The first time I was ever introduced to Lennon Stella was when I accidentally stumbled upon a rerun of Nashville as I mindlessly skimmed channels on a hot summer day. The instant I heard her voice I was shocked and enamored by the uniqueness of it. Stella has this raspy softness to her voice, yet this softness should not deceive you, as she skillfully commands her vocal ability with such technique and passion that you cannot help but be captivated. Stella’s first EP “Love, me” came out in November and was an impressive debut, as she now touts nearly 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify and a nearly sold-out North American tour. The songs make you recognize your worth through the vulnerability and honesty with which Stella shares her life experiences.
“Bad” is the first track on the EP discusses a seemingly healthy relationship in which Stella’s partner turns out to be unfaithful. The track is solidified as a defining song off the EP with the accompaniment of powerful vocal runs on Stella’s part and an explosive bridge that states, “tell me the truth, was it worth it was I worth it for you, cus we were perfect we working til you forgot to tell me you been seeing someone else for six years.” The next song “Breakaway” stands with the use of vocal distortion and lyrics, “I’m tired of holding my head up, I’m tired of tryin’ to hold on to you,” which give the narrative a cyclical and haunting feel.
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“Feelings” and “La Di Da” both emphasize the importance of ceasing communication with toxic individuals. “Feelings” starts out with a simplistic rhythmic beat, allowing Stella’s vocal control to shine and leads up to a gut punch of a chorus in which she states, “I don’t wanna talk about your feelings, I don’t wanna listen as you feel ‘em. “La Di Da” has an infectious electronic beat accompanied by the lyrics, “hold my ears say ‘la da da di da,’” which gives an almost ironically childish feel to a song which talks about the emotional maturity it takes to not allow your partner to speak to you disrespectfully.
“Fortress” is my personal favorite song off of the EP. The song begins with snapping and clapping, perfectly accompanying the pained gravity of lyrics such as, “Why did you call it what you called it?, You could’ve called it off, Did you ever feel the way I did at all?” The way in which Stella is able to perfectly identify that feeling of building figurative walls around an unhealthy past relationship makes the song feel as though you are living it.
While it is not on “Love, me”, I just had to include Stella’s latest release “Bitch (It takes one to know one).” The song levels the playing field in terms of using the word “bitch” right back to the culprit who feels it’s still acceptable to refer to women in this way. The song gives this badass vibe and serves as a sort of rallying cry to women everywhere who have been legitimately referred to in this manner by men in their life, romantic relationships or otherwise. As Stella so cooly states, “it takes a bitch to know a bitch.”