# Stella Cole
**Stella Cole** (Stella Katherine Cole, born 1999) is an American jazz vocalist, actress, and social media personality from [Springfield, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/springfield-illinois), known for her interpretations of the [Great American Songbook](https://www.edgepedia.org/great-american-songbook), a repertoire of American popular songs and standards from roughly the 1920s through the 1950s. She rose to prominence through singing videos posted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which drew attention from musicians including [James Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-taylor), David Foster, Michael Bublé, John Mayer, and Meghan Trainor.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/) She records for Decca Records US, and her social media following exceeds 1.7 million.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999, raised in Springfield, Illinois[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/) |
| Education | Northwestern University, 2021; double major in theater and international studies, German minor, musical theater certificate[2](https://news.alumni.northwestern.edu/2024/03/stella-cole-21.html) |
| Breakthrough | Viral 2020 a cappella video of "Over the Rainbow" posted during the COVID-19 pandemic[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/) |
| Studio albums | *Stella Cole* (2024), *Snow!* EP (2024), *It's Magic* (2025)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/stella-cole-mn0004675298) |
| Live album | *Live at Café Carlyle* (Decca Records US, July 10, 2026), recorded during her June 17–21, 2025 residency[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/10/rising-star-vocalist-stella-colereleases-her-first-ever-live-album-live-at-cafe-carlyle/) |
| Broadway debut | Gil Brentley in *Maybe Happy Ending*, Belasco Theatre, October 20 to November 15, 2026[5](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/stella-cole) |
| Following | Over 1.7 million followers on social media[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/) |
## Background and education
Cole grew up in Springfield, Illinois, in a family that watched old movie musicals each evening and listened to [Judy Garland](https://www.edgepedia.org/judy-garland), Frank Sinatra, and [Nat King Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/nat-king-cole).[6](https://www.cadogan.co.uk/propeller/uploads/2026/01/SS-Nov25-Online-Proof.pdf) She has attributed her love of musicals and classic American standards to her early attachment to the film *The Wizard of Oz*.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/stella-cole-mn0004675298) She cites Judy Garland and [Barbra Streisand](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbra-streisand) as her biggest influences, admiring how they blended jazz, musical theater, and popular music.[7](https://stellakcole.com/)
At [Northwestern University](https://www.edgepedia.org/northwestern-university) she double majored in theater and international studies, adding a German minor and a musical theater certificate, and graduated half a year early in 2021.[2](https://news.alumni.northwestern.edu/2024/03/stella-cole-21.html) • [8](https://www.pdxjazz.org/stellacole) A class on the Great American Songbook taught by music theater lecturer Stephen Schellhardt shaped her direction; assigned Streisand's "Happy Days Are Here Again," she was told to "just sing. Tell the story of the song," advice she has described as life-changing.[9](https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/stella-cole-singer-barbra-streisand-judy-garland-tiktok)
## Viral rise
While home in [Springfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/springfield) during the pandemic quarantine of her junior year, she began posting videos of herself singing jazz and pop songs from the 1940s and 1950s, and a spontaneous a cappella version of "Over the Rainbow" went viral in 2020.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/) • [2](https://news.alumni.northwestern.edu/2024/03/stella-cole-21.html) After graduating and moving to New York City, her first paid work was singing at restaurants and coffee shops, including Giovanni's Brooklyn Eats, building up to five or six nights a week before she moved to stage venues.[9](https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/stella-cole-singer-barbra-streisand-judy-garland-tiktok)
In 2023 she toured the United States, Australia, and New Zealand with Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, and her swinging rendition of [Miley Cyrus](https://www.edgepedia.org/miley-cyrus)'s "Flowers" with the group reached more than 6 million views.[10](https://atuph.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/10/Some-Enchanted-Evening-Program-v4.pdf)
## Recording career
Her first full-length album, the self-titled *Stella Cole*, was released in 2024, followed by the holiday-themed EP *Snow!*, which featured a duet with Tony Award-winner Darren Criss.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/stella-cole-mn0004675298) For that debut, producer Matt Pierson assembled studio musicians including arranger Alan Broadbent, guitarist Chico Pinheiro, pianist Ben Paterson, and bassist Neal Miner; the album's lead single was "Moon River," and the track list mixed familiar standards such as "Over the Rainbow" with less common Songbook numbers and a [Billie Eilish](https://www.edgepedia.org/billie-eilish) cover, "My Future."[10](https://atuph.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/10/Some-Enchanted-Evening-Program-v4.pdf) She had earlier raised funds independently to produce the album rather than sign a deal that would give a label creative control, a decision she linked to Barbra Streisand's early contract negotiations with Columbia.[11](https://www.s-quive.com/article/stella-cole-my-debut-album-is-about-to-come-out)
She then signed with [Decca Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/decca-records), and her sophomore album *It's Magic* followed in August 2025, produced by Pierson with arrangements by Broadbent and featuring Cole with full orchestra and an intimate string quartet.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/stella-cole-mn0004675298) The album presented vintage love songs, described by her label as showcasing her gift for intimate storytelling.[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/10/rising-star-vocalist-stella-colereleases-her-first-ever-live-album-live-at-cafe-carlyle/) A three-track EP, *My Funny Valentine*, arrived in February 2026.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/)
**Live album.** In July 2026 Decca released *Live at Café Carlyle*, her first live album, recorded by Tyler McDiarmid during her sold-out Café Carlyle residency of June 17–21, 2025, and mixed and mastered by Christopher Allen.[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/10/rising-star-vocalist-stella-colereleases-her-first-ever-live-album-live-at-cafe-carlyle/) Backed by the trio of Michael Kanan (piano), Michael Migliore (bass), and Hank Allen-Barfield (drums), the 19-song set draws on songs she first encountered in films, from golden-age Hollywood musicals to cinematic ballads, including "Singin' in the Rain," "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps," and "Pure Imagination" from *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory*.[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/10/rising-star-vocalist-stella-colereleases-her-first-ever-live-album-live-at-cafe-carlyle/) A reviewer for *Jazz Views* praised her "flawless and heartfelt performance" and called her closing "Over the Rainbow" one that "ranks alongside the very best."[12](https://jazzviews.net/stella-cole-live-at-cafe-carlyle/)
Her next studio album, *Imagination*, is scheduled for release on October 30, 2026, with "Singin' in the Rain" already released from it.[13](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/stella-cole/)
## Performing career
Cole has headlined sold-out shows at venues including [Carnegie Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/carnegie-hall), the Kennedy Center, Madison Square Garden, Birdland, and the Café Carlyle.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/) She has appeared on television on *The Today Show*, *Live with Kelly and Mark*, and *The Tamron Hall Show*.[5](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/stella-cole) In 2024 she completed a 10-show European tour to Paris, London, and Florence.[9](https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/stella-cole-singer-barbra-streisand-judy-garland-tiktok) In 2025 she played well over 100 headline shows across the United States, Europe, and Asia, according to her booking agency.[14](https://www.bnatural.nyc/artists/stella-cole)
She will make her Broadway debut as Gil Brentley in the six-time Tony Award-winning musical *Maybe Happy Ending* at the Belasco Theatre from October 20 to November 15, 2026.[5](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/stella-cole) • [14](https://www.bnatural.nyc/artists/stella-cole)
## Style and reception
Cole describes her sound as "a throwback," inspired by pop and jazz singers of the 1940s and 1950s.[9](https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/stella-cole-singer-barbra-streisand-judy-garland-tiktok) Despite working largely in jazz settings, she has said she does not consider herself a "jazz" singer, though she uses devices of the greats through her inflections and natural sense of timing.[15](https://nycjazzrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/tnycjr202510_v5.pdf) *Music Connection* gave her January 2026 release "Merry Christmas, Darling" a rating of 8.3, scoring vocals and production at 9.[16](https://www.musicconnection.com/new-music-critique-stella-cole/) She was named an Amazon Breakthrough Artist to Watch, and profiles of her position her as a leading voice bringing Songbook repertoire to a new generation of listeners.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/stella-cole-mn0004675298)
## References
1. [Rising star vocalist Stella Cole releases My Funny Valentine EP, Universal Music Canada (6 February 2026)](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/02/06/rising-star-vocalist-stella-cole-releases-my-funny-valentine-ep/)
2. [Stella Cole '21, Northwestern Alumni Association (14 March 2024)](https://news.alumni.northwestern.edu/2024/03/stella-cole-21.html)
3. [Stella Cole – Biography, Discography & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/stella-cole-mn0004675298)
4. [Rising star vocalist Stella Cole releases her first-ever live album Live at Café Carlyle, Universal Music Canada (10 July 2026)](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/10/rising-star-vocalist-stella-colereleases-her-first-ever-live-album-live-at-cafe-carlyle/)
5. [Stella Cole, Stars on Stage, New York Theatre Guide](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/stella-cole)
6. [Cadogan Hall program, Stella Cole (November 2025)](https://www.cadogan.co.uk/propeller/uploads/2026/01/SS-Nov25-Online-Proof.pdf)
7. [Stella Katherine Cole, official biography site](https://stellakcole.com/)
8. [Stella Cole, PDX Jazz](https://www.pdxjazz.org/stellacole)
9. [Chatting With … Stella Cole '21, Northwestern Magazine (Fall 2024)](https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/stella-cole-singer-barbra-streisand-judy-garland-tiktok)
10. [Some Enchanted Evening program notes, atuph.org (2024)](https://atuph.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/10/Some-Enchanted-Evening-Program-v4.pdf)
11. [Meeting with Stella Cole: "My debut album is about to come out!", S-quive (3 July 2024)](https://www.s-quive.com/article/stella-cole-my-debut-album-is-about-to-come-out)
12. [Stella Cole – Live at Café Carlyle, Jazz Views (9 July 2026)](https://jazzviews.net/stella-cole-live-at-cafe-carlyle/)
13. [ステラ・コール (Stella Cole), Universal Music Japan](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/stella-cole/)
14. [Stella Cole, B Natural, Inc. (booking agency profile)](https://www.bnatural.nyc/artists/stella-cole)
15. [The New York City Jazz Record (October 2025), It's Magic review](https://nycjazzrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/tnycjr202510_v5.pdf)
16. [New Music Critique: Stella Cole, Music Connection (23 January 2026)](https://www.musicconnection.com/new-music-critique-stella-cole/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Jazz musicians and bandleaders › Contemporary jazz musicians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license