“I truly believe I was just born with this idea in my head that I had to be a musician.” For Stella Prince, music was never really a question. Growing up in Woodstock surrounded by vinyl records, old folk songs and the lingering spirit of another era, she already knew at four years old that she wanted to perform. “I wanted a manager, an agent, and I was ready to perform and audition for anything I could possibly do,” she tells us with a smile.
Now 21 and based between Los Angeles and Nashville, Stella is building her own world between folk, indie and pop — or as she calls it herself, “Gen Z Folk.” Over the last months she has been touring extensively, building a growing community around raw songwriting and intimate live performances with just her guitar and voice. At the same time, she’s preparing her debut album, which will partly be recorded in Iceland later this year. There’s work waiting at every corner, and Stella knows that herself. But maybe that’s also why so many young artists are trying to do things independently right now — because it’s a way to keep creative control and stay connected to what they actually want to say and create.
Her newest release, a reinterpretation of Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth, feels less like nostalgia and more like a reflection of the emotional atmosphere many young people are currently living through. “It felt very full circle,” she says about recording the track in Laurel Canyon, exactly 60 years after the original release.
We caught up with Stella to talk about authenticity in the age of AI, growing up in Woodstock, recording under the Northern Lights, emotional songwriting, and why simplicity might matter more than ever right now.
Photography by Jenna Miller
Welcome Stella, nice to talk to you. (smiles) Where are you right now, and what are you up to?
I am in Los Angeles, CA right now! About to head off to Nashville, TN for CMA Week. Then NYC straight after that. There is going to be a lot of travel coming up for me.
I read in an interview that your goal is really to bring folk music to a new generation, and that you once said: “I call my music Gen-Z folk. It’s folk music specifically for my age group.” Do you think it’s helpful to put music into labels like that, or can labels sometimes limit the way people experience art?
That is something I have thought a lot about and definitely struggled with. People are so quick to label you, and my music has been called a lot of different things, depending on where I am. In the UK, I’m country. In Nashville, I’m americana. In Woodstock, I’m folk. In LA, I’m indie pop. I definitely feel out of all of those, I am Indie Folk-Pop, or “Gen Z Folk.”
Also, you mentioned that Gen Z is craving something “real” again because of AI, social media and everything feeling overly polished now. Do you sometimes feel that younger people are emotionally exhausted by how artificial the world has become?
Absolutely. It is so hard right now. The world is crazy. For folks that are young and entering adulthood for the first time like myself, it can be so overwhelming. I know that the class of 2026 (which is my age group) is entering one of the worst job markets ever this summer. Everything is just extremely difficult right now. It’s so hard to make real progress.
I honestly feel that too sometimes — like, I appreciate AI as a tool and all the possibilities it brings, but at the same time I think many of us are craving a more authentic, human world again. Do you feel that shift happening as well?
There is a HUGE shift happening right now. In every aspect of music. What I’m noticing more and more is that artists want to be independent. They want to own their masters, they want creative control, and the whole industry is shifting underneath our feet. It’s a really interesting time to be in music right now.
Growing up in Woodstock must have surrounded you with a certain artistic spirit from the very beginning — that magical vibe from the old days. (smiles) What did creativity look like in your childhood before music became something serious?
Funny enough, music has always been super serious for me. Since I was 4 years old, I wanted a manager, an agent, and I was ready to perform and audition for anything I could possibly do. I truly believe I was just born with this idea in my head that I had to be a musician, because nobody in my family is musical at all. My parents had towers of CD’s and vinyl collections that I spent hours listening to starting around 3 years old. I was taking everything in. Listening to music was the best learning tool in the world.
“Artists want to be independent. They want to own their masters, they want creative control.”
Let’s talk about your new single!
Your version of For What It’s Worth feels less nostalgic and more like a quiet warning for the times we’re living in now. Did recording the song change the way you think about music?
Recording For What It’s Worth was a pretty beautiful experience. It felt very full circle, reimagining this song that is the most timely song for 2026, exactly 60 years after it was first written. And we recorded it in Laurel Canyon, CA, out of all places. It can’t really get more perfect than that in terms of 60s folk. Such an iconic song. My producer, Scott Effman, has a little studio in the hills of Laurel Canyon, and it was the perfect vibe for this track.
The original version of For What It’s Worth is such an iconic song, almost untouchable in a way. Were you nervous at all before deciding to reinterpret it in your own voice?
I was nervous at first, before I tried singing it. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. But I still remember the very first minute that I tried playing it for the first time, and it just clicked. It felt so good on my voice.
Folk music often works because of simplicity — just a voice, lyrics and emotion. Do you think modern music sometimes forgets how powerful simplicity can actually be?
Authenticity is the one word that I think of when someone asks me to describe folk music. It is simple. And that’s the beauty of it. It’s just raw, meaningful lyrics, and a voice, and a guitar. That’s why I love performing solo. Me and my guitar.
I liked that you said once some songs take days while others arrive within 15 minutes. Do the fast songs usually end up being the most honest ones?
They end up being my best songs. If I’m struggling to come up with something and it takes me a couple of days to write it out, I don’t feel as connected to it. When I suddenly get an idea and I write it all out in half an hour, that’s the song I’m the most excited about.
“Listening to music was the best learning tool in the world.”
Many young artists today seem afraid of silence — there’s pressure to constantly post, release, react. Is protecting quietness important for your creativity?
It’s a mix that I’m trying to balance. In today’s world, an artist has to do so much themselves. All the social media, budgeting, tour planning, etc. It’s a lot to manage on top of the creative aspects. And it is hard to balance everything and shift your mindset between different things. I’m learning.
On Instagram, you shared that you’ve started recording your debut album and also mentioned how expensive it can be to create a record in Los Angeles — especially as a 21-year-old independent artist. Now you’re recording it in Iceland instead. How did that whole opportunity come together? I’m also curious what that process actually looks like — do you move there for a while and fully live in that environment while making the record? It feels like such a huge step!
It is a huge step, and I’m so excited about it. We are heading to Iceland in late June to record for 10 days. The studio has housing on the property, and food and all of that, so it’s easy to just stay there and focus on the recording. It first came about in September 2025, when we were brainstorming different studio ideas, and we came across Floki Studios in Iceland. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. Under the Northern Lights. I knew it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to record my debut album there.
Speaking of all these emotions and connections through music — your tour is coming up soon too. How do you usually prepare yourself for that time, mentally and physically?
One of my favorite things is inviting young, female artists in each market to join me on tour. Right now I have 21 female artists booked for this run of seven shows, which is the most I’ve ever done. It builds such an amazing community, and I meet so many wonderful women, that I think that is my favorite part of touring now.
You said your favorite thing is when people come up after shows and tell you: “That’s exactly my life right now.” Has there ever been a reaction from someone in the audience that stayed with you for a long time afterwards?
When people tell me I made them cry. I still never get over that. To think that my music has touched someone in that way means everything to me. And it’s why I keep going.
And finally — what is the most important thing in life?
Believing in yourself, and your dream, and making it come true.
Check out the new For What It’s Worth here: Listen Now
Follow Stella Prince for more:
www.stellaprincemusic.com
www.facebook.com/stellaprincemusicofficial
www.instagram.com/stellaprincemusic
