10 minutes with...Stella Cole

THE JAZZTOK STAR BRINGS HER HOLIDAY MAGIC TO THE LINDE CENTER

On December 13, celebrated vocalist Stella Cole will make her Tanglewood debut at the Linde Center for Music and Learning, bringing her velvety voice and sparkling presence to a festive evening of jazz and holiday classics. The concert, drawing on her acclaimed EP Snow! (2024), which reimagines seasonal standards with warmth and timeless vocal grace, and her lush new album It’s Magic (2025), marks the final performance of the calendar year in Tanglewood Learning Institute’s new TLI Jazz series. 

At just 26, Cole has become one of the most exciting young interpreters of the jazz canon, a viral TikTok and “#JazzTok” sensation whose golden-age style and modern authenticity have captivated millions online and onstage. Known for her elegant phrasing, cinematic sensibilities, and genuine charm, she has earned critical comparisons to legends like Judy Garland and Ella Fitzgerald, all while creating a space all her own in the contemporary jazz landscape. 

Her upcoming appearance at Tanglewood caps an inspiring inaugural year for TLI Jazz, which extends Tanglewood’s programming into a year-round celebration of musical innovation. The series has featured vocalist Lucía, the Berkshires Jazz 20th Anniversary Concert with Emmet Cohen and Georgia Heers, Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y, and the upcoming Ted Rosenthal Trio on November 28. Following Cole’s December performance, the series continues into 2026 with Tammy McCann’s Valentine’s Day cabaret, With Love from the Legendary Ladies of Jazz (February 14 and 15), the Sullivan Fortner Trio (March 20), saxophonist Nick Hempton (April 10), and trumpeter, vocalist, and composer Jumaane Smith (May 8). 

With Cole’s debut at Tanglewood—a venue synonymous with musical excellence—Stella Cole is sure to draw a new generation of Jazz vocal excellence to the Berkshires, bringing the spirit of the Great American Songbook to new listeners and classic jazz aficionados alike. 

As one of the youngest and most influential artists reimagining the jazz and American Standard and American Songbook repertoire, how do you balance honoring the legacy of jazz in your performances while adding your modern voice and artistry to the mix? I think more and more, we're seeing artists who are directly referencing the music of the past, even if they’re not in the jazz world. I've been listening to Olivia Dean's new record a lot, and it's very “Stevie Wonder” at points. You can totally hear those references. Raye is a great artist who has R&B, pop, soul, and hip-hop elements in her music. But she just performed at the NFL London Halftime Show with a big band, and her music has all these ’50s and ’60s references. With the way the industry is changing, I think it makes it easier to blend old school music with a modern twist. Younger generations are buying vinyl again. They're into the ’50s aesthetic, and jazz is kind of cool and coming back. So, I would say I'm arriving in a nice time in the industry. Personally, with my own work, I’m not preoccupied with trying to make it new. I sing these songs how they were written and with presentation that's very classic, whether with a string orchestra or jazz piano trio. I think it's new just because I am a new person singing it. I also think that in my live performances, I'm very much myself on stage. I tell a lot of dumb jokes, I talk a lot, and I try to keep it pretty unscripted and loose. I think that that adds a bit of a modern sensibility to it. I'm a young person using modern social media platforms to push the music forward and keep the music alive. 

You’ve said in interviews that you wanted your most recent album, It’s Magic, to sound like a classic record that transports listeners back to the magical era of old Hollywood and the Great American Songbook. What specifically inspired you to take that direction? It’s the kind of music that’s been my favorite type of music for a long time, especially since I got into this music through watching movies like Singin’ in the Rain or The Sound of Music. So, I wanted it to sound a bit like that. It felt different than what other people were doing, and it felt a little bit risky. I think there’s pressure to keep it interesting and make it so it can be bite-sized for TikTok or Instagram and have a great 15-second hook. But I want my music to be comforting, and I wanted to create something that people could put on if they've had a terrible day, and it would chill them out. That’s what people have told me online and in person that my music does for them. 

Your Snow! EP brings a lot of vocal richness and warmth to holiday standards that people hold close to their hearts. What does performing holiday music mean to you? I love the holidays. Living in New York the past couple of years, I find it very romantic and very lovely. I think the holidays are a great time musically. For most of my upbringing, the holidays were the time where everyone was suddenly listening to Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. It wasn't just me. I've had so many friends text me in the last couple of years saying, “We're at our family Christmas playing your album.” This music has a lot of nostalgic meaning for people, and the fact that this can be a part of them making new memories is great.

Being a prominent new voice who is bringing this musical tradition to new generations, how does it feel to know you’ll be performing at a world-renowned institution and venue like Tanglewood? It means so much. I didn't grow up on the East Coast. I grew up in Illinois. So, the way that I knew about Tanglewood was because of James Taylor. I've always imagined it as a very dreamy, Wonderland-type place because of the lore I've heard about it. But I've never actually been there, so it's such an honor. It's been really crazy over the last few years to go from gigging in tiny bars and clubs in New York five nights a week and getting paid with a free meal. It's still very surreal to be playing these venues like Tanglewood or the Kennedy Center. I just can't wait, especially with it being a holiday show. I think it's going to have a very warm and magical feeling.

Looking back to when you were at that five-nights-a-week gigging stage of your career, what would your words of advice be to an artist in a similar position? I would say, “Be delusional!” That’s what I always tell people, and it's what I always try to do myself. When I was playing those restaurant gigs where everyone was talking so loudly no one could hear me singing, and I was lugging this giant speaker on my back on the subway, I felt so certain that I was going to make it big—whatever that means. I think you just have to have that self-confidence. It gives you the drive to keep moving forward and also to reach out to people. I sent so many cold emails, including to my manager and producer [Grammy®-winner Matt Pierson], thinking he would never respond to me. And now he's my manager and producer. I also think using social media to your advantage is really important for artists right now. I know a lot of artists don't love social media. I don't always love it. It's not the best in every way. But I think it's amazing in terms of the doors that it can knock down. n 

—Benjamin Lerner

TLI Jazz presents Stella Cole in Studio E of the Linde Center for Music and Learning on Saturday, December 13, at 7 p.m. bso.org/tli