Exclusive SXSW Interview: Stella Prince on Gen Z Folk & Recording Her First Album
Stella Prince is a musician with a mission, carving out her own path through an amalgamation of genres she’s coined “Gen Z Folk.” On the heels of her latest single, “Replay,” she’s gearing up to record her debut album, alongside a documentary capturing the journey. At SXSW, we caught up with Prince ahead of her performance at Spin Magazine’s Road to Austin Showcase to talk about her distinctive sound, upcoming projects, and what it means to break into the music industry on her own terms.
Stella Prince, SXSW 2026.
We are here at South by Southwest. First of all, is this your first year at South by? If so, what are you most excited about?
It is my very first year, and I've only been to Austin once before, when I was eighteen to play at a restaurant–so this is a very different experience. I think the thing I'm most excited about is playing Spin Magazine's Big Shift today, which is the coolest thing. I'm very psyched to be a part of it.
Awesome! So you describe your music as indie folk pop for Gen Z. Where did your love of folk music come from, and who are some of your biggest inspirations?
So I was born and raised in Woodstock, New York, which is like the folk music capital. Growing up, it was like Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan; they were just living there. It was the biggest thing. But in terms of influences, I mean, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, you know, all the incredible female folk artists. I also love Karen Carpenter, early '70s soft rock.
I love that you say you’re from Woodstock; you could almost tell just from your sound.
That is so funny! No one's ever said that before. I could totally see that.
Listening to your music, I felt that old soul quality that people often talk about, but I've also been thinking about how women are labeled that way when they're really young. How do you balance that timeless quality with still feeling connected to your generation?
That is a great question. I think one of the biggest reasons I call my music Gen Z folk is to differentiate it from regular folk because it's so different from the traditional sounds. Those songs, I mean, they have ten verses, they're seven minutes long, and that's great, but that's not what I do.
I grew up with 2010s pop, and I love Katy Perry and Meghan Trainor. So I want my music to be catchy and quick. And so blending those two things, 'cause they’re almost total opposites, it's been hard, but I think it's the most important thing.
Now that I know that, going back, it reframes a lot. So this past January, you released your latest single, “The Replay”, a song about thought spirals. Where did this idea come from?
This came from not being able to sleep at night. I feel like most people my age are overthinking everything, and I'm a chronic overthinker, so there are so many nights where I'm just replaying my day over and over and going back to conversations. And I was like, this has to be a song because so many people go through this.
I love it. And does it start with like the melody? Was it just like you wrote down some lyrics?
It's funny, I always have the melody first, and then the idea for the song comes after. I cannot write any lyrics until I have the melody.
That's crazy. I feel like that's so hard.
I feel like each melody has its own personality. I don't have any idea what it's going to be about until I figure out the exact tune. It's weird, but it's a thing.
So you are currently working on your debut album. How has that experience been? Is there anything you can tell us?
Oh my gosh, okay, so I'm about to record it in Iceland, of all places.
Wait, that's amazing!
It is like the most beautiful recording studio in the world. It's called Flóki Studios. It's like under the Northern Lights, literally. It's the craziest thing ever. So we're gonna go for 2 weeks in April.
That's amazing. I feel like that'll really infuse itself in what you're gonna sing, being in that creative place.
It seems like it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen.
How did you hear about that?
My manager and I were researching the most beautiful recording studios in the world on Billboard, and it came up, and we were like, oh my God, like this would be perfect. It just happened!
Wow, that’s incredible. While you're here at South By, will you be playing any of the songs we may hear on the album?
Many of them.
You also mentioned there's a potential documentary in the works. What has that been like for you, being filmed while working on music?
So, that's going to be in Iceland. We're going to film probably the whole course of the trip, all the behind-the-scenes stuff. It's really going to be just like the journey of being an independent artist. I've done everything myself for seven years, booked every show, 1,000 shows literally, and all the radio interviews, all the press.
How has that been for you, as a young woman navigating that by yourself? Because you were a child, right?
Fourteen, yeah. I'm twenty-one now. It was really hard. I really feel like a lot of people say, “you have to be young”, but it's almost like people are ageist when you're young. They don't take you as seriously. I was kind of shocked by that because I've always heard, “If you're 15, that's what people want.” That's not true. People aren't gonna respect you till I don't know what, probably like mid-20s. It's taken me a long time. People just see me as a kid a lot of the time.
Wow, you wouldn’t expect that because it seems like the industry always prioritizes youth. Thank you for sharing that. Speaking about your journey, let's take a little look back. If, let's say, in ten years you're looking at this interview, what is one moment in time that you hope you'll remember years from now?
Oh my gosh. Wow. I think, honestly, probably this. This event with Spin Magazine today, because I was here three years ago, as I said, when I was eighteen, literally playing restaurants. I would just tour around and play at restaurants. I played, like, at a seafood restaurant in Austin, and it was a horrible show. It was like 3 hours of background music. No one listened. And I came all the way here from Nashville to do that.
It was the week of South by Southwest. It was this exact week 3 years ago, and I didn't have the money to buy a music badge, and I didn't know anyone, so I didn't go. But I remember thinking like, wow, this is really like the bottom level, and it's only up from here. And so it's just something to remember. We're making progress.
Now look at you. You're doing it, you're here, it's redemption, you have a badge!
I know, I have my badge! It's almost like I'm getting revenge. I'm like, okay, I'm back 3 years later.
I love that. Well, thank you so much. This has been absolutely delightful speaking to you!
