The glistening, home-recorded synth pop songs and airy vocals of Stella (stylized Σtella) offer reliably alluring dance beats with a melancholy undercurrent. After making waves in Greece with Σtella in 2015, her third album, 2020's The Break, marked her international debut. Athens native Stella Chronopoulou started writing songs as a student at the Athens School of Fine Art, sharing her first recordings online in 2012. She soon found demand as a guest vocalist for other area indie acts and collaborated more fully with groups such as NTEIBINT and Fever Kids. Signing with Greek label Inner Ear Records, her first album, Σtella, saw release in 2015 and was met with critical acclaim as well as national airplay. She followed it in 2017 with Works for You on the same label. In the meantime, Stella opened shows for the likes of Busy P, Metronomy, and Breakbot with the help of a regular backing band. Heading to the U.S., they made their South by Southwest debut in 2017. She eventually signed with Montreal-based Arbutus Records for her international debut. Self-produced and recorded mostly at her home studio, The Break arrived on Arbutus in early 2020. ~ Marcy Donelson
