The Stellas’ musical journey is one that many artists can relate to – laborious day jobs, open mic nights, noisy bars, long car rides, often running on fumes, but always fueled by hopes and dreams. And then the big break, the acceptance by peers, the dedication and sacrifice finally paying off.
The Stella daughters, Lennon and Maisy, have had something of a different path, to say the least. Growing up in this musical family, Lennon, 15, and Maisy, 11, have been singing together their entire lives and playing various instruments. But their road to success wasn’t the interstate; it was the Internet.
“It was actually super-fun growing up with a musician family.” – Maisy Stella
The world got its first taste of the Stella sisters’ musical talent when their cover of Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend” (with choreographed plastic dishware percussion and clapping) became a viral sensation on YouTube and got them on Good Morning America. At last count, it’s attracted more than 26 million views.
Mind you, they have a day job, too. But it’s not mopping floors.
In 2012, they joined the cast of ABC’s hit television series, Nashville, a drama about a musical family in the titular city, where they play Maddie and Daphne James, the daughters of a famous female country singer. Three seasons in, the girls have become fan favourites, regularly performing songs on the show.
It’s been a terrific vehicle for their music. Case in point: Lennon and Maisy performed The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey” on an episode of the series. When the song was released to radio in April 2013, it became the No. 1 most added song in the U.S. and floated into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
This past February they released a video of their charmingly sparse cover of the electro-pop song “Boom Clap” (originally by Charli XCX) which climbed into the top 25 on iTunes. Again, the video went viral and now has more than 5.6 million YouTube views.
In addition, they’ve appeared at We Day, sung at the Country Music Association awards in the U.S. (where they presented Taylor Swift with the Pinnacle Award), and performed several times at the Grand Ole Opry. Their YouTube channel currently boasts over 74 million views and more than 650,000 subscribers. Did we mention that they’re 15 and 11?
“It was actually super-fun growing up with a musician family,” says Maisy. “I mean, we’re still growing up!” she adds, laughing. “Like, going to all their shows and always getting to listen to them sing around the house, and even learning. It was just a great environment.”
It should come as no surprise to learn that Lennon and Maisy showed signs of musical talent very early on. “Oh yeah! Since birth,” their mom, MaryLynne, says. “They literally came out like that. For real! Maisy’s ear for harmony is like nothing I’ve ever heard before. And it’s been like that since she was born.”
The girls are also following in their parents’ footsteps not just as singers, but as songwriters, too. They’ve been getting into writing sessions with the likes of Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Matthew Perryman Jones and Canada’s Gordie Sampson. “We’re writing lots,” Lennon says. “There’s an abundance of songs. We’ll get to the point where we’ll choose which ones we love most and make an album, which will be super-exciting.”