Fridae

Newcomer Shannan Stone speaks her truth on "Cellophane," a stirring piano ballad that was inspired by an intensely personal experience that she candidly shares with the world. "[The song is about] the devastation of losing real love and not wanting to go through it again," Stone writes me in an email. "You build a life with someone for years, and then suddenly they are gone and you are forced to reorient everything."

She adds, "So when you're that heartbroken, the idea of ever loving again seems like it would kill you, so you wanna keep your heart guarded and wrapped up in 'Cellophane' ( . . . ) I hope that people are inspired from my song to appreciate love when they have it, because it is often fleeting and there is nothing better in the world than truly loving and being loved." 

"Cellophane" is not only marked by Stone's poignant storytelling but also by her powerfully delicate and richly melodic vocals. She gently harmonizes with writer Derek Wians in the chorus of the song to boosts its emotional pull and give it a bit of a country flavor. Based in Dallas, Texas, Stone explains that her musical style and execution is very much inspired by rock 'n roll "rebels and outlaws" like "Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson." 

"I have a preoccupation with '60s and '70s rockstars," Stone writes. "I've read and watched almost everything on all of the musicians from that era, but I grew up on a farm in Texas listening to country music. And somehow all of this mixes together in my music, and comes out sounding like if Tim McGraw had a baby with Jim Morrison." Stone shot an video to go along with "Cellophane" in Paris that intensifies the dreamy and atmospheric qualities of the song. Stone is currently unsigned. You can follow on her Twitter and Facebook.