Stella Homewood travelled a long way to end up making ‘Dreams & Lullabies’, the lush, classy collection of gentle jazz standards that she released in 2023 with guitarist Paul Richards. She first sang jazz on a Brighton stage around 20 years ago, where she was introduced to a swing band in a central pub and invited to join in.
Before then, she was dancing ballet as a child in Lancashire, studied Performing Arts in Kent and then making folk albums in the South West as a multi-instrumentalist member of The Spacegoats – who were wisely protesting the destruction of our natural environment long before Greta Thunberg got in on the act.
Later, after that swinging Brighton stage experience, she went on to release two albums of self-penned folk songs inspired by the bucolic surroundings of her new home near Lewes, East Sussex.
But a deep love for all things vintage lingered throughout her life and today everything from her vintage dresses to her trilling, wonderfully expressive singing voice evokes the 1930s and 40s.
If Doris Day and Peggy Lee had got together to build a time machine, they’d find plenty to love if they landed at one of Stella’s 2020s shows.
She has learned Lindy Hop swing dancing, and the level of comfort she feels in this world means she can put her own confident stamp on the standards rather than merely mimicking the greats of old.
The songs she sings are cosily familiar, delivered with a warm glow of wonder that comes from a genuine passion for this music. ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, ‘Embraceable You’ and ‘A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes’ (from Disney’s ‘Cinderella’), recorded with the intimate backing of Paul Richards’ sophisticated acoustic guitar, have rarely been interpreted so beautifully.
For Stella, after her long musical journey, it feels like coming home.
Stella is greatly inspired by the music and sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irvin Berlin, Peggy Lee, Doris Day and Teddy Wilson.
A songwriter, producer and multi instrumentalist, she plays guitar, Celtic harp, recorders, flutes, percussion, djembe drum and the Native American Indian flute.
Art
Alongside music and singing, in her spare time, Stella makes enchanting handmade collages reflecting her deep love of nature and wildlife. She is inspired by fairytale, folklore, birds, botanicals and butterflies.
There is now a collection of beautiful greeting cards taken from the originals available for sale.
To see and purchase Stella's art and CDs, please see the Store
Music links to Spotify and Apple Music are on her Songwriter page.
Dance
Stella has a background in dance and studied ballet and expressive movement as a child. As a school leaver she continued her education at the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts in Kent and The Royal Northern Ballet School and further trained as a Nia Technique teacher - a mind, body somatic dance practice.
In recent years Stella has created her own dance/movement practice called 'Joy of Movement' a culmination of many years of dance and body awareness training focussing on feeling joy in our bodies whatever our age or experience. Having had a continued passion for dance throughout her life, she has been enjoying running a small weekly class since 2008 in Lewes.
Inspirations
https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org
https://www.clarissapinkolaestes.com/works.htm
https://www.instagram.com/thezenpoet/
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org
Photo credit above featuring Paul Richards - www.paulrichardsguitar.com
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Stella Homewood Music
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