Everything You Wanted to Know About Viral Jazz Artist Stella Cole

With her unique approach to jazz, fusing classic sounds with modern sensibilities, Stella Cole is anything but your typical viral artist.

The rising star is beloved for her gorgeous voice and refreshing and captivating take on the genre. Her famous fans include Michael Bublé, James Taylor and Meghan Trainor, and she's well on her way to earning a million fans on TikTok. We also have to appreciate her eclectic tastes, whether she's reimagining a modern pop hit like Miley Cyrus's "Flowers" or showcasing her own rearrangements of classics, like the dozen tracks featured on her self-titled debut album. If you're curious about Stella, just keep scrolling to discover everything she shared about herself, in her own words, as our Woman Crush Wednesday.

(Image courtesy of Stella Cole)

Name: Stella Katherine Cole

Hometown: Springfield, Illinois

Birthday: January 13

Zodiac sign: Capricorn

 

Fun Facts:

1. Stella has started up a few collections in her time.

"As a touring musician, I get to travel all over the world. I've started buying postcards in a lot of cities I visit and collecting those. I'm a huge reader and my book collection is getting pretty big—definitely takes up a good portion of space in my little NYC apartment. I also collect Broadway playbills because I'm always going to be a theater kid at heart."

-Stella Cole

2. Dogs are her favorite animals.

"Okay, this answer might be basic, but I'm a huge dog person. If I go to a party and there is a dog, that will actually be my activity for the rest of the night. Dogs are just the best, duh."

-Stella Cole

3. She's always related to Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

"Not to flex, but I was Belle in my high school's production of Beauty and the Beast. The whole falling in love with a scary wild animal man thing isn't so relatable, but other than that I feel like we have some things in common. We're both from small towns—I'm from central Illinois and she's from rural France, but still. Like I said, I'm a big reader and she loves her books… Yeah, I think it's gotta be Belle."

-Stella Cole

4. If she could only shop from one place, she'd have a hard time choosing between Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's in New York.

"This question is giving me major decision fatigue, and I feel like I'd still have so many options in a department store."

-Stella Cole

 

Also read about: Everything You Wanted to Know About Actress and Producer Julia Garcia

 

5. The last song she had stuck in her head was "Christmas Waltz" (even though it's only the beginning of fall).

"On brand for me? I guess? I've also been hearing Sabrina Carpenter's new album everywhere and wow—that girl can really write a catchy song."

-Stella Cole

6. She's allergic to dairy.

"Which basically limits all the best desserts. I love dark chocolate and Ben and Jerry's vegan ice cream. But the last time I was in Paris I decided I actually just needed to eat a croissant. Not a vegan croissant, I wanted the real thing. I broke into hives immediately after eating it, but honestly the croissant was worth it."

-Stella Cole

7. She grew up obsessed with old movie musicals—and that hasn't changed.

"To this day, I know every word to The Sound of Music and Meet Me in St Louis. Not only songs, I actually know most of the script, too. Kind of … insane? But also kind of fun."

-Stella Cole

8. She also considers walking one of her biggest hobbies.

"I'm not sure if that is particularly weird. Living in NYC, it's so easy to walk everywhere. If it's less than 30 minutes, I almost always walk. My favorite way to explore new cities is just to walk around for like five hours straight."

-Stella Cole

 

Also read about: Everything You Wanted to Know About Musical Artist and Wonka Star Calah Lane

 

9. She says she could never be a professional chef.

"I am actually the worst cook in the world. It's impressive how bad I am at cooking. I do breakfast pretty well, but that's about it."

-Stella Cole

10. She's currently obsessed with a pair of black knee-high boots she got in Florence last fall.

"Fall is my favorite season for fashion, and I'm so excited I get to wear them again. They're so comfortable and versatile, and it's pretty fun that they were made in Italy."

-Stella Cole

11. Many people don't know that Stella didn't actually study music in school, or plan to become a musician and recording artist.

"I studied theater and international relations at Northwestern University. I dreamed of being on Broadway my whole life, but I was also really interested in the idea of working in politics or in the nonprofit world. Weirdly, I feel like my college majors prepared me pretty well for what I'm doing now, even though they're not super related."

-Stella Cole

12. Stella says the one think that's core to who she is is being a Midwestern girl at heart.

"I've lived in New York for three years now, so I'm used to everyone's vibe of minding their own business, but every time I land back in the Chicago airport and everyone is so overly polite and friendly, I'm like, 'Yay! I'm home!' Whenever I meet a fellow NYC resident who grew up in Minnesota or Wisconsin, I immediately feel like I get them. Like, we all grew up in the cornfields, we are the same."

-Stella Cole

 

For more on the artists who inspire us, click HERE to learn all about THE VANDALIST singer-songwriter Noga Erez.