-metal, all of which tips the hat to that signature ’90s sound.
In a new interview, we sat down with Johns to talk about the wild year that’s been, the new music and what’s still to come.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: The video for “Lego” dropped just over a year ago, and it’s been crazy ever since. Can you talk a bit about the last year, what’s been happening and how you’ve navigated this crazy period?
Johns: I actually wrote “Lego” when I was 13, recorded it and released it when I was 14 and being 15 was the crazy year where it all started happening.
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It’s been a year where a lot has changed for me. I’ve played so many shows, released a handful of new songs and had some of my heroes get behind me and support the music, which has been insane and very, very unexpected.
It’s now the most-viewed Instagram music reel ever by an Australian-born artist. What was the original goal for the video when you made it?
I posted the original ring video hoping that it might get us some local gigs around Newcastle. At the point I posted it, I had a bunch of original songs I just wrote at home and demos on GarageBand that I just made in my bedroom, so I knew we had a 20-minute set if the video did the job I hoped it would.
When it started getting shared around the internet like crazy, I didn’t really know what to do because I was completely unprepared for anything of that magnitude. When we started getting on the news overseas and getting offers to play on big festivals, I was really excited, but also, school got really weird, so it was a strange combination of emotions.
Did having a viral moment that early put pressure on everything you made after it, including Child’s Play?
Nah, not really. I don’t really feel that pressure with content and things like that. I post a bunch of stuff and some of it goes viral, and some of it is just there for my core group of supporters to engage with. I like both and don’t care once I press post.
I know a lot of artists hate posting content, but I actually love doing it because it gives me a chance to chat to people around the world, and because I’m homeschooling now, it’s sometimes the only socialising I do on some days!
I feel pressure more so when we are on a big lineup of artists I look up to. When someone says they are a fan of Maple’s Pet Dinosaur, I want them to be proud of what I’m doing. A kid around my age came up to me and said I was his favourite artist at the EP launch in Newcastle, and I was like, “Shit, I’m not sure I deserve to be anyone’s favourite artist right now.” But it’s something that motivates me to keep being creative and keep getting better.
‘90s alt-metal might be perceived as an unusual reference point for someone born well after the era. How did you find your way into that sound?
Yeah, I know, I’ve been all about it for about five years now, and most people, when they saw an 11-year-old wearing a Primus shirt, didn’t know what to say!
My parents played Faith No More’s “Gentle Art of Making Enemies” at home one day, and I just fell in love with the energy, the production and most of all, Mike Patton’s insane vocals.
That started the rabbit hole for me. Not all strictly alt-metal, but it was stuff like FNM, Bungle, Melvins, Incubus, SOAD, FAR, Deftones, 311, RHCP, Pantera, Slayer, Primus. I was like, “Yeah, this is the good shit!”
Fred Durst is one of the many giants from that era who shared your music. Any contact with him or collab in the works?
Fred is a legend, and Limp Bizkit are GOATed! We email back and forth, and I share my new stuff with him from time to time. He’s just such a champion of new artists, and I think he’s fascinated that a girl my age is making this type of music. We haven’t really discussed a collab, but if he ever wanted to, he probably knows I’m always down. If you’re reading this Fred, I’m down!
Tell me about Child’s Play. When did work on this start? Why did you opt for the EP over the album?
I really wanted to release a CD. I listen to most of my music on a Discman because I’m obsessed with looking at artwork and reading the liner notes and everything like that. An album felt like a lot of pressure this early, but I loved the idea of an EP because it’s cohesive but not overwhelming. I also wanted a CD to sell at shows, and an EP was a good way to do that!
As soon as I wrote the song “Child’s Play” in January this year, I knew that concept was what I would build the EP around.
The promo for it is obviously very 90s-inspired too. Why is that era so special to you?
Culture was less immediate back then; things just felt slower and more considered. I feel like I was born at the wrong time, to be honest! With the Child’s Play rollout, I wanted to bring that sense of occasion to the release. From the toy commercials to launching it in a cinema, I’ve tried super hard to make it feel like an event!
What can we expect next? Headline tours? Festivals?
We’ve got some big shows coming up, including Hellbound in Jan and then the national Waterparks tour in Feb – so I’m hyped for both of those. We are looking at some smaller headline dates too after the success of the EP launch in Newcastle. Finally, we are plotting the first international shows, which are going to be mega.
Is it too soon to talk about a debut album plan?
I reckon one more EP and then an album. I’m writing almost every day, so I’ve got songs all over the place. I’m very excited to lay them down with proper production and get them incorporated into the live set.
