Born amidst the rich musical tapestry of Woodstock, New York and now making waves from the heart of Nashville, Stella Prince emerges as a distinctive and remarkable talent within the realm of country, Americana, and roots music. With an authenticity that resonates and lyrics that touch the soul, her captivating original compositions delve deep into the emotions of her listeners, creating an unbreakable bond with a diverse and multi-generational audience. Her latest single, ‘Two-Faced,’ is out now and Prince is gearing up to cross the Atlantic for a series of captivating live performances across the United Kingdom this upcoming October and November. (Dates at the bottom of the interview) We were thrilled to catch up with her and talk all about it.
It’s lovely to touch base with you, thank you for your time today. You’ve got a very distinctive Folk-leaning, Americana sound and I’m fascinated to know what artists have had the biggest influence on you to help mould this sound that you have?
Thank you too, I’m grateful for you taking the time. That is a great question, oh my gosh! (laughing) When I was growing up I had access to a massive CD and record collection via my parents so I grew up listening to literally every genre! From Rock to Folk to Broadway – I listened to everything I could get my hands on.
My three biggest inspirations, musically, would be Karen Carpenter, Judy Garland and Patsy Cline. They are my all-time favourites that have inspired me in every way.
For someone as young as yourself, there’s such emotional depth and gravitas in your music. What was your childhood like and have you always been an old soul?
Yeah, I had a lot of trouble in school and switched schools a bunch of times because I never felt that I fitted in with the other kids my age. I got bullied and that kind of forced me to be home-schooled and spend a lot of time in my own company. That type of experience taught me to find a place for my emotions and that’s where the songwriting really came from.
Right after I became home-schooled I started writing songs. I sat at a piano and went from there and since then I’ve always gone to song writing to let out my emotions.
Do you always write at the piano or do you create on a guitar as well or does it depend on the song?
I always used to write at the piano but now it’s always the guitar! I grew up taking piano and I tried guitar but did not like it! (laughing) My fingers were too small! I started guitar at 13, sort of begrudgingly, but I fell in love with it to the point where it is totally my main instrument now.
Where does your creativity and inspiration come from? For some people it’s art, culture, books, films, movies etc. For others it’s life experiences or the stories they hear about people in their lives.
It really depends on the song but most of the time the songs come from my own experiences or seeing someone that I feel like I can empathise with. I recently wrote a song called ‘At 70’ which was inspired by a woman in her 70’s looking back at her life – I obviously don’t have the life experience to do that – but I got the inspiration from being in a diner and watching this waitress who looked so tired and so done with everything. It had a massive impact on me to think about what her life might have been like.
I also write a lot about me. I just wrote a song called ‘What’s Mine’ which is about not letting people take things away from you. That one came from a personal experience of having a really awful experience with a potential manager who was so rude and not interested in me, he just didn’t see me at all.
Where did the idea for your new single, ‘Two Faced’ come from? I like the idea you articulate in that song that loneliness is two faced.
That was a personal idea in terms of me feeling like I am lonely quite a lot of the time. Doing what I’m doing can be quite isolating and I really don’t spend a lot of time with people my own age either, so it felt very personal. My whole goal is to make music that every generation can respond to and I guess loneliness is universal and something that can effect any one of any age.
You are not afraid to be vulnerable with your writing. Look at songs like ‘Eighteen’ and ‘Crying on a Saturday Night’. Have you always been that open in your writing or is it something you have had to learn to craft?
It’s funny, I’ve always been way more open in my songwriting that I have as a person! (laughing) I never tend to open up with people talking to them one-on-one but when it comes to writing, nothing seems to be off the table!
Your mum and dad have been a big influence and help in your career. How do they feel when they see their daughter releasing these angst ridden songs about loneliness?
(laughing) Oh my gosh. A lot of people ask me if I’m depressed but I’m not in that headspace all the time and when I am, it’s when I am at my most creative! My songs all happen to be pretty emotional and sad but I’m not like that all the time and my parents get that. Most people don’t get that though – I had a manager I was working with last year who sat me down and was, like, ‘Hey Stella, are you ok? Is there anything I can do to help?’ (laughing)
Artists like Patsy Cline and Karen Carpenter were certainly not happy all the time, were they?
Exactly. That kind of intense emotion is what moves me the most in music. I’m just not the kind of person or musician that wants to sing happy songs right now, it’s just not me.
Is ‘Two Faced’ part of a wider body of work in the pipeline or are you happy releasing individual songs at the moment?
I feel like I’m going to stick with singles right now. I do want to do a debut album project at some point but I’d like to wait until I have more of a team together and more support to be able to realise that ambition.
You grew up near Woodstock in New York but you live in Nashville now. What prompted the move?
There’s a few places that you need to go if you want to make it in music. New York, Nashville and L.A. being the big three. Four, if you throw London into the mix, which was just not accessible to me although I wish it was! I love London. L.A. was way too far and although I did know people in the New York scene I thought that Nashville was the best place for me.
I’ve been going back and forth to Nashville since I was 14 years old but then Covid happened and that caused me to do lots of virtual one-on-one meetings and focused me in on my career so that by the time the pandemic ended I was ready to make the move for real.
Nashville is such a melting-pot of creativity and not just in Country music. Americana, Indie, Rock and Folk all can be found flourishing there as well can’t they?
Oh my gosh, yes. That’s a huge misconception that people have, that Nashville is just about Country music. There’s a massive Pop scene here, it’s all music, all the time here! (laughing)
A lot of artists I speak to in Nashville talk about imposter syndrome. Is that something that you think about?
It totally depends on the activity and event that I’m at. So, if I’m performing at an event or a round with other musicians I can get quite nervous because everybody here is so amazing and I’m grateful to get that opportunity as well. When I play solo I’m usually at my calmest and that is what I enjoy the most, focusing just on my music and engaging and entertaining the audience without the distraction of other musicians.
Have you got a favourite place to play in Nashville?
Oh yeah. City Winery is my favourite place, it’s so nice. I got some opportunities to play there this summer and I loved it. I was just there again recently watching Brandi Carlisle perform for Americana Fest and that was amazing. The venue is gorgeous and some of the most amazing artists play there.
Talking of live shows – We’re seeing you over here in the UK again very soon. For someone so young to be targeting international crowds, it must mean a lot to you?
I love the UK in general. I love the people and what appreciation they have for Roots music and acoustic songwriters. I really hope to connect with you guys over there and I’m incredibly excited about the tour.
Have you got any sightseeing goals or places you want to see?
Oh yeah, I’ve never really been outside of London so I’m really pumped to see places like Bath and York. Looking at photos Bath looks so gorgeous and York looks amazing, like something out of a movie! I can’t wait. England is my favourite country outside of the States, I’ve only ever been once, for a few days, but I totally fell in love with it.
Grab a ticket for Stella Prince’s UK tour dates:
10/21 The Drawing Room, Chesham, London, England
10/22 The Spice of Life, Soho, London, England
10/23 Temperance, Leamington Spa, England
10/24 The Gladstone Arms, Southwark, London, England
10/25 The Bedford, Balham, London, England
10/26 Betsy Trotwood, Clerkenwell, London, England
10/29 The Golden Lion, Bristol, England
10/30 The Bristol Fringe, Bristol, England
11/2 The Greystones, Sheffield, England
11/3 Forty-Five Vinyl Cafe, York, England
11/4 Diamond Jubilee Hall, Kirton, England
11/6 Thirty Cafe and Eatery, Filey, England
