Lennon Stella: Over or Underrated?
Alternate Title: Is Lennon Stella the Walmart Ariana Grande?
Lennon Stella is no stranger to the spotlight. Along with her sister, she was in the singing duo Lennon and Maisy, and she acted in the critically acclaimed show Nashville as Maddie Conrad for six years. Now, however, she's branched out even farther into the entertainment industry than ever before by having a solo career as a pop artist. Currently, she is on tour as one of the opening acts for the Chainsmokers on the World War Joy Tour along with 5 Seconds of Summer. About a week ago I went to the Chicago show, and below is my review of Lennon Stella's music and my experience seeing her live.
Lennon Stella: Over or Underrated? Heading link
Everyone has listened to pop music before just the same as everyone has listened to Ariana Grande before. Stella combines both the genre of pop music along with the aesthetic of Grande to create her own brand. Her vocals combine the current trends of the indie girl voice (popularized by Lorde) as well as the trend of white girls rapping (popularized by Ariana Grande). In Stella’s choruses, you can hear layers of harmonies in the background, which honestly provides the only layer of depth to her music. Despite the cool harmonies, Stella’s actual voice is somewhat dull.
The actual production of her music, despite sounding lush, only sounds unique enough for the radio to differentiate her from other young, white, and female pop artists. It’s all just the same 808 beat along with a singular synth melody in the background. While listening to her live set, I couldn’t tell when one song had ended and another began because they all actually sounded the same.
Even though her music was lackluster at best, Stella’s live set was honestly great. The best part by far was when she played a song stripped down to just the piano. It showed her artistry and painted her in a better light for me personally. Additionally, her overall vibe just made sense on stage. It almost seemed as if she was made to be on one. What sucks is that Stella’s music genuinely is not that good, so no one actually wanted her on stage. Her stage presence, regardless, was amazing.
Will I be listening to Lennon Stella’s music in the future? Probably not. Will I recommend her live shows to someone? Maybe. If you don’t mind shallow pop radio music, then I would say yes. Otherwise, this is a “not-recommend” sort of situation.
You can find dates to see Lennon Stella on tour along with 5 Seconds of Summer as the opening acts for the Chainsmokers on the World War Joy Tour below:
Sep. 25, 2019: U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio
Sep. 27, 2019: TD Garden in Boston, Mass.
Sep. 28, 2019: Mohegan Sun Arena-CT in Uncasville, Conn.
Sep. 29, 2019: Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa.
Oct. 3, 2019: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.
Oct. 5, 2019: Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.
Oct. 4, 2019: United Center in Chicago, Ill.
Oct. 8, 2019: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, CA
Oct. 9, 2019: Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, CA
Oct. 11, 2019: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Oct. 12, 2019: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
Oct. 13, 2019: Value City Arena at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 15, 2019: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Oct. 17, 2019: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Oct. 20, 2019: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Oct. 22, 2019: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga.
Oct. 24, 2019: American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla.
Oct. 25, 2019: Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
Oct. 26, 2019: Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
Oct. 29, 2019: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La.
Oct. 31, 2019: American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
Nov. 1, 2019: Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas
Nov. 2, 2019: Toyota Center in Houston, Texas
Nov. 6, 2019: KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Ky.
Nov. 7, 2019: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
Nov. 8, 2019: Enterprise Center in Saint Louis, Mo.
Nov. 9, 2019: Coliseum at Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis.
Nov. 12, 2019: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis.
Nov. 14, 2019: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Nov. 15, 2019: Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Nov. 16, 2019: Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan.
Nov. 19, 2019: Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
Nov. 21, 2019: Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah
Nov. 23, 2019: Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Ariz.
Nov. 24, 2019: Viejas Arena in San Diego, Calif.
Nov. 26, 2019: L.A. Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
Dec. 1, 2019: Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.
Dec. 3, 2019: Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash.
Dec. 5, 2019: Moda Center in Portland, Ore.
Dec. 6, 2019: Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC, CA