Even Stephanie Poetri made time from touring to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
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For an artist to continually evolve with their music career, they explore other genres aside from the ones they start with. This is the case for Stephanie Poetri. Hailing from Indonesia and currently based in Los Angeles, the singer-songwriter grew up with musical parents. A father who’s a former trombonist/marching band instructor and a mother who’s a recognized pop star in Indonesia, Stephanie had a variety of genres she’d tap into.
To her fans and listeners, she’s a storyteller with dreamy indie pop/rock music. But for her new single, Astrologically Illogical, she explores her edgier rock side. Still recognizable with her alto voice in this single, she looked for inspiration from, of course, her Taurus horoscope.
While many often use their signs to determine whether they are compatible with someone, Stephanie’s new single is a slap to that idea. “I was just randomly searching for me and my boyfriend’s astrological signs if we’re compatible. Apparently we weren’t, and this song’s about not listening to the stars [astrological signs],” the 23-year-old tells.
LEADING WITH HONESTY
Some artists have different results when they create music immediately after going through a life experience, such as when it improves their craft or allows them to open up deeper. For Stephanie, she prefers the latter. “I’d definitely think it’s an honest [result]. It’s kind of hard trying to not write about love because my whole career has been writing about love songs,” she explains. “I’m trying to take into more individual storylines.”
To that end, her new single coming out in July explores friendship and, as she hints, “feelings that we go through, especially in our adult life and feeling left out.” The I Love You 3000 singer also shared that she’s getting better at not feeling jealous of other’s success as she struggled with it when she was younger. “Other people’s success can be [inspired] from your success. You can share that success.”
BOOK AND BUSY
Ever since she blew up on the scene in 2019, Stephanie’s career has been nothing but a steady rise. Her schedule in the coming weeks is proof of that. Stephanie is currently on the road as the special guest for Filipino-American artist Lyn Lapid’s to love in the 21st Century tour. Despite the busy schedule, the month-long tour allowed Stephanie to have some downtime in between shows, which includes watching the new Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse film.
Touring as an artist can have its downsides as well and Stephanie admits she gets carsick easily. “I’m so used to doing work on my downtime and doing work while traveling in a van was really hard [for me],” she shares. But it also has its fun quirks. As an opener for Lyn Lapid’s tour, she noticed Lyn’s fanbase was so creatively diverse and it was distinct in every city they played in. Things they’d crocheted or bringing a fan-made gift to their shows caught Stephanie’s eye.
This upcoming August, she’ll be returning as one of the acts for Head in the Clouds LA at The Rose Bowl. While she didn’t say exactly the songs she’ll perform, she did tease, “I’m having a bigger band and finding ways to give bigger energy to my older songs.” She’ll be joining a lineup featuring other notable Asian acts such as Jackson Wang, NIKI, and XG.
THE SOUNDTRACK TO PEOPLE’S LIVES
Many consider Stephanie’s music to be their safe space. As for that star, she looks to fellow female musicians Julia Michaels and Beabadobee as artists for musical inspiration. When asked how similar she is to these artists, Stephanie says, “We all make music that we try to utilize as soundtracks to people’s lives. [We’re not] necessarily making music that are radio bangers…[we’re] making music for how people feel or how people lived.”
If she had to share words of advice with those who look up to her for musical inspiration, honesty comes to mind. “To be honest in a way that feels comfortable. Everyone has their own comfort on what they like to share and people shouldn’t feel pressured to say everything,” she imparts. It’s this honesty that’s just one of the many reasons why Stephanie Poetri will always be a staple in our soundtracks.
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