Interview with Lena Stone

Lena Stone is one of the rising stars of the country music scene and is currently in the studio working on her debut EP. Described as ‘One of the most encapsulating voices in the Nashville scene’ it was fantastic to catch up with Lena Stone this week!

Hi Lena, To start can I say how fantastic your recent single ‘Can’t Think Straight’ was. Can you give us an insight into how the song came about?

Thank you so much, I’m so glad you’re loving the song! With “Can’t Think Straight” I really wanted to write a song that felt like the summer when I was 18; that was the year I fell in love for the first time, had my heart broken for the first time, left my hometown and my high school boyfriend behind and moved to Nashville. I spent a lot of nights missing him and wondering if he was thinking about me too, and that’s really the place where “Can’t Think Straight” came from.

Above we can see you perform the song in a Song Suffragettes session, a venture that is close to our heart being a female focused site. You were one of the original members of Song Suffragettes?

Yes! I am so proud to be one of the original members of such an incredible group …to watch it grow from a small handful of girls playing for an equally small audience into a group of over 200 women playing for sold-out crowds almost every Monday night is more than I could ever have hoped for! And the support and love that you see onstage between all the Suffragettes is so genuine. We’re all friends offstage and have girls nights and coffee dates and lean on each other.

Your vocals were in the fantastic ‘Time’s Up’ video. That must have been such a good collective experience?

“Time’s Up” was an amazing experience –just like our “Female” cover a few months before that—I love any time we can get a big group of Suffragettes together on one song!

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to you?

That’s a hard one! I think my music lives in that space that’s a little bit pop and a little bit country. Some of my biggest influences are Sugarland, Sara Evans, James Taylor, Taylor Swift and Sara Bareilles, and I’m always just trying to be the best Lena I can be and make the best music I can.

Which artists have had an influence on your career? And if you could perform a duet with anyone, who would it be?

Jennifer Nettles (and her duo Sugarland) is the reason that I fell in love with country music when I first heard “Baby Girl,” and loving their music introduced me to Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts who are huge influences on me when I first started writing songs. I also love the classic singer/songwriters of the 60s and 70s like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell and Carole King, since that’s what my parents raised me on. If I could duet with anyone, it would probably be Eric Church! He’s definitely my favorite male voice in country music.

Has there been a particular highlight moment in your career?

I’ve had so many incredible moments already, but one that definitely stands out was premiering my debut music video for my first single “Nervous” with CMT!

We’re based in the UK. Have you ever been to the UK and any plans in the future to tour this side of the pond?

I went to England when I was in high school on a spring break trip and have been dying to go back and play for the amazing music fans over there!

For a bit of fun – you host a fantasy dinner party and you can invite 3 ‘famous’ guests. Who do you invite?

Reese Withersoon, Miranda Lambert, Mandy Moore (can you tell I like strong women?!)

To finish, what are your hopes and plans for 2018 and where can we find you on social media?

I am so excited for this year! I have a new music video coming out for “Can’t Think Straight” at the beginning of March and I’ll be releasing my first-ever EP this spring! You can find me across all social media @lenastonemusic, on spotify, and at my website www.lenastone.com!