Stella Lefty

Stella Lefty
Lefty performing live in 2026
Lefty performing live in 2026
Background information
Born
Stella Lefkofsky

(2002-08-13) August 13, 2002 (age 24)
Glencoe, Illinois, U.S.
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationTulane University
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active2024–present
LabelAtlantic Outpost
FatherEric Lefkofsky
Websitestella-lefty.com

Stella Lefkofsky (born August 13, 2002), better known by her stage name Stella Lefty, is an American singer-songwriter. Her 2026 country-pop single "Boston" peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Early life and education

Lefty in 2025

Stella Lefkofsky was born on August 13, 2002, and was raised in Glencoe, Illinois. Her father is billionaire businessman Eric Lefkofsky, a co-founder of Groupon and Mediaocean and the founder and CEO of Tempus AI.

Lefty started writing songs and taking guitar lessons as a child but initially did not perform publicly because of her stage fright. She grew up listening mostly to country and pop musicians, including Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Tim McGraw, and Brad Paisley. After graduating from New Trier High School, she attended Tulane University in 2020 to study public health, with "no plan of doing anything in music". Lefty graduated from Tulane University in 2024. She is a sister of Pi Beta Phi.[better source needed] While studying abroad in Amsterdam, she began sharing her earliest song compositions on TikTok.

Career

In 2022, Lefty began posting videos of her singing song covers and original songs to her TikTok account. In 2024, she released her debut single "Kiss Me", which gained popularity on TikTok. Record producer J Kash soon messaged her online and the two began collaborating after she moved to Los Angeles. She released her debut extended play (EP) Tragic, Really, in 2025. In January 2026, she released the single "Thinkin' Bout You", which she wrote in collaboration with friends Grace Enger and Sadie Jean. Her song "The Kill" was released in February of that year as part of the soundtrack for the film Scream 7. Shortly thereafter, she signed with Atlantic Records' country music imprint, Atlantic Outpost.

In 2026 her country pop single "Boston" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 95 in April and climbed to the top-20 a month later. In May 2026, she released her second EP, Is This Heaven?, which featured the previously-released songs "Boston", "Thinking 'Bout You", and "I Know I Know" and a collaboration with Vincent Mason, "Something to Lose". Is This Heaven? debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200 chart and at number nine on the Top Country Albums chart with 20,000 units sold.

In March 2026, it was announced that Lefty would perform as an opening act for Tucker Wetmore's Brunette World Tour. Lefty quietly dropped out of those dates without explanation before posting an apology to her Instagram stories for having not announced her departure from the tour earlier.

Lefty was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Country (for "Boston") at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. Her debut studio album Long Way Home was released on August 21, 2026. For The Guardian, Laura Snapes gave the album two out of five stars, calling Lefty's songwriting on it "stunningly unremarkable" and the album overall "indistinct and trope-ridden", while Abby Jones of Paste gave it a "D-" rating for its "tragically nearsighted" perspective, "painfully unimaginative" formula, and "unremarkable instrumentals". Lefty announced her Long Way Home Tour, set to begin in January 2027.

Lefty performed at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time in September 2026. The same month, it was reported that she had parted with Disruptor Management, which she had been in partnership with "since the beginning of her career."

On October 23, 2026, Lefty and Bailey Zimmerman released a song together entitled "My Kinda Love" for the soundtrack of the third season of Nobody Wants This.

Musical style

Lefty's music has been described as country, with her describing the genre as "what I love with my fucking heart and soul" while expressing ambivalence toward performing it despite not being from the South. She has described her voice as raspy. For The New Yorker, Brady Brickner-Wood described Lefty's singing voice as an affected "raspy Southern twang" and her songs as "projecting the uncomplicated joy of a wide-eyed college graduate who goes to the bar on the weekends and falls in love at first sight".

Personal life

As of July 2026, Lefty is in a relationship with fellow singer-songwriter Vincent Mason.

Public image

Upon her rise to fame in mid-2026, Lefty was widely criticized online as both a "nepo baby" and an "industry plant" due to her father's billionaire status, with many claiming that the opportunities she had been given were solely a result of her family's wealth and that the success of her song "Boston" had been manufactured. Adam Alpert, Lefty's manager and the founder of Disruptor Records, stated in response to the criticisms that "industry plants don't exist" and that those who were deemed as such had just made "great songs that people like".

Interpolations and plagiarism accusations

Social media users and critics have denounced Lefty for releasing songs that sound similar to the work of other artists without providing proper credit, coining the name "Stella Thefty" in response to the appropriation.

Lefty was accused online of plagiarizing the melody and structure of Noah Kahan's 2022 song "Stick Season" to make "Boston", with Miranda Wollen of Paste deriding the latter as a "poor imitation" of the former and dubbing Lefty a "Noah Kahan copycat". Kahan received a writing credit on the song after members of his team reached out to her to note the similarities between the two songs, though she stated that she "wasn't thinking about Noah Kahan" while writing it, which critics and social media users expressed disbelief at and contrasted with her numerous covers of "Stick Season" on TikTok.

Lefty's song "Summer You Were Mine", also from Long Way Home, interpolates the Chicks' song "There's Your Trouble", which briefly received backlash when its writers, Tia Sillers and Mark Selby, were uncredited on streaming platforms. Atlantic attributed the omission to a technical error and confirmed that permission had been received to interpolate the song prior to its release. The album's closing song "Why Wouldn't We" was described online as copying the melody and call-and-response lyrics from Blake Shelton's 2017 song "I'll Name the Dogs". She faced further accusations that the chorus of her song "Misery", from Tragic, Really, was musically similar to the chorus of "A Million Dreams" from the 2017 musical film The Greatest Showman and that the verses of her standalone single "Seven Eleven" used nearly the same melody as Wheatus's "Teenage Dirtbag" (which she had also previously covered). Abby Jones, writing for Paste, found resemblances between Lefty's song "Good at Leaving", from Long Way Home, and the Justin Bieber song "Ghost". As of September 2026, none of Lefty's aforementioned work credits songwriters outside of her writing team.

Discography

Albums

List of studio albums, with selected details
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
 US
Country
 AUS
 CAN
 IRE
 NZ
 UK
Long Way Home 11410860977

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected details and chart positions
Title EP details Peak chart positions
US
 US Country
 AUS
 CAN
 NZ
Tragic, Really
  • Released: July 15, 2025
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
 —————
Is This Heaven?
  • Released: May 15, 2026
  • Label: Atlantic Outpost
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
 246211627
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

List of singles as a lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
 US
Country
 US
Country
Airplay
 AUS
 CAN
 CAN
Country
 IRE
 NZ
 UK
 WW
"Kiss Me" 2024 —————————— Non-album single
"Cynic" 2025 —————————— Tragic, Really
"See Through" ——————————
"Decay" ——————————
"Grace" ——————————
"Seven Eleven" —————————— Non-album singles
"Could've Been Me" ——————————
"Thinking 'bout You" 2026 —50————————
  • MC: Gold
 Is This Heaven?
"Slow Dancin'" ——————————
"The Kill" —————————— Scream 7
"Boston" 22142185310 Is This Heaven?
"I Know I Know" —34——53———87—
  • MC: Gold
"Something to Lose"
(featuring Vincent Mason)		 401525—6057————
  • MC: Gold
"Lean In, Kiss Me" —43———————— Long Way Home
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other charted songs

List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Bub.
 US
Country
 NZ
Hot
"Good at Leaving" 2026 ——16 Is This Heaven?
"Summer You Were Mine" 214814 Long Way Home
"My Kinda Love"
(with Bailey Zimmerman)		 ——28 Nobody Wants This: Season 3

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref.
2026 MTV Video Music Awards Best Country "Boston" Nominated
Best New Artist Herself Nominated

Tours

Headlining

Supporting act

Notes about songs

  1. ↑ "I Know I Know" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 8 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
  2. ↑ "Lean In, Kiss Me" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
  3. ↑ "Lean In, Kiss Me" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 7 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.

References

  1. 1 2 Mower, Maxim (May 12, 2026). "Who the Heck is Stella Lefty? The Breakout Artist Behind the Viral Hit 'Boston'". Holler. Archived from the original on May 13, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  2. ↑ Lefkofsky, Stella (August 10, 2022). The truth is… that b busy af (Video). Archived from the original on July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026 – via TikTok.
  3. 1 2 3 La Jeunesse, Marilyn (May 5, 2026). "Stella Lefty Wrote "Boston" About Her Crush & Now They're Dating [Exclusive]". Elite Daily. Archived from the original on May 5, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  4. ↑ Weir, Grayson (March 31, 2026). "Who Is Stella Lefty's Dad?". BroBible. Archived from the original on March 31, 2026. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Kawashima, Dale (May 15, 2026). "Stella Lefty Talks About Her Breakthrough Country & Pop Hit 'Boston', and Her Excellent New EP, Is This Heaven?". Songwriter Universe. Archived from the original on May 22, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Jones, Abby (September 7, 2026). "On Long Way Home, Stella Lefty has no clue where she's going". Paste. Archived from the original on September 8, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Nicholson, Jessica (May 13, 2026). "Stella Lefty on Her Hot 100 Hit 'Boston' and Blending Musical Genres on New EP: 'I Don't Want to Put Myself into a Box'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 13, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Moss, Marissa R. (June 29, 2026). "Stella Lefty Was Covering Noah Kahan on TikTok. Now She Has One of the Year's Biggest Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  9. ↑ Lair, Chloe (August 23, 2026). "Tulane alumna Stella Lefty finds her way home on the Billboard Hot 100". The Tulane Hullabaloo. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Stella Lefty's billionaire dad is helping her music career — just not in the way you think". Business Insider. September 3, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Stella Lefkofsky - Brand Ambassador at Earth Brands". The Org. Archived from the original on July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  12. ↑ DiVincenzo, Alex (February 9, 2026). "'Scream 7' Teases Original Music by Ice Nine Kills, Mckenna Grace, Jessie Murph, More". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ Millman, Ethan (July 25, 2025). "Atlantic Music Group Is Launching a Country Imprint". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 21, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  14. ↑ Denning, Reagan (April 15, 2026). "Stella Lefty scores first Billboard Hot 100 hit with "Boston"". MELODIC Magazine. Archived from the original on April 17, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  15. ↑ Murray, Conor (July 22, 2026). "Stella Lefty—Groupon Billionaire's Daughter—Scores Breakthrough Hit On Billboard Charts". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  16. ↑ Millar, Mark (May 15, 2026). "Stella Lefty Releases New EP 'Is This Heaven?' Featuring Vincent Mason Collaboration "Something To Lose"". XS Noize. Archived from the original on May 21, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ Penuell, Russ (May 27, 2026). "Stella Lefty's 'Is This Heaven?' Debuts in Top Country Albums Top 10, Boosted by 'Boston'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 28, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  18. ↑ Sink, Lauryn (March 3, 2026). "Tucker Wetmore Extends 'The Brunette World Tour'". MusicRow.com. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ Black, Lauren Jo (August 24, 2026). "Stella Lefty Speaks Out After Quietly Dropping Off Tucker Wetmore's Tour". Country Now. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ Cruz, Yvette Dela (August 25, 2026). "Stella Lefty Addresses Surprise Exit From Tucker Wetmore's Tour". Backstage Country. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  21. ↑ McClellan, Jennifer (August 18, 2026). "MTV VMAs nominations are out and the leader probably isn't who you think". USA Today. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  22. ↑ Snapes, Laura (August 21, 2026). "Stella Lefty: Long Way Home review – Boston singer's debut is bland, boilerplate and beyond banal". The Guardian. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Stella Lefty Announces 2027 Headline 'Long Way Home Tour'". news.livenationentertainment.com. August 24, 2026. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  24. 1 2 Avila, Daniela (September 4, 2026). "Kelsea Ballerini Defends Stella Lefty from Criticism as the 'Boston' Singer Makes Her Grand Ole Opry Debut". People. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  25. ↑ Newman, Melinda (September 27, 2026). "Stella Lefty Parts Ways With Management". Billboard. Penske Media Corporation. ISSN 0006-2510. OCLC 732913734. Archived from the original on September 27, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  26. 1 2 Brickner-Wood, Brady (August 5, 2026). "Stella Lefty and the Rise of Nepo-Baby Musicians and 'Industry Plants'". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  27. ↑ Jeffries, Naomi (July 15, 2026). "Rising Country Star Vincent Mason on New Single and What He's Learned From Morgan Wallen". The Hollywood Reporter.
  28. ↑ Nicholson, Jessica (July 8, 2026). "Chartbreaker: How 'TruckTok' and Angst Powered Vincent Mason's 'Damned If I Do'". BillBoard.
  29. 1 2 Vaziri, Aidin (September 3, 2026). "A nepo baby singer's debut album keeps reminding listeners of other hits". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  30. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (July 8, 2026). "It's Not Just Yungblud. Stella Lefty Has Also Been Accused of Being an 'Industry Plant'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  31. 1 2 Chaudhry, Sameen (September 2, 2026). "Singer Stella Lefty's billionaire dad fuels 'nepo baby' controversy". USA Today. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  32. ↑ Yahr, Emily (September 5, 2026). "Stella Lefty's song blew up on TikTok — and sparked an internet pile-on". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Stella Lefty faces even more plagiarism allegations – this time for 'Misery'". NME. September 8, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  34. ↑ Wollen, Miranda (August 24, 2026). "A Noah Kahan copycat is surging up the Billboard Hot 100". Paste. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  35. ↑ Greenberg, Abigail Sylvor (August 21, 2026). "'Boston' Singer Stella Lefty May Be a Billionaire. But She's Not a Nepo Baby". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  36. ↑ Wollen, Miranda (August 24, 2026). "Stella Lefty's Noah Kahan writing credit was actually the result of an impending lawsuit". Paste. Retrieved September 9, 2026. While it is not difficult to imagine Lefty thinking 'about nothing at all,' this statement is belied by numerous TikToks on the singer's account where she performs, and performs, and re-performs, a 'Stick Season' cover.
  37. ↑ Roundtree, Cheyenne (August 28, 2026). "Stella Lefty Interpolates the Chicks' 'There's Your Trouble' on New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  38. ↑ Pasricha, Simran (September 10, 2026). "Stella Lefty Faces Fifth Plagiarism Accusation". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on September 11, 2026. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
  39. ↑ Georgi, Maya (September 11, 2026). "Why Is the Entire Internet Talking About Stella Lefty?". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on September 11, 2026. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
  40. ↑ DeVille, Chris (September 7, 2026). "A Fourth Stella Lefty Ripoff Accusation Has Hit The Internet". stereogum.com. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Billboard 200: Week of September 5, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  42. ↑ Trust, Gary. "ENHYPEN, Ella Langley, Stella Lefty & More: Highlights of This Week's Billboard Charts". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  43. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 31, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of September 5, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Top 100 Albums: 22 Aug 2026 – 28 Aug 2026". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  46. ↑ "Official Top 40 Albums". Recorded Music NZ. August 28, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  47. 1 2 "Stella Lefty songs and albums | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  48. 1 2 3 4 5 "Canadian certifications – Stella Lefty". Music Canada. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Billboard 200™". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Top Country Albums". Billboard. July 24, 2026. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  51. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 13, 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  52. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Official Top 40 Albums". Recorded Music NZ. July 24, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Ones To Watch". Ones to Watch. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  55. ↑ Koranmanado.co.id (May 16, 2026). "Stella Lefty Releases Debut Country EP Is This Heaven". Koranmanado.co.id. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  56. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of August 29, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
  57. 1 2 Peaks on the Hot Country Songs chart:
  58. ↑ "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. September 18, 2026. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  59. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 31, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  60. ↑ Peaks in Canada:
  61. ↑ "Canada Country: Week of October 24, 2026". Billboard Canada. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
  62. ↑ Peaks in Ireland:
  63. ↑ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  64. ↑ "Billboard Global 200: Week of September 5, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  65. ↑ "American certifications – Stella Lefty". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  66. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles for week of 24 August 2026". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 24, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  67. ↑ "British certifications – Stella Lefty". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 28, 2026. Type Stella Lefty in the "Search:" field.
  68. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Stella Lefty". Radioscope. Retrieved July 31, 2026. Type Stella Lefty in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  69. ↑ "Stella Lefty - Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  70. 1 2 "Bubbling Under Hot 100: Week of September 5, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  71. ↑ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. August 14, 2026. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  72. ↑ Peaks on the NZ Hot Singles Chart:
  73. ↑ Grein, Paul (August 18, 2026). "Madonna Leads 2026 MTV VMA Nominations: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  74. ↑ "Morgan Wallen, Ella Langley, Stella Lefty and more up for Moon Person awards in 2026". New Country 103.1. August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  75. ↑ Lefkofsky, Stella [@stellalefty]; (May 5, 2026). "Europe!!! Our first shows together. Can't wait to see all of your beautiful faces. Sign up for presale - link in bio. Presale tix on sale Thursday! General tix on sale Friday! ILYYYYSM ❤️". Retrieved July 8, 2026 – via Instagram.
  76. ↑ O'Connell, Madeleine (May 22, 2026). "Stella Lefty Sells Out First North American Headline Tour Within Minutes, Adds New Dates Amid Massive Demand". Country Now. Archived from the original on May 26, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  77. ↑ InMusic (August 24, 2026). "Stella Lefty Announces Long Way Home Tour: See All 2027 Dates". InMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  78. ↑ Lefkofsky, Stella [@stellalefty]; (March 24, 2025). "Holy fucking shit I can't believe I'm going on tour with the one and only @alessirose. I'm so excited to meet all of you and admire the ICON that is Alessi from the crowd right alongside you guys. WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN I CAN'T WAIT 😭😭". Retrieved July 8, 2026 – via Instagram.
  79. ↑ Monno, Marquise (September 24, 2025). "Jessie Murph In Vancouver". Hidden Beats. Archived from the original on October 13, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  80. ↑ Cordischi, Amelia (April 6, 2026). "Boston is Still 'Thinking 'bout' Stella Lefty After Appearance on Cameron Whitcomb's "Fragile Egos Tour" - Juice Box Press". Juice Box Press. Archived from the original on April 16, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  81. ↑ "Myles Smith - My Mess, My Heart, My Life Tour with special guests Hazlett and Stella Lefty". Visit Indy. Archived from the original on July 5, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  82. ↑ "TUCKER WETMORE EXTENDS THE BRUNETTE WORLD TOUR PRESENTED BY NÜTRL VODKA SELTZER WITH 17 MORE DATES INCLUDING CALGARY SHOW" (Press release). Universal Music Canada. March 2, 2026. Archived from the original on July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.