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IZZA Marrakech, a boutique hotel where architecture, contemporary art, and cultural collaboration redefine sustainable hospitality in the heart of the Medina
ISSUE NO. 31
In an industry where artistry often boils in conformity and trends emerges daughter of 1980 and 90 electronic band Depeche Mode’s frontman Dave Gahan, Stella Rose as a young artist whose melodic prowess carries musical brilliance and creativity.
Stella Rose Gahan finds herself lucky to have such a supportive father that happens to be in the same industry helping her find an identity separate from her father’s fame. Just like any parent Dave Gahan is supportive and protective of his daughter, «I don’t think I fully trust his opinion because I know he is a little biased, but he loved my album».
At a time when many young artists succumb to prevailing trends, Stella Rose Gahan stands out by staying true to herself. Coming from a multi-talented family, her parents had been adamant about protecting her from a young age, deeming it important to have a normal childhood. «My mom was instrumental with the fact that just because of your dad’s job it is not your identity and growing up in New York no one gives a fuck».
«Life can be mundane sometimes and even for the most creative people, having moments of inspiration give you hope that there is something beyond the robotic world we live in. Things can exist where you might not normally run into».
People are imperfect human beings experimenting with limitations, frailties, and faults, and the distance one may travel away from their flaws. The young singer explains that writing a song tells you something about yourself that you didn’t already know, that its all about the creative impulse and being inspired from everything around you.
Gahan, 24, explains that more often than not there are times when you feel uninspired and so it makes the time when you do feel inspired all the more special. Just going to the movies and slipping in the hall can be an inspiring act, something that does not entail checking your mobile phones or watching things on your computer, «physically going somewhere and being around other people that you don’t know and not having to talk to them is inspiring. Getting inspired by it or not it’s just the action can be inspiring for me and change my pace. Something that is difficult is when you are trying to make something you are inside of yourself you need to shake that up».
She emphasized the importance of creating music that evokes genuine emotions and connects with listeners on a deeper level. Caving her own path, Gahan released Eyes of Glass after two years of dedication and commitment to authenticity and haunting and vulnerable lyrics. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Yves Rothman taking listeners on a captivating musical journey. The album’s tracks are a fusion of introspective lyrics where Stella Rose’s vocals bring a unique sexiness to the music, leaving a lasting impression.
Prior to releasing the album, Gahan teased her audience with two singles, Muddled Man and Angel. Both left a lasting impression, especially given the fact that where Muddled Man was aggressive Angel was soft and melodic. the two songs showcased her versatility and creativity as an emerging artist while pushing the boundaries of sound while drawing upon her own life experiences.
Angel, as she puts it, is a song that essentially reminds her of New York, walking around its streets and engaging with its people; the feeling you have when you cannot explain why you love it so much. Representing a side of her that feels lighter.
The track’s music video, directed by Primordial Freaks, represented the younger version of Stella Rose in small visual snippets with her coming out dressed in a makeshift angel costume. «I wanted to work with other people that are the same age as me and that are figuring it out too and in the future you come up with people».
Gahan reveals that Eyes of Glass encapsulates the symbolism that echoes through the many chapters of her life over the past few years, «it is not the type of music you just flick on and leave in the background and go about your day. It has a lot of different things going on», Gahan claims.
Muddled Man expounded the more aggressive and more powerful elements of Gahan and was her first music video she had ever done. «We shot it at a friend of mine’s apartment in Hollywood and she just moved in and had no furniture and it was perfect. We made it a set. I wanted to create a narrative, something that I feel lost in recent videos».
«I was trying to show that people have different sides of them and it’s not just one thing, it’s kind of nuanced a little bit. As the rest of the record came out, the pieces in between filled out a little more. The original plan was to put out an album instead of an EP, it was important for me to showcase who I was in the beginning to have a full picture of something, a full story line back to front».
According to Gahan the story behind naming her debut Eyes of Glass all started when her boyfriend shot the album’s cover, a resounding no was her immediate reaction upon seeing her photos, «I had a strong reaction. When I gave it a second chance, the thing that threw me off was the look I had in my eye in the photo. It reminded me of a part of myself that I didn’t think anyone could see. It was a reflection of myself that I thought was some internal part of me that no one knew about».
The feeling of being exposed with the raw and unfiltered look in her eyes, evoking strong feelings, «I read eyes of glass somewhere and when I looked it up there were many interpretations of it, but one that stood out to me was that our eyes evoke a lot. Saying that they are eyes of glass implies that they can shatter or are a reflection and have ways of showing themselves». Eyes of Glass represents Gahan’s fragility just by looking through her eyes, with the songs reflecting different sides of her.
In past interviews Gahan would label her approach in vocals as masculine and feminine, «now thinking about it I don’t know if it is that. It was just evoking a feeling and you see where it goes with that». She doubts that it was a conscious decision choosing to alternate between genders. A great source of inspiration to Gahan is David Bowie, whom she admires and looks up to, «he does not bluntly portray which side its on. Having some idea of yourself and not being afraid to explore it makes people drawn to you. That’s probably the case with a lot of these famous artists, the intrigue with them is that feeling of them knowing something we don’t and you kind of want to figure it out».
Gahan has expressed her interest with female icons that are not afraid of exploring their masculine sides. English singer and songwriter, PJ Harvey is also someone the young artist looks up to for inspiration to the degree of her blurring the lines between masculine and feminine with a strong and commanding voice. «I don’t like the cookie cutter, a pop star, who is gorgeous all the time, I think that is not for me».
The young artist has also been associated with American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author Patti Smith, on several occasions due to her unapologetic authenticity, self-expression and embracing her music and art like any male performer.
«I have strong female figures in my life that have a strong work ethic and sense of self and have curiosity to learn other things and be inspired and not be closed minded. There is always room to learn new things and some might come easy and some will struggle but the thing that carries you on is having that sense of self and curiosity for life».
Beyond her musical endeavors, Stella Rose champions sustainability, particularly in the realm of fashion. Also evident in her collaboration for Celine for Lampoon. She recognises the impact of the fashion industry on the environment and has made conscious choices to support sustainable fashion practices. «The first thing that comes to mind is probably clothes, initially that doesn’t sound sustainable, but I don’t buy new clothes, I buy a lot of vintage stuff. I do think that it makes a difference just because we do live in a world where fast fashion is overpowering». Believing that fashion can be a powerful medium for expressing individuality while still maintaining a commitment to the environment.
She envisions a future where sustainability and artistry intertwine seamlessly, inspiring others to adopt conscious practices in their creative pursuits, «doing little things like that in your life and your daily practices keeps things in perspective and are more precious».
Something that young artist admits to being a little weary of is being knowledgeable in what you express to the public, being aware of the fact that people are listening especially when it comes to matters of sustainability and global issues, «I’m still starting out so I don’t know how much of an impact I have if I say things publicly but having people look up to you and trust your opinion or that they like your music and so they think whatever you think – that sort of fandom. Do not preach when you don’t even know what the true meaning is».
Stella Rose’s vision extends beyond her music, as she hopes to collaborate with like-minded artists and organizations like Primordial Freaks to amplify the message of sustainability and make a lasting impact. «There is an aspect of sustainability working with people with the same age group as you and are in the same level plane as you just because you’re using what you have. You use the materials around you and the people around you have a certain ‘dog’ in them that wants a certain place in life». Artistry and sustainability are not mutually exclusive but in fact they can coexist with powerful impact.
Being young does not necessarily mean the artist fits that status quo as many of the rising stars of her generation, «sometimes I feel like the least Gen-Z, I’m not super on the internet or on Tik Tok. I don’t even know what Gen Z means, there are so many labels for it. I would say putting out an album is not Gen Z, I wanted to honor different feelings and not think that you have to be in one box».
She reveals, «This might be controversial but there are a lot of people especially my generation that promote this idea of being different but there is this underlying feeling of being the same kind of different». Stating that nowadays it is difficult to be yourself sometimes without any motive behind you being genuine.
By observing what is around her she finds herself often questioning if it is even possible to be purely genuine. Stella Rose Gahan concludes, «I hope that that is not lost in my generation, I think that having mystique is your biggest asset».
Gahan is set to be releasing a new single sometime during April and will be debuting live shows in Europe with her band as well as exploring more creative mediums in efforts of becoming a well-rounded artist.
While the Spring/Summer 2024 show took place at France’s Bibliothèque Nationale Richelieu, the collection was anything but scholarly. There were certainly preppy-coded undertones, such as the fitted blazer, loafers and white socks combo, and pleated mini skirts. But what Slimane does so well is keeping alive the indie-sleaze aesthetic for the modern-day customer, something that has been carried into this presentation. The Celine girls of today are all about living in the now, which is mirrored in not only what they wear but how they wear it.
There’s a sexy yet carefree attitude to it all: fur coats paired with denim cutoffs; sequin cardigans atop basic white tanks; leather jackets with low-slung jeans; knee-high shearling boots with gym class-esque mini shorts. This girl’s itinerary? Club, another club, another club, another club, plane, next place, no sleep.
The accessories were also noteworthy be it the front-flap shoulder bag or headphones sitting around the neck — the latter of which is designed with the Celine Triomphe motif and marks a new collaboration with audio brand Master & Dynamic. As for the color palette, in a typical Slimane fashion, neutrals ruled the day with the occasional inclusion of animal print unveiled.
Slimane’s signature tailoring was also ever-present taking form in matching buttoned cropped jackets and mini skirts, longline blazers over silk slip dresses, and crisp button-downs with black leather pants. While the collection may not be your every day la bibliothèque outfit, Celine may have just made a case for changing that rule.
Photography Jiro Konami
Styling Caitlan Hickey
Hair Kevin Ryan @Art+Commerce using UNITE
Makeup Frank B @HomeAgency
production @CameraClub
light tech Nigel Ho Sang
photography assistants Shimpei Nakagawa and Mike Broussard
styling assistant Janai Rodriguez
makeup assistant Natsuka Hirabayashi
hair assistant Ginger Leigh Ryan
thanks to Ford Models and Bleecker Digital Solutions and BaronMgt
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ISSUE NO. 31
Lampoon is a cultural magazine.
Culture today means sustainability – in its honest meaning.
Culture has always been about human respect, tolerance. It’s not only about accepting human diversity but it’s about searching for the beauty of every human peculiarity.
Inclusion is the first value that defines art. Culture today means one thing only: to be part of a community, to think as a community.
Reading Lampoon, you see that these themes are smoothly aligned. A good part of the articles’ content discusses practices to restore our environment and stories about understanding the others.
Reading Lampoon, you find a dialogue between science and creativity. From sharp and edgy photo sessions to fashion, architecture, technology – the commitment is dedicated to a future that is all about us – together.
LAMPOONMAGAZINE.COM is an independent online magazine, properly listed at the Milan Court Register of Press, number 407 / 19 December 2014
The magazine is released by LAMPOON PUBLISHING HOUSE S.r.L.
Italian VAT number 08934300966 – Milan R.E.A. (Economic and Administrative Index) number 2057081 – Italian R.O.C. (Register of Operators in the Communication Field) number 26800 / 8 November 2016 – Copyright 2019 © Lampoon Publishing House. All rights reserved.
