What happens when an artist stops imagining who will listen to their songs? When you remove the possibility of an audience, can creativity reach a new level of freedom that fame and expectations inevitably take away? That’s a question Lennon Stella answered for herself after a six-year hiatus from the spotlight.
“I didn’t have it in mind to be gone that long, but it ended up feeling right,” Stella tells American Songwriter. “I was trying to remove the expectation and see what happened when I fully had my own voice. If I tap into what feels really good to me to write and sing about, it will resonate.”
Lennon Stella’s Latest Album, ‘Sleeping Lion’
Stella first made her name on the acclaimed TV drama, Nashville. She and her sister, Maisy Stella, played young musicians trying to find their footing in the country music scene. The plotline mirrored the Stellas’ real lives: both sisters found real-life entertainment success beyond their name-making role.
Lennon Stella amassed a massive online following that eventually led to a splashy artist debut in 2020: Three. Two. One. That record saw her try on electronic tinges, popstar-ready melodies, and introspective lyrics. It appeased fans and set Stella up for further success. But instead of capitalizing on that success, Stella disappeared from the public eye, leaving fans to wonder when and if the follow-up would come around.
In 2026, she sent a shockwave through her listeners with a surprise announcement of an impending new record: Sleeping Lion. The title somewhat speaks for itself. Stella has lain dormant for the last six years, at least as far as the public is concerned. Even without hearing a note, this record can be understood as an awakening for the singer-songwriter. Dig into the tracks, and that idea is amplified.
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An earlier version of Sleeping Lion was made. Stella was given the license to scrap the record and to try again with a different producer. Stella manifested a top choice of collaborator for this record in Andy Shauf. Putting these two Canadian balladeers in the same room was an inspired decision. This is the acoustic-ish album Stella fans have always wanted. But Shauf’s production makes her raw lyrics even more complex and atmospheric.
Digging Deep
“He was very down to dig and explore and try new things,” Stella says of Shauf. “By the time I ended up working with him, the songs had taken so many shapes and colors. I was really ready to have him bring what he does; checking what’s underneath.”
If anyone has been following Stella for a while, you’ll know the level of lyricism she can drum up when it’s just her and a guitar. Over the years, she’s posted snippets and teasers of songs in the works, leaving fans yearning for more of Stella’s innermost thoughts, raw and poetically dictated. This record feels more in that vein of Lennon’s artistry than her first. She opens up new wounds. To Stella, the lead single “Comedy Show” was a bold stroke, teetering on being too vulnerable to share.
“It names names,” Stella says of that single. “I had reservations around being super direct. I always left songs up to interpretation.”
The songs on this record are deep dives from the introverted ruminations in “Too Quiet, Too Loud” to the dissection of her parents’ relationship on “If She’ll Let Me”. If you’re going to make a comeback of sorts, you want it to be a robust work, and Sleeping Lion fits that description. It puts Stella’s heart on display in the middle of a candlelit room with a level of intimacy she’s never afforded before.
Coming Back Stronger
Stella has tapped into a creativity few artists can. Not every artist has the bravery to take such a long gap between releases, given how fickle audiences are. But in that decision, Stella became more fully herself; a development that will draw fans even more into the fold. Seemingly, Stella has found the perfect middle ground between exploring songwriting, taking her career to a new level, and yet recognizing that music should be a source of freedom, not a stringent set of rules or expectations to meet.
“At the end of the day, it’s music; it’s not that serious,” Stella concedes, while adding, “I was in the wrong rooms. It didn’t work for me to follow a [songwriting] formula, keep the ball rolling, and finish a demo by the end of the day. You end up settling because you don’t want to stop the flow of the room. I’d rather brew on a song.”
Stella has certainly brewed on the songs of Sleeping Lion, to great, rich effect. This is the record fans have always wanted from Stella. While no artist would completely turn their nose up at earned praise from an audience, it likely pales in comparison to the personal vindication of feeling completely understood by yourself. That’s the feat Stella accomplished with this record. By stepping away from outside expectations, Stella arrived at songs that don’t sacrifice specificity for relatability, finding something that feels wholly her own.
(Photo: The Oriel / Adam Alonzo)
The post Why Lennon Stella Had to Start Over to Make the Album She Wanted With ‘Sleeping Lion’ appeared first on American Songwriter.