Pop starlet Lennon Stella was raised in an environment where music was always present. Her parents surrounded her with the love of music at a very young age, so diving into the pop scene was the logical next step. Lennon and her sister paired up in a musical duo (Lennon and Maisy) for a while before she hit the television series Nashville. She naturally leaned towards pop music following her acting career. She released her debut EP in 2018 with the lead single “Bitch”. She has now released her full length, Three. Two. One. It’s a heartfelt deep dive into Lennon’s signature smooth style and the contemporary writing of today’s beloved hits.
Ladygunn talked to her from Nashville about launching her singing career, her accessible pop style, and working with Billie Eilish’s brother.
Tell me about yourself.
I was raised an hour outside of Toronto, Ontario. My parents were a musical duo. My sister and I took on music very young being raised in a musical environment. We moved to Nashville when I was about nine. I got on the TV show Nashville when I was twelve and that lasted six years. I’ve been doing my solo music career since the show ended.
Did you know you can sing at such a young age?
It was literally so inevitable. My parents and their friends were musicians. Every weekend there were writer’s rounds in our house.
“Kissing Other People” is your newest single. Is it based on a true story?
Yes. It’s about a guy who I was talking to at the time of writing the song. At the time, I didn’t feel guilty kissing somebody new. It’s a very true story.
It’s such a great pop song too. Do you see it hitting Pop radio formats?
Of all my songs, I can see that song going to radio. Radio is very relevant and plays a massive role, but I don’t write my songs with the goal in mind to hit radio.
You starred on the hit television series Nashville. How was that different from your music career?
It’s a completely different thing. It was my character singing. I loved the music that I played on the show. It was very Americana—singer/songwriter, which I also loved. It is completely different from what I’m doing now, which is produced, experimental, pop music. It’s a completely different experience.
Three. Two. One. is out now. What does this album mean to you? Is the sound indicative of “Kissing Other People”?
“Kissing Other People” doesn’t feel too different from the rest. Each song is kind of its own different world. The album was written over a period of two years. We did a writing camp in Cabo, Mexico. Everyone I love and feel connected to, writer wise, all came to do this. We finished the rest in Los Angeles. I think with an album you have more space to work with and it’s different from what I put out before. I can show different sides to myself and can experiment more musically.
You worked with Finneas O’ Connell, (Billie Eilish). What was it like working with him? You also worked with the Chainsmokers on the single “Takeaway”.
I love Finneas and he is amazing. He’s extremely creative, musically. It’s all of the things you want in a producer. We both knew of each other and he knew me from YouTube.
I went on tour with Chainsmokers. Once the tour was set up, it made sense to do a song with them. It was so much fun. Very cool people.
What’s next for you?
The tour is pushed back until May of next year. But definitely a tour is in the books for the album.
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photos / Aidan Zamiri
story / Robert Frezza