About five years ago, I discovered Lena Stone, a bubbly singer-songwriter from Massachusetts living in Nashville. At the time, Lena only had a single song out. That song was called "Nervous." It was its flirty pop-country track about making your crush nervous as time went on; she pivoted more towards pop and less country sound while keeping the storytelling elements.

The switch happened about a year ago. Since the beginning of her career, she has released two EPS, Lena Stone, released in 2018, and Princess, released in 2020.

Leading up to her album's release, she released several tracks, including Details, Attention, Taking Up Space, Make Up My Mind, and LOML. The album will feature 12 songs. All of which she wrote. After years of anticipation, the singer recently released her debut album

I was lucky enough to be given a chance to talk to her about her upcoming album. We discussed musical influences, the album's sound, aesthetic, how she would describe her journey to where she is now, and what she looks forward to most. In addition to getting her perspective, I reached out to two of her collaborators, Ava Suppelsa and Hannah Trager. I asked both women questions about what it was like to be part of Lena's debut album.

 

Ava: I always have so much fun writing with Lena and Phil Barnes because they're both good at what they do. Crafting a song with them is easy, and every line and melody is fought for to make it the best possible version of itself. We wrote "Lightweight" in Phil's original studio in a few hours, which was small and cozy but super vibe and made the perfect atmosphere for this song!!

Ava: I loved getting to be a part of Lena pushing outside of the country boundary for this Project. It was so cool to get to write something that felt new but authentic to her.

 How would you describe the overall aesthetic of your album?

        Lena: The overall aesthetic of the album visually is lots and lots of saturated hot pink (the central color of my brand), and sonically is a sleek/polished pop production with hooky melodies and clever lyrics.

        Lena: This album is influenced by the pop music I grew up on (Britney, Christina, Taylor Swift's 1989 record) and the pop songwriters I'm loving these days, like Julia Michaels, JP Save, and Lennon Stella.

> If you could describe the album in just a few words, what would they be?

       Lena: Pink, pop, and polished!

        Lena: Overall, we tried to have a variety of sounds across the album but tied everything together with a lot of electric guitar and interesting samples and percussion,

> How would you describe your journey from where you started to where you are now musically?

Lena: I am so proud when I look back at my career journey over the last ten years. I have grown so much, and while I have switched to a new genre, I still think the messages and feelings in my songs are the same as they have always been. This album feels like the fully realized adult version of who I am right now, and I can't wait for people to hear it!

> What are you most excited about regarding your debut album release?

       Lena: I am beyond excited to play these songs live for an audience. I made this album during COVID, so I've had almost no opportunities to play it live for anyone, and I can't wait for that experience!

After talking about her debut album, I felt that I had a deeper understanding of Lena as a singer and songwriter and thought she was an artist to watch Lena Stone; the album is now available on all streaming platforms.