Chelsea Cutler Opens Up About Her Vulnerable New Album "Stellaria"

Sal Fasone
Nov 20, 2023
5 min read

Chelsea Cutler is a rising star in the music industry, known for her intimate and confessional songwriting. Her latest album, "Stellaria," is her most vulnerable and personal work yet, exploring themes of self-discovery, love, and loss. In this interview, Chelsea discusses the evolution of her sound, the challenges of being a touring musician, and her hopes for the future.

How do you think your sound has evolved over the years?

If it has—well, I hope that it has become more mature. I can tell with the new album, for example. I think that this album, I really wanted to prioritize pushing myself lyrically to be a bit more deliberate with word choice and expressing sentiments that felt more specific than in the past. And I don't know, I hope the sound is kind of growing as I am.

And has there been a moment in your career where you thought, "Wow, this is surreal?"

Definitely. So last summer we got to close out a stage at Lollapalooza in Chicago, and it was the biggest show I've probably played in my life. And there were about 10,000 people there, and so many knew the words, and it was really special. I think another moment was getting to play Red Rocks in Denver, Colorado. That was really special as well.

What is the best piece of advice that you've been given by another musician, if it happens?

That's a really good question. Honestly, probably the best advice that I've been given is from Quinn XCII. He's always encouraged me to just really focus on practicing gratitude for the career that I've been able to build and focus on all of the good things that are statistically so improbable. And once in a million, I can be really competitive with myself and with the industry in general. I've always wanted to really leave a legacy in the industry, and it's probably an issue that's probably some deep-rooted ego, of course, issue right there or something.

You want people to know who you are for what you do ..

Yeah. I think, truthfully, it's less about people knowing who I am and more about, "What are you capable of?"

Have you always wanted to be a musician?

I think that no one tells you when you're growing up that you can be one. Once I started getting encouragement and people started saying, "This is real," you started believing in it.

We spoke to Quinn XCII and he said that you are a great musician and a great friend, and he doesn't know when or how, but he would love to work again with you. What would you say in response to that?

We're always working together. In some way or another. I'm sure until the day we're very old and gray, we'll be working together.

What is the biggest challenge of being a touring musician?

Honestly, a lot of people find touring to be challenging, and I actually really like it. I think that for me, it's kind of an escape from everyday life to get to go live on a bus or travel and play shows. And I would say maybe the biggest challenge is that it's definitely exhausting.

How do you balance your personal and professional life?

That's a great question. Not well. I think that it's kind of easy to conflate your identity as a human with your identity as an artist, right? Because you're marketing yourself at the end of the day. And I don't really feel like I have so much of an identity as Chelsea Cutler, the artist that's separate from my personal identity. I know a lot of people can do that and can kind of be more of a figurehead for their art.

Do you prefer it like that?

I just don't have the energy, and I'm not really a marketer.I don't think it's a bad thing at all. I don't think there's a right or a wrong.

We mentioned a new album before, “Stellaria”. What is the album about?

I wrote this album about so many different things, but I think ultimately it's just about really sitting and feeling my emotions and confronting them. It's very personal. And not being afraid to talk about things.

And how do you feel it's different from your previous stuff that you've done in the past?

Well, I think that I've always been relatively vulnerable, but I actually think that this album was the most vulnerable lyrically that I've been. It was kind of scary to say some of the stuff that I said. I also took the most time with this album than any album I've made before.

Is there any specific reason why it was like that or it’s because you just wanted it to be thrutful?

Yeah. I wanted it to be 100% my best, and I think everyone around me wanted it to be 100% my best. And all the time that I thought maybe I was finished, everyone around me knew that there was a little bit more to give. All right, so there were a couple of times that I was ready to say, "This is finished." And my team was confident that I wasn't.

Is there a song on the album that was maybe more difficult to write compared to other songs?

I think "I Don't Feel Alive" felt personal to write, so that was challenging, for sure.

Do you ever find music to discover who you are and yourself in general?

I think navigating a career helps you discover who you are. I think that making music, for me, is kind of less about self-discovery and more about self-expression in real time.

But I think navigating this career, as most careers are, it's a really challenging industry to navigate, and there are a lot of opinions, and if anything, I've really learned how to stay true to my convictions with it.

What is next for you now?

Well, we're doing this run, and then we have the American tour. It's almost 30 shows, no holidays, so I'm really excited about that.

And now the question that probably everybody's been asking you so many times, we asked the same question to Jeremy Zucker. When is "Brent III" happening?

I don't know. We've definitely talked about it. I think if we did, it would be the last one. Yeah. I feel really fortunate and blessed for what "Brent" has done for us, and I definitely don't want to drain the well, you know?

We've done something really special and unexpected with it, and it's amazing for what it is. If we felt like it made sense to do another one, it would be the trilogy and no more.

Were you expecting that it would become this massive project?

Not at all. We named it after a random street that we drove by. There was no expectation at all.

Words by Sal F.

Photos by Mike B.

Creative direction by Ines B.