We don’t hate Stella Lefty because she’s a nepo-baby, we hate that she isn’t trying
Tuning into any radio station over the summer, you were likely greeted by Stella Lefty’s song ‘Boston.’ In the past few years, I’ve stopped believing in the taste of mainstream radio and never truly engaged with the generic pop-country song playing in my dad’s car. But as Lefty was pushed further into public consciousness, I began to listen more carefully. I had questions. If she’s from Chicago, Illinois, why would she be on a train back to Boston, Massachusetts? Also, what do you mean, “I like it when you’re nice to me” — is that not a given? The song feels, to me, incredibly inauthentic.
The recent discourse regarding Stella Lefty and her music doesn’t feel completely out of the blue. To catapult into instant chart success with little to no experience in the industry, even with the ‘TikTokification’ of charts, is definitely a point of curiosity for many. Ultimately, ‘Boston’ is manufactured for chart success, not for critics.
What feels so random and artificial about Lefty’s success with ‘Boston’ this year is that she is the anomaly. Women like Slayyyter and Tinashe have had massive career breakthroughs in 2026, characterised by years of dedication and fine-tuning to their craft. They have made experimental albums, and these risks have finally paid off. These are artists that we want to root for, and enjoy watching reach success.
And then there’s the question of nepotism. Stella Lefty is the daughter of tech billionaire Eric Lefkofsky — which in itself isn’t an issue. Music, just like most industries, is often about who you know and how they can get you where you want to be. For insance, Audrey Hobert and Miley Cyrus are daughters of established industry professionals, and pop giants like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande came from wealthy families.
The difference is, Stella Lefty isn’t really considered good at what she does, so the nepotism isn’t accounted for. Does she even write her own music? Most of the world (or at least, the internet discourse) now thinks not. If you think something sounds familiar about any of her songs, you’re not alone. ‘Boston’ itself credits Noah Kahan’s ‘Stick Season,’ which a quick TikTok search could show you she is a huge fan of, with countless videos of her covering the song in 2024. People have found copies of practically Lefty’s entire discography, with striking similarities from The Greatest Showman to Blake Shelton. Many now wonder whether she is using AI. Which would make sense: shallow lyricism, melodies drawing upon previously successful ones.
Again, it’s not the nepotism that’s the issue; it’s that Stella Lefty isn’t invested in the process of songwriting, or using songwriting to connect with others. She is the daughter of an entrepreneur who wants commercial success. Can we really call that an artist?
An important note to this discussion is a gender one. Stella Lefty is a young woman navigating the industry. Would we even be interested in such thorough criticism of her and her music and career if she were a man? I genuinely can’t ever recall a male artist harbouring any backlash like this. I’m bored of the internet picking a new woman every week to attack.
At the end of the day, we don’t know how much truth there is to these accusations. As music fans, I think all we want is for people to make music with good intentions and become successful in a way that feels fulfilling to their artistry. That’s the only way that Stella Lefty could separate herself from the debates now synonymous with her presence. She needs to convince us that she is an artist, not a singer.
Justin Higuchi, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
