Lennon Stella

Three. Two. One. (Columbia)

YIKES. As a songwriter and artist, this has always been a question I’ve avoided answering since there are so many iconic albums that have inspired me throughout the years. As a kid, I would dance along to the Beatles with my parents, sing at the top of my lungs to Maroon 5’s Songs About Jane, live out my rebellious teenage years to Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna, and get deep in my emotions with Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me. But as I grew older, my answers continued to change, and so did my songwriting. Recently, I’ve been hooked on Zara Larsson’s So Good, Jeremy Zucker’s glisten, and Lauv’s ~how i’m feeling~, which have all played a massive role in my songwriting and recording influences.

It’s never easy just picking ONE, and if you asked me a year ago, I would have a different answer for you, but ever since Lennon Stella released her album, Three. Two. One. earlier this year, it’s had me feeling some type of way and I can’t seem to get it out of my head for the life of me. 

Lennon Stella Three Two One

(Columbia)

The first song I heard in this album was “Kissing Other People” and boy, was that fitting for what I was going through at the time. I had just ended a 3 year-long relationship a few months prior and straightforward lyrics like “that’s how I know I’m really moving on; cause I don’t feel guilty kissing other people” were bound to resonate with me. Aside from her killer voice and soothing tone, Lennon Stella has this unique way of expressing power and strength through her weaknesses by sharing personal experiences that she’s gone through, which, to me, is the entire reason I write music and share it with the world. Lyrically, this album is effortless and perceptive, as she takes on negative events in her life and reworks them into something positive and demanding. Her lyrics are simple, yet relatable. I’ve always admired music that’s simple at first, but complex when you dive into the story behind it, and she succeeds with that on this album. One of the greatest elements she highlights is the use of space. A lot of songs these days are filled with sounds to distract the listener, but for Lennon Stella, she purposefully chose to create room for pause and reflection, which ultimately forces the listener to connect with her lyrics on a deeper level as they move towards the forefront of the track.

Three. Two. One. has been one of those albums that just hits home for me. Music to me has always been an expression of raw emotions, thoughts, and experiences that come with a meaning and purpose behind each word and feeling, which is why this particular album sticks so closely to me. My one hope when writing music is to resonate with people the way Lennon Stella resonates with me and give people strength and power in the darker moments. My new single “Burn” is out October 21st and hopefully it will evoke similar feelings to my fans. Judge it yourself once it’s out! Xx

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