Rising star Lena Stone is known to march to the beat of her own drum. We have seen the talented female vocalist dominate the country scene with breakthrough songs like “Personal Space,” “Running Out of Red Lights,” and her EP Princess. Now, this royal is ready to rule a whole new music genre and take the crown for “best emerging pop artist.”
Stone will be making her pop-music debut with her new upbeat track “Attention” today (February 26), and it is a radio earworm that will have you dancing in the seat of your car. “I’ve danced to it more than once in my car, which I’m a little embarrassed to admit, but I think that’s just a sign that I’m proud of it,” says the budding songstress in an interview with Celeb Secrets.
The Massachusetts native pulled inspiration from icons she used to listen to growing up before dabbling in country music. The list includes Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Bebe Rexha, and even Taylor Swift. Now, Stone is taking advantage of her powerful vocal range, her dynamic storytelling capabilities, and utilizing the inspiration she pulled from legendary musicians to create a pop sound of her own.
“I always have a hard time describing my own music,” Stone shared. “I would say the best way to describe it is kind of the Taylor Swift 1989 era, meets the singer/ songwriter pop that’s happening right now. So, like Julia Michaels, Lennon Stella, Bebe Rexha and that kind of space,” she adds.
Similar to the musicians she mentioned, Lena is entering the pop scene strong with a relatable, raw, and uplifting love anthem that will catch your “Attention” right from the start. “The song is about when I first met my boyfriend and just being so dumb struck by this guy,” says Lena with love-struck eyes.
Keep reading for our full Q&A with Lena and let us know if you are excited to add her new fire hit “Attention” to your playlist by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @CelebSecrets.
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Celeb Secrets: Can you share more information about your debut pop single “Attention”?
Lena Stone: “I started actually just before the pandemic happened. I sat down with one of my best friends, who is my producer on this project. His name is Phil Barnes and we had started writing some songs that just don’t fit into the Country’s space, but I loved them so much. Then the pandemic hit, we kind of had some time to just experiment and writer a bunch. The song it’s about when I first met my boyfriend and just being so dumb struck by this guy. Just being like ‘oh my gosh, I want you to give me attention.’ We wrote it in an hour and half. It was really easy.”
Celeb Secrets: Did you have any co-writers on this piece?
Lena Stone: “Yeah, I wrote it with Jess and Phil Barnes. Nashville is the capital of songwriting, but also it is an incredibly like collaborative process here where you have a lot of, co-writers a lot of opinions in the room and I’ve done that for a lot of years and I love that. But with this new, I wanted to just see what it would sound like if it was kind of really just my song, writing voice, if it was my melodies and my lyrics and my stories without being filtered through a lot of people.”
CS: Would you say “Attention” was easy or hard to write?
LS: “It felt so natural, which I think also really confirmed that I am doing the right thing, kind of chasing this project because you know, you’re hearing me talk I’m from Boston, I’m not Southern.”
CS: What helps you get into the writing mindset?
LS: “I feel like I have my best song ideas when I’m driving, which has been hard because the last year we haven’t gone anywhere. So, I have gone for a couple of drives, like purely inspiration drives.”
CS: Where were you when the idea for “Attention” just hit you?
LS: “I have been with my boyfriend for six years. There’s kind of this weird thing in Nashville or in Country where, you’re supposed to appear single. I reached a point where I was like no, I’ve been dating this guy for six years. I think he’s awesome. I think I am allowed to talk about that in my own music.”
CS: Could we expect a music video for “Attention?”
LS: “Yes, a music video is definitely in the works. Which I’m super, super excited about. We shot part of it already and we’re shooting the remainder next week. There is a love scene, I kiss a boy which is not my boyfriend. It was wild. We were really tired cause it was the last shot of the day. So, honestly we were like, let’s just do this and get it over with. The actor who we had in the video is just such a sweet guy and was like such a great sport for a very long shoot. So, I;m excited for everyone to see him shine in it too.”
CS: When will the music video be released?
LS: “I think hopefully pretty soon after the song comes out. Middle of march, which is so soon now – it’s only just a couple of weeks away.”
CS: How does it feel to make the shift from Country to pop right now in your career. Has it been challenging?
LS: “You know, in some ways I think that it’s been really affirming. I’m in my late twenties now and I feel more in control of my life just as a human and just like more empowered. I feel good about this and in some ways being home for the last year, I haven’t really gotten stuck comparing myself to other people in their careers and their music and what Spotify playlists that they’re on. So, it’s kind of given me the space to just be what I want to be and sound like what I want to sound like. “Attention” will be the first try and I know and hope that other people like what that stuff sounds like too.”
CS: Since we’re Celeb Secrets, could you share any secret projects in the pipeline right now?
LS: “This project has been pretty private until now, this is my first interview about the new pop stuff.”
