Stella Lefty’s short set in Syracuse raises tough questions (NYS Fair review, photos) – This is CNY - New York News Beep

Viral TikTok star Stella Lefty came to the New York State Fair on Sunday evening. She took the stage at Chevy Court at 6:07 pm. 49 minutes later, the show was over.

I feel genuinely conflicted about what to write in this review.

At the start of the summer, I did not recognize the name Stella Lefty. I, along with my fellow non-TikTok-using olds, have since learned her name as she broke containment with the release of her hit song, Boston, which is currently #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

There was a buzz in the air at Chevy Court that matched the popularity of the song. People starting lining up hours early, waiting with anticipation to hear one of their favorite songs of the summer.

Stella Lefty and her band took the stage in matching plain white T-shirts and denim. They performed a short set of country-flavored pop songs pulled from Lefty’s recently released debut album.

The set closed with Boston and the roughly 15,500 fans in the audience were thrilled to hear what they came for. Lefty stepped down from the stage to sign autographs and take photos with adoring, wide-eyed young fans.

It was everything it was supposed to be.

That’s it. That could be my review but it’s not.

I always try to view an artist through the lens with which they present themselves.

As a viral social media star, Sunday evening’s performance did its job, but Stella Lefty isn’t asking to be seen as a social media influencer who wrote a catchy song, she’s asking to be taken seriously as an up-and-coming artist.

Her debut album, released on Aug. 21, is currently a top 5 country album. She canceled her planned tour with Tucker Wetmore, where she was to be the opening act, only to announce a headlining tour in 2027.

Four days before performing at the NYS Fair, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut.

I think about some of the artists who have graced that stage: Jason Isbell, Hank Williams, Dolly Parton.

Artists with strong points of view and something to say.

Stella Lefty has a charming and affable, if innocent stage presence. She seems genuinely sweet. When listening to her voice, especially in the mid and upper range, I can hear the potential that’s there. It sounds like a blend of Colbie Callait and Kimberly Perry from The Band Perry.

But musically, the songs and their performance on Sunday was the aural equivalent of the matching plain white T-shirt and denim aesthetic on stage.

Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com) Stella Lefty plays Chevy Court at the 2026 NYS Fair Stella Lefty packs the crowd with her performance at the Chevy Court at the NY State Fair. Sept 6, 2026. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com (Dennis Nett/Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)

Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen writes that social media “flattens complex information into a single bit of data.” We exist in an ecosystem of likes, reposts and shares that fail to engage with the nuance of human existence.

Stella Lefty’s music suffers from a similar flattening. She has mastered the art of social media virality, but she hasn’t yet mastered her art.

Her songs are littered with passing references to whiskey, neon lights, tequila, and other signifiers, but it all feels like country music cosplay.

I was not surprised to learn the album was co-written and produced by Joe Reeves, a frequent collaborator of Morgan Wallen, an artist whose omnipresence has contributed to a similar flattening of country radio.

Then again, maybe I’m being too harsh. Stella Lefty is a pop star and I’m not in her target demographic.

Am I expecting too much?

The album I’ve listened to most this summer, and one that I think has a legitimate case for album of the year, is Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. It is written by, and for, the same demographic as Stella Lefty, but it is musically sophisticated with personal lyrics that adeptly shift between deeply funny and deeply heartbreaking, oftentimes in the same song.

Young women (and men) deserve pop music that speaks to the complex reality of their emotional lives.

The turbulent wake of Stella Lefty’s sudden ascent is being filled with accusations of being a “nepo baby,” an industry plant and a plagiarist. The internet has found a new sacrificial lamb and netizens are piling on.

These accusations have varying degrees of validity, but I don’t find any of them particularly offensive.

Yes, Stella Lefty’s father is a billionaire, but a lot of great musicians come from wealthy families: Carly Simon’s father was the Simon in Simon & Schuster.

I don’t believe being an “industry plant” is a real thing, but even if it was, you can’t spend 20+ weeks on the charts without real people listening to and enjoying your song.

The plagiarism accusations have a bit more weight.

Stella Lefty has had to concede that Boston interpolates the chorus from Noah Kahan’s Stick Season. She has also had to concede that the Summer You Were Mine, interpolates the material from The Chick’s 1998 Grammy winning song, There’s Your Trouble. Both of these concessions came only after fans noticed similarities.

There are currently accusations that her song Why Wouldn’t We is similar to Blake Shelton’s I’ll Name the Dogs. Overnight, since performing at the New York State Fair, a fourth song is being looked at. Stereogum is reporting that Lefty’s song Misery is similar to A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman soundtrack.

Not to add to the pile on, but when I heard the opening chords of Something to Lose, I recognized it as Jason Isbell’s Children of Children.

That said, I don’t love when artists are accused of plagiarism. Songwriters are all playing with the same musical vocabulary and lots of songs sound similar. The reason why I think these accusations are so effective is that the songs lack any real personality of their own.

Returning to Nguyen, he quotes food writer John Thorne: “the difference between a recipe and a dish is that a dish is a live thing, an idea of balance that’s in a creative cook’s head. A dish has to be remade anew each time, in response to changing ingredients and changing circumstances. But a recipe, he said, is a dead thing, a writing down of how a creative cook made something once.”

Stella Lefty has artistic potential, the ingredients are there. She and her collaborators have figured out the recipe of pop country radio but the songs don’t yet feel alive.

When asked by Vanity Fair about the similarities between Boston and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season, Stella Lefty responded “When I was writing the song, I wasn’t thinking about Noah Kahan. I was literally thinking about nothing at all.”

I believe her.

At the Chevy Court on Sunday, we all sang along to a viral chorus and it felt good. I hope someday she offers more than empty calories.

New York State Fair, Sept. 6, 2026

Thinking ‘bout You

Why Wouldn’t We

Good at Leaving

Kiss Me

Summer You Were Mine

Lean In, Kiss Me

Whiskey

Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield cover)

Feel Better

Something to Lose

I Know, I Know

Slow Dancin’

Boston

Stella Lefty’s short set in Syracuse raises tough questions (NYS Fair review, photos) – This is CNY

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