September 8, 2025 • 44 mins
What happens when a buried pop gem finally gets its moment to shine? Stella Soleil joins us to share the fascinating 14-year journey of her song "Hello" – from its unexpected birth in a hard rock band to its powerful 2025 revival.
Stella takes us behind the curtain of her remarkable career, revealing how she championed Slipknot before they became global metal icons. "I always insisted we play on the same show," she explains, describing her early conviction that the masked musicians would "take over the planet" when others couldn't see past their unconventional image. This thread of recognizing potential runs throughout her story, especially with "Hello" – a song she created with members of Slipknot in their side project Dirty Little Rabbits.
The conversation delves into the creative rebirth of "Hello" with legendary producer John Fryer (Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode), where Stella spent an incredible 52 hours recording vocals to create the song's distinctive harmonies. "It went from a single line vocal to 72 tracks," she reveals, describing the transformation from quirky original to anthemic 2025 version.
We explore the making of the music video with director Jeffrey Panzer, filming in natural light with genuine human connections that perfectly capture the song's message that "all good people find one another." Stella's authentic personality shines throughout – from her fear of flying to her signature friendship pins adorning her Adidas Superstars.
Listen now for a master class in musical perseverance, the power of timing, and how sometimes the most meaningful songs take the longest journey to find their audience. Subscribe to hear more conversations with artists who are reshaping the music landscape with honesty and heart.
Links
- Jay Franze: https://JayFranze.com
- Virtually You: https://www.virtuallyyouva.com/
- Stella Soleil: https://stellasoleilofficial.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tony Scott (00:05):
Welcome to The Jay Franze Show, a
behind-the-curtain look at theentertainment industry, with
insights you can't pay for andstories you've never heard.
Now here's your host, JayFranzi, and Tiffany Mason.
Jay Franze (00:33):
And we are coming at you live.
I am Jay Franzi and with metonight the Tina to my Ike, my
beautiful co-host, Miss TiffanyMason.
Tiffany Mason (00:43):
Good evening.
Jay Franze (00:48):
And if you are new to the show, this is your source
for the latest news, reviewsand interviews.
So if you would like to join in, comment or fire off any
questions, please head over tojayfranze.
com.
All right, my friends, tonightwe have a very special guest.
We have a recording artisthailing from the great state of
Illinois.
I said it Illinois, I called ita great state.
Stella Soleil (01:09):
Is it?
I don't know.
I don't actually know anythingabout Illinois except Chicago.
There you go.
Jay Franze (01:16):
We have Stella Soleil.
Stella, my friend, thank youfor joining us.
Stella Soleil (01:20):
Thanks for having me, jay, it is our pleasure.
Jay Franze (01:22):
And Tiffany, tiffany's alright, tina
Tonight's all right.
Tiffany Mason (01:25):
Tina Tonight's.
Jay Franze (01:27):
Tina, tina, tonight she's.
Tiffany Mason (01:28):
Tina.
Jay Franze (01:30):
All right, miss Stella, you, my friend, have a
new song out.
Can you tell us a little bitabout this song?
Stella Soleil (01:37):
Sure.
The new song is called Hello,and it is a song about
connecting with people andfinding people that are a lot
like you Good people.
Finding each other is reallywhat it's about, nice.
Jay Franze (01:54):
So how did it come about?
Stella Soleil (01:57):
I was in a band 14 years ago called Dirty Little
Rabbits and we were a prettyhard rock band Three of the guys
were in Slipknot and me andthen one day we just wrote this
really great pop song calledHello and we didn't know what to
(02:20):
do with it and it just kind ofgot buried on the record because
it just everything else wasreally aggressive.
And then just kind of gotburied on the record because it
just everything else was reallyaggressive.
And then all of a sudden youhave this like hello, you know,
like this, like this, like popsong.
So it didn't really do anything.
Back then.
No one really noticed it,except for a pretty decent size
radio station in Nebraska, 89.7the River, who played it like
(02:44):
469 times.
She told me Sophia John is thegeneral manager there.
She loved it so much and thenit just went away for 14 years
and I just I literally I triedduring COVID to get the guys
from the Dirty Little Rabbitsback together.
They were a little busy withSlipknot and so I was like you
(03:09):
know what?
It's time for this song, thetime has come.
People need to hear this song,especially like right now, like
with everything that's happeningaround the world.
We need some like love andpositivity.
So I got John Fryer, who's myproducer.
He's a really well-known,famous, amazing producer.
He did like Depeche Mode, hedid Nine Inch Nails, pretty Hate
(03:32):
Machine Just so many incrediblerecords and I sent him the demo
we had done like 14 years agoand he's like, yeah, I'm going
to do it, it and yeah, and wereworked it and updated it to
2025 and here it is.
This is, I mean, this is whatit sounds like now and I think
(03:55):
it came out really great allright, I have too many questions
at this point okay all right, Iam a fan of hard rock music, so
let's start there.
Okay.
Jay Franze (04:08):
How did that come about?
Stella Soleil (04:10):
So I have been friends with those guys, the
guys in Slipknot.
So when I was first startingout I got my record deal first
on Universal Records and theywere in Des Moines and I used to
tour a lot in Des Moines, iowa,and so much that the Des
Moinesians thought that I waslike a local band.
(04:30):
But it's just, the radiostation was there, sophia John
was there and that time it wasKKDM and she was playing my
project.
At the time it was calledSister Soleil and I just thought
Slipknot was going to be hugeand they were like really having
a hard time getting evenbookings, like nobody got the
(04:51):
masks nobody practice a littlebit more, they'll be pretty good
and so I used to like take themeverywhere with me and like,
when I got to Universal, I wentto the president of Universal
Records and I said these guysare going to take over the
planet.
You have to sign this band.
And he's like I don't get themasks.
(05:12):
And I'm like, oh man, have youever heard of Kiss?
I mean, come on.
And they wound up signing toRoadrunner eventually and they
did take over the world.
So I was right.
So you discovered Slipknot yeah,I mean, I wouldn't say I
discovered them, I'd say Ihelped them.
They were from Des Moines,they're low, they were Des
(05:33):
Moines locals and I alwaysinsisted that we play on the
same show, even though, like I,at that time I had an electronic
project that was closer to NineIn nails than it was metal,
like Slipknot.
Tiffany Mason (05:45):
But I just thought that they were
monumentally talented and I justkept pushing and pushing and
pushing for them, you knowthat's so awesome, though, that,
like you, were willing tobelieve in them before they
could believe in themselves, oryou were able to help others see
what you saw in them yeah, Imean amazing artist to obviously
(06:06):
try to advance your own career,but then also take them under
your wing and be like no, theseguys are amazing.
Stella Soleil (06:12):
Well, it's kind of my personality.
I'm always helping otherartists and I developed a lot of
artists.
I write for other artists.
I like working with otherartists.
I'm a really good collaborator.
I don't play any instruments.
I'm a really good collaborator.
I don't play any instruments.
I'm a lyricist and I writemelody, but I don't play any
instruments.
So most everything well, prettymuch everything that I've ever
(06:34):
put out is a collaboration withother people.
Jay Franze (06:37):
So yeah, Was it the Slipknot that we know today?
Stella Soleil (06:42):
Well, paul died in let's see, died in 2008,.
I think he died.
Paul Gray, what a sweetheart,oh my God.
He was so sweet.
And Joey died, the drummer,just a few years ago.
So it's funny because, dirtyLittle Rabbits, two of the guys,
mike and Jeff, are now inSlipknot.
(07:03):
They were Sean Cran and hisclown.
I was living in LA and he cameto LA to convince me to move to
Des Moines to front his new hisnew band and I and I did and it
was great and we played togetherfor like three.
We toured all over the world andI loved being in that band.
(07:25):
I thought we wrote great stufftogether.
Jay Franze (07:27):
But, like I said, when we wrote Hello, I kind of
wanted to go more in the popdirection and they wanted to go
more in the hard directionthat's what I wanted to get to,
so yeah you did finally findthat turning point that brought
you into the world of pop versusthe world of rock or metal well
, when I was on Universal I dida pop pop record like no getting
(07:49):
around it, straight up, cookiecutter, corporate pop.
Stella Soleil (07:54):
But I did learn a lot.
I was sent all over the worldto work with like the hit makers
and I did as much as I hatedpop at that point in my life.
I didn't really learn a lotfrom working with these writers
and how to craft songs and evenif I didn't like the style or
the production, I really learnedhow to write a strong song.
(08:17):
So then by the time I got intothe Rabbits I had that
sensibility, that popsensibility.
So Hello was very easy for meto write Like in minutes.
I wrote that like in 10 minutes.
Jay Franze (08:30):
So yeah, Well, while we're there, why don't you go
ahead and tell us what thewriting process was?
Stella Soleil (08:36):
So I was very poor and I lived in a house
without furniture and the boyswould come over Mike and Ty,
actually and one day we weresitting on my hardwood floor
with no furniture and Mike wasplaying the keyboard and I just
started singing Hello, hello,you know, and it just came
(08:58):
together so fast and we werelike, oh my God, I think we're
onto something, and then went torehearsal and played it for the
rest of the guys and it justwrote itself.
It was such an amazingexperience because we kind of
all knew like, wow, this issomething really special.
But now what do we do?
Because it doesn't sound likeanything else, that this record
(09:20):
that we're making is justcompletely different.
It did get released but it wasnever pushed as a single.
Tiffany Mason (09:27):
It just kind of got buried on those records,
those two records that came outtwice and well, I think, with
the genre being different, right, it probably threw the listener
for a loop a little bit.
We say that sometimes thegeneral public just isn't ready
for the song yet too yeah, itcould have been timing as well,
(09:47):
you know, or that it's marketedto a different you know,
listening population.
Stella Soleil (09:52):
Well, I mean I think part of the problem is
that we were being marketed tothe slipknot fans and we were
our own thing.
And I think that was the bigmistake, because when I did
Warped Tour in 2010, kevin Lyman, who owned that festival, he
always put us at the top fivebest bands to see.
(10:15):
There were 70 bands on thattour and we were always in the
press as the top five bands bestbands to see, best bands to see
.
And literally whenever I playedthe song Hello Live and no one
had ever heard it before, itwould go from like 50 people in
our audience to kids literallyrunning full speed trying to
(10:37):
figure out where this song whichwhich of the 10 stages the song
was coming from and then, likeby the end of the song, there'd
be like 1500 to 2000 kids likefor the song was coming from and
then, like by the end of thesong, there'd be like 1500 to
2000 kids like for the song.
So I'm like, okay, there'ssomething really, really special
with this song because I mean,they were like running, running
to get to us well, at that time,what was the sound of the song?
(11:00):
it was, um, it was similar, Iguess.
Uh, there were no harmonies, itwas just a single vocal line.
But Sean couldn't come on theroad with us, so we went down
from a five-piece to afour-piece and back then there
was a Hammond organ in it too.
We took that out.
John Fryer said I think I wantto make it more guitar driven
(11:24):
than the kind of quirky guitar,the quirky Hammond B3 organ, and
it's more anthemic now thanlike it was.
It was quirkier back then andnow it's more anthemic.
I think it's a lot morepowerful now and I wrote these
really beautiful harmonies thatthat weren't there before, when
(11:45):
we first wrote it so was it yourband at that time that went in
the studio with you to record ityeah, the players back then
were from Dirty Little Rabbits,and and then now re-recording
this and working with John Fryer, I used all musicians from the
western suburbs outside ofChicago.
Jay Franze (12:04):
So are they studio musicians or are they just known
musicians in that area?
Stella Soleil (12:08):
So one of the like, pat Gilroy, is in the band
One Life they're on the PlainWhite Tees label and like Adam
Cryer, he was AM Taxi and likeLucky Boy's Confusion.
And Ricky is the bass player ina really well-known band called
Liquid Soul who's been aroundfor like 20 years.
(12:29):
I mean, they were graminated.
They were graminated.
They were graminated for anominee.
Jay Franze (12:35):
Grammy nominated.
Stella Soleil (12:36):
They were graminated for a nominee.
Jay Franze (12:39):
I like that, let's start using that for now.
Tiffany Mason (12:41):
They're graminated.
I'm so cool, I'm always up fornow they're grammy.
I'm so cool, I'm always up forlearning new words.
Stella Soleil (12:50):
Yeah, and Eric is the youngest of all of us and
just an amazing drummer andthese guys.
I went to rehearsal and wereworked it and yeah, and it
just popped.
It just popped with these newplayers.
Jay Franze (13:02):
So how did you hook up with John to produce the song
?
Stella Soleil (13:06):
So John Fryer I have been begging him for like
the last seven years to give mea shot.
I mean, he's like my all-timefavorite producer, Like my two
favorite bands in the world areNine Inch Nails and the Cocteau
Twins, and he produced both ofthem you know, so I'm like just
(13:27):
give me a chance.
And so, and now we work togetherall the time.
We do a lot of stuff like filmstuff and I just did this really
cool.
There's this on Magnetic EyeRecords.
They just done the DownwardSpiral Redx with all these great
artists and I got asked tocover I Do Not Want this Nine
(13:49):
Inch Nails off of DownwardSpiral and John and I did it
together and it's likeorchestral and it's really crazy
cool.
And that comes out at the endof November.
So yeah, so now we're workingtogether pretty often.
Jay Franze (14:04):
Let's take it a step further.
I know he is known forengineering as well as producing
, and he does get his hands intothe mix.
What was the relationship likebetween the two of you when you
went into the studio?
Stella Soleil (14:17):
It was remote.
I stayed in Chicago and Itracked in Chicago and then sent
him the tracks and then heproduced and mixed them in LA.
So it's cool that you can makerecords like that.
Now he doesn't do trackinganymore, he just does straight
up producing and mixing Right.
A lot of phone calls, a lot ofFaceTiming.
Jay Franze (14:39):
So how did you record your tracks then?
Stella Soleil (14:42):
So a studio here in Chicago, illuminate, a guy
named Joseph Castelberry, didthe engineering for me and then
sent the track to John Fryer toproduce and mix and actually I
sang 52 hours.
I know, oh, my goodness, thefirst time I recorded this I
(15:04):
probably sang two hours and the2025 version of Hello 52 hours
in the vocal room.
Tony Scott (15:15):
Oh my goodness, why.
Stella Soleil (15:17):
Because I had written all these really, really
amazing harmonies it was.
It went from a single linevocal to and John Fryer, he
loves like he makes me doquadruples of everything.
You know.
Before, when I would record, Ionly had heard of like doubling
your vocal.
(15:38):
He wants quadruples ofeverything, and so I mean of
everything, and so I mean, ifyou're doing three harmonies
plus the main vocal, that's like16 vocal tracks just in one
spot and by the end it was like72 tracks that we sent him okay,
so I am not from the musicindustry in the respect of like
(16:03):
recording, producing, right okayit's a lot of tracks yes, so
what is intriguing me right nowis the fact that you sang your
harmony parts.
Tiffany Mason (16:13):
Oh yeah, I did all my harmonies on this, yeah
ah, I guess I that may wouldmake sense, but it didn't dawn
on me that that's how it couldbe done.
Stella Soleil (16:23):
Oh yeah, I mean I've done a cover with the boys.
Love the one you're.
With stephen stills we sing inthree-part harmony on that.
That's, that's my second single.
That that will come after hello, and so they did the harmonies
with me.
But, um, hello, I did all myown harmonies, yeah is that
(16:44):
breaking news?
Jay Franze (16:45):
Are we the first to know that as well?
Stella Soleil (16:47):
Oops, I think I wasn't supposed to say that.
Jay Franze (16:50):
No, that's all right .
That's what we like.
Stella Soleil (16:52):
Yeah, you're the first one.
Jay Franze (16:55):
We just want to feel special.
That's all it is.
We just like to feel special.
Stella Soleil (16:59):
I mean yes, yes, that was intentional.
Tiffany Mason (17:01):
We're going to be all back behind the stage
information.
Jay Franze (17:05):
That's why we love you, miss Tiffany.
When a singer can do their ownharmonies, first of all, it's
rare, not every singer can singtheir own harmonies, but when a
singer can sing their ownharmonies it's a nice blend.
It makes things sound thicker.
Stella Soleil (17:21):
Huge yeah, like a big anthem.
Jay Franze (17:24):
So when you go in with a team of background
vocalists, that also soundsgreat.
Stella Soleil (17:32):
But it's not quite the same.
No, unless you're doing like acrosby stills and nash like
cover, where you want differenttextures and stuff like that.
Sometimes I've had backupsingers come in and it gets a
little syrupy sounding, but whenit's your, own voice um like
not so much emotion.
They're singing perfectlypitched vocals, but when you do
(17:55):
your own backup vocal, whenyou're doing your own harmonies,
the emotion is still there.
Tiffany Mason (18:00):
You know, so it's more.
Stella Soleil (18:01):
I think it's more powerful when you do your own
harmonies Plus when you do yourown harmonies, you're matching
the melody almost identical.
Yeah.
Jay Franze (18:10):
Where you bring in harmony singers, they're going
to sing the melody to where itshould fall as a background
vocal.
It doesn't always match thelead vocalist and again, that's
personal preference.
Sometimes that sounds great,sometimes people don't like it.
They'd rather have it match.
Stella Soleil (18:24):
I mean, yeah, If you're like Pink Floyd or
something, you remember theybrought in that woman and she
was like whoa, like that wasreally cool.
Yeah, that's when it's reallycool yeah.
Jay Franze (18:40):
All right.
So you go in the studio inChicago, you bring in these
musicians.
Tony Scott (18:44):
Yes.
Jay Franze (18:47):
So you had the engineer there.
Was there anybody hands-onproducing the musicians there,
or did you just record all thetracks and then send them off to
John?
Stella Soleil (18:55):
No, these guys are such pros, they pretty much
can produce themselves.
I mean, they've been in theindustry for a long time and
they just walk right through it.
They're just like bam, bam, bam, it's perfect, you know.
Jay Franze (19:07):
So the initial, before they walked in the studio
to do their bam bam bam, wasthere?
Somebody give a little bit of a?
You know say hey, this is whatI'm going for, this is what I
did.
Stella Soleil (19:18):
I gave them some direction and they just got it
right away.
Jay Franze (19:23):
You know you did go in there and give them a little
bit of guidance, and then justyeah, I mean, basically, what I
said is I want to make this ananthem.
Stella Soleil (19:32):
I just imagine the stadium like we're playing
madison square garden.
I want big, big drums, bigguitars, which is like night and
day.
From the original, you know,yeah, so that's what they gave
me.
I mean, the thing is is theseguys are like stars in their own
right, and so I'm just likewhat do you do?
(19:53):
And these guys are stars, youdo crosby stills and ash with
them you know, because you canyou know so?
but um, hello was great becauseI almost got rid of the intro.
I thought I was going to goright into the song and Adam
Cryer actually was like no, youhave to keep that part.
That's like one of the bestparts of the song.
(20:13):
So, yeah, they know whatthey're doing.
Jay Franze (20:17):
It's always cool like that, right, so you record
with these musicians.
Now, do you ever have the hopeof performing it live at this
point?
Stella Soleil (20:27):
So I did so much extensive touring in my career
and man life on the road is likeit's hard, it's hardcore, it's
hard to stay healthy, it's hardto eat right, you're eating out
of gas stations and if I eversee another waffle house, I'm
gonna puke and like not asponsor, but could be, but um, I
(20:52):
think probably I will ask theseguys to do like target shows
with me.
Jay Franze (20:57):
You know, not full-blown touring but that's
what I was wondering.
Yeah, so would they?
Yeah, would they support you toplay a show or two?
I'm sure they've got their ownthings going on.
They're not gonna be able totour yeah, they're very, they're
very busy themselves.
Stella Soleil (21:10):
But you know, like key shows here and there, I
I'm sure that they would dowith me.
Would they be in Des Moines?
No, no, they're here.
Yeah, they're here.
In Chicago, well, the westernsuburbs, yeah, yeah.
Fun Right outside, yeah, no.
So Let me know.
Tiffany Mason (21:24):
I to get up there , I need to see my girlfriend in
Carol's stream.
Stella Soleil (21:28):
You can come stay with me, come stay with us.
We have a guest room.
Okay, perfect.
Jay Franze (21:35):
Don't offer it.
Don't offer it unless you meanit, because she'll be there.
Stella Soleil (21:37):
Tiffany can come stay with me.
Tiffany Mason (21:39):
Don't say you weren't warned.
Warned of a good time, don'tstart.
Jay Franze (21:49):
Alright, so you're going to play one show here or
there, so I assume it's like theGrammys and a few other
showcases like that right.
Stella Soleil (21:57):
Well, definitely the VMAs, because Jeffrey Panzer
did the video and I know he'sgoing to get a VMA It'll only be
like his 50th.
Jay Franze (22:06):
Who is this Jeffrey person you talk about?
Stella Soleil (22:08):
Jeffrey Panzer.
Jeffrey Panzer, the legend, theEmmy winning, vma winning.
I walked into his house and Iwas like wow, like they're
everywhere, like you can't sit,there's no furniture, just
awards in his house.
Tiffany Mason (22:26):
Welcome to my pile of awards.
Jay Franze (22:28):
So what you're saying is we should know who
this Jeffrey person is.
Stella Soleil (22:32):
You know exactly who Jeffrey is.
Maybe if he wins one more awardwe can consider him I think he
would have to get a new house.
I don't think he can fitanymore in his house.
He's already storing a few ofthem in my house.
Jay Franze (22:45):
It's all right, so tell us what it was like to work
with jeff oh my god, oh, he's agenius, this guy.
Stella Soleil (22:57):
I know he's like do you realize?
This guy has literally doneover 3 000 music videos.
I mean crazy I know, I'm likehas anybody ever made that many
music videos in their lifetime?
I mean it's crazy.
And he's such a good director.
(23:18):
He just he had an idea.
He loved the song.
It was really funny Because Isent him the song and he was
jogging and there was this youknow, the hook in the song is
all good people find one another.
And he stopped jogging.
And he was this you know, thehook in the song is all good
people find one another.
And he stopped jogging.
He was like he picks up thephone.
He called me.
He's like what kind of witcheryare you using on me?
(23:39):
Did you write this about us?
So he loved the song so much.
He's like I have an idea, cometo LA right now and we literally
we shot for three hours and 45minutes and it was all shot and
then he spent like 75 hoursediting.
Jay Franze (24:00):
That sounds about right.
Stella Soleil (24:02):
Yeah.
Jay Franze (24:04):
So wait, so come to LA now.
Stella Soleil (24:07):
Now, right now, get on the next flight From that
moment?
Jay Franze (24:11):
how long was it until you were in LA?
Stella Soleil (24:13):
Like five days later.
Oh wow, you both were movingquick.
Oh, yeah, no, we've been on.
Jeffrey and I have been on warpspeed for the last two weeks.
I keep going wait what happened?
What happened?
Oh, was I in LA?
I was there, I was there, right.
Okay, now I'm back.
Did la happen?
Yeah, it was so fast, Icouldn't even believe it and I'm
(24:38):
terrified of flying.
Oh my god, I am so terrified offlying.
It was a four and a half hourflight, but they have this cool
thing now on wi-fi.
So between texting my husbandand jeff, there's turbulence,
there's turbulence, and I'm likeit's just air pockets.
Just think of it like goingover a street and rocks and I'm
like, okay, there's no moreturbulence, okay, I'm fine, but
I was like texting the both ofthem like through the whole
(25:00):
flight.
Tiffany Mason (25:01):
I thought you were going to say there's this
new thing.
Jay Franze (25:03):
It's called chloroform I was gone.
Tiffany Mason (25:07):
Woke up, I was gone.
I woke up, I was there.
Stella Soleil (25:09):
No, no, those are Xannies.
You just pop Xannies like TicTacs.
Jay Franze (25:17):
I get them from a doctor.
Stella Soleil (25:18):
I get them from a doctor.
Jay Franze (25:19):
You have taken a left folks.
Tiffany Mason (25:21):
Well, if you guys get a chance I mean everybody
who's listening you should hopon over to Stella's social media
on Instagram.
She had some fun updates fromthe trip to LA.
I saw it in Living Colors, so Iknow it happened, stella.
Stella Soleil (25:34):
Yes, you went to LA.
It was there right.
Yeah, you were there.
You were there, you have somegreat AI videos.
Tiffany Mason (25:43):
You guys should hop over there and just kind of
see Stella's great personalityand just the fun time that she
had getting to the airport andthe inside of the I think it was
the LA airport you were showingand that looked kind of cool.
Stella Soleil (25:55):
There was O'Hare with the lights and I was like
I'm the conveyor belt.
I was like wow.
Tiffany Mason (26:01):
I haven't been to O'Hare for a minute so they
must have done some upgrades meeither, like it looks like a
spaceship down there, likeyou're like holy cow, it's
united.
Stella Soleil (26:12):
It's like the.
The hub is so huge in chicagolike you have to get on this
like walking conveyor belt toget over to united yeah that's
funny that you flew on unitedand your song is about people
getting united um.
You know what's even funnier?
Jay Franze (26:29):
it was on the 13th day of the month and it happened
at one o'clock in the afternoon.
Stella Soleil (26:34):
I like interview the pilots before I get on.
I'm like, excuse me, sir, howlong have you been flying?
And I do like a whole lot.
How often do they get that,though I bet that's not uncommon
.
I'm like I just want you toknow that twice I turned around
two Boeing 747s and went back tothe gate, so I need to know all
of your experience.
(26:57):
But the United pilot on the wayback was so cool, he had a
turbulence tracker like a littleiPad and it tracks the
turbulence, so he would comerunning.
He's like, okay, look, here'sthis little patch we're going to
hit in like 10 minutes and thenit's going to be over.
And yeah, he kept running backlike every 20 minutes to make
sure they wouldn't have to dolike an emergency landing.
Tiffany Mason (27:23):
Listen, I am Stella Soleil and I'm a big deal
, and so if I am not happy weare landing this way, I need to
get off right now.
Stella Soleil (27:31):
Like it's so funny.
Did you see bridesmaids?
Like there's a colonial womanon the wing and she's turning
butter.
Yeah, that, that's me okay nowquestion
Jay Franze (27:44):
okay, I'm sorry he tells you, come to LA within
five days, you're going to bethere.
Does the upcoming flight botheryou enough to stay in your mind
up until the the moment?
Stella Soleil (27:57):
oh, no sleep for five days.
No sleep for five days, yeah wegotta talk.
Tiffany Mason (28:03):
I got some.
I got some stress managementskills dude.
Stella Soleil (28:06):
I went to fear of flying school and everything
and and like there's a fairflying school oh yeah, no, it's
for real.
And and so when I was in thisfair of flying class, you know,
they said, like this is one ofthe flights.
I turned around they said, youknow, pattern your behavior
after this.
The, the stewards andstewardesses, I know, know
(28:28):
that's not PC.
What are they called now Flight?
Tiffany Mason (28:31):
attendants Flight attendants.
Stella Soleil (28:31):
Thank you, stewardess.
Yes, you can't say that anymore, it's flight attendants.
Jay Franze (28:36):
You can't say what you can't say stewardess.
Stella Soleil (28:39):
Nope, you have to say flight attendant.
Jay Franze (28:41):
So stewardess is a word you don't want me to say
anymore.
Tony Scott (28:44):
Jay.
Stella Soleil (28:52):
I'm just trying to get it right.
So it's stewardess is the word.
Well, I was on a flight fromNew York to San Francisco and it
was bad weather and we weretaxiing.
We were on the tarmac for likethree hours and the fear of
flying school said just watchthe flight attendants and
pattern your behavior aftertheirs.
And so I was watching and then,all of a sudden, this guy a
couple rows back gets up.
He's like that's it.
I'm getting off.
(29:13):
And a flight attendant goes sir, you need to go back to your
seat.
And I'm like oh, that's panic.
I get up and I run to the backof the plane and I'm like
hyperventilating, and a flightattendant grabs me by the
shoulders and she's like you'refine, just keep breathing'm like
(29:39):
, oh, my god, did she smack youacross the face?
No, I fainted, I went down, Iwent down, blacked out, and then
the next thing I know I come to, I could hear the pilot going
everyone return to your seats.
There's a medical emergency onboard.
And I kept thinking to myselfwell, if this person would get
off of me because I had to getback to my seat and put my seat
belt on.
There's a medical emergency onboard.
And I kept thinking to myselfwell, if this person would get
off of me, cause I have to getback to my seat and put my
seatbelt on, there's a medicalemergency on board and not
realizing I'm the medicalemergency, yeah, and because
there's this thing like where,if you're out cold, the flight
(30:03):
attendant they have to lay theirwhole body on top of you and
yeah, and so I couldn't get heroff of me to give anything more,
you're gonna bring back myflight anxiety so so I so this
last flight I told the pilotthat story, so I think that's
why he kept running back to me.
Tiffany Mason (30:22):
Yeah, that was sweet of him, so you made it to
la I did, you made it back.
Stella Soleil (30:26):
Yes, and you made it back and I made it in
monkeys.
Tiffany Mason (30:28):
Yes, and you made it back Fabulous video and I
made it back.
Jay Franze (30:32):
All right, so describe day one.
Stella Soleil (30:34):
Was working with Maxie who's Maxie?
Maxie is this amazing makeupartist and stylist that Jeffrey
works with and then we glued.
He had a bow tie that he cut onthis little pink dress, and
then we used fabric glue andglued it onto the dress.
So it was this cute littleblack bow, and then we had to,
(30:56):
like, stand there and hold itwith our hands for like 20
minutes.
Tiffany Mason (31:01):
And then I had to take it home and put books on
top of it.
Stella Soleil (31:04):
I think that's called being in wardrobe
Wardrobe yeah, air quotesWardrobe Gluing a man's like
like bow tie onto my dress.
That was Friday and then um,let's see, saturday was a lot of
food and um, hanging out withmy friend.
Jay Franze (31:21):
Don't just gloss over the food um seafood is my
favorite.
Stella Soleil (31:25):
She took me to a really fancy schmancy seafood
place and I like had like twodozen oysters and I saw a lot of
stops at starbucks.
Tiffany Mason (31:36):
So how many times ?
Stella Soleil (31:37):
did you go to starbucks?
Okay, listen, I have a problem.
I have a.
I have a serious addiction tostarbucks, like and and like, so
much so that my friend trishawould have it delivered to her
house.
I get up and I'm like I needStarbucks, I need Starbucks.
Tony Scott (31:55):
You said there was going to be coffee Tricia.
I need Starbucks right now.
Jay Franze (31:58):
You guys are both talking about Starbucks to a
Bostonian.
We're going to have problemshere.
Tiffany Mason (32:03):
Although she did say that Scooters is better.
Stella Soleil (32:06):
Scooters is better Dunkin'.
Jay Franze (32:07):
Donuts.
Stella Soleil (32:09):
I love Dunkin' Donuts, dunk.
They don't know how to make tealattes, they only know how to
make chai lattes.
Oh man.
Tiffany Mason (32:19):
What kind of tea latte do you Real quick side
tangent?
What kind of tea latte are yougetting these days?
Stella Soleil (32:24):
I like Earl Grey tea lattes, the London Fog, but
without the vanilla.
I mean London Fog has thevanilla in it, so I'll do the
London Fog, hold the vanillas, Ijust like the tea lattes I hold
the vanillas I just like thetea lattes.
Tiffany Mason (32:40):
I lived in london for three years and I just got
addicted to tea, and so I'mreally really had it iced.
Stella Soleil (32:43):
Um, I have had it iced, but I'm kind of snooty
about my teas.
Okay, okay, well, if you livedin london I was it is, it's an
english thing, you know, like Iwas, gonna say when in rome, but
when in england I like um.
My favorite is pg.
Tips is the best.
Like tea, english tea have youhad?
Ruibas, it's not english yeah,I've had a ruibas, yeah, yeah,
(33:04):
no, I, I like it.
I like ruibas too, but I'msnooty.
I want english tea.
Yes, okay, fair enough sorry wederailed so what we digress we?
Tiffany Mason (33:14):
digress.
What was day two?
Food jay wants to know okayjeff is saying you're very
disciplined and it sounds likeyou are I, yeah, I was a ballet
dancer.
Stella Soleil (33:24):
I started out as a ballet dancer.
So I mean, I started when I wasthree and and and then I became
a competitive ballet dancer andthen I mean I trained like four
or six hours a day and then mymom was my choreographer.
We used to tour all over thecountry competing and stuff.
So yeah, wow, I can't.
That was my childhood was likecompetition after competition.
(33:45):
So, yeah, very, I am superdisciplined.
Yeah, you can't get away withlike half budding it.
Tiffany Mason (33:55):
I thought that's where you're going.
Stella Soleil (33:57):
I know I was like I'm like, what else can I say,
half budding it in ballet youcan say it, it's alright food.
Tell me more about the food letme see Starbucks always and
seafood, and then I think I hadice cream too, on all right we
(34:21):
have a winner tell me the rightflavor and we can get off the
food subject um, I meanchocolate, anything chocolate
with chocolate chunks withchocolate, anything chocolate,
chocolate, chocolate sound likemy daughter we have a place here
called graders.
Jay Franze (34:37):
When I moved here I was told was the best ice cream
in the world and being fromboston and having my local
favorite, I thought yeah, okay.
But I went and I will tell youit is truly the best ice cream
in the world.
But graders has a signatureflavor, black raspberry chip,
and I have just become ohchocolate.
Stella Soleil (34:54):
oh, I love chocolate and raspberry with
chocolate chunks in it.
Jay Franze (34:57):
Yeah, you got it so good.
Now you have to come visit me.
Stella Soleil (35:01):
Yes, I will.
All me and Tiffany are going todo is sit and eat ice cream the
whole time.
Tiffany Mason (35:07):
Fair enough, but mine is going to have to be like
vanilla or caramel or peanutbutter flavored with chocolate
and caramel swirled in it.
Tony Scott (35:16):
Tiffany, you're fired, goodbye.
Tiffany Mason (35:18):
I didn't fire you for your ice cream.
Jay Franze (35:21):
No, because I chose a good one.
Stella Soleil (35:24):
But peanut butter .
I love chocolate with peanutbutter too.
Like chocolate, peanut butterice cream oh no, it's so good oh
you know my husband grumbles ontop.
He hates it.
My husband hates like mixingpeanut butter and chocolate
together.
You know those.
Remember those commercialswhere we had this genius idea
and they bumped into each otherand chocolate meant peanut
(35:44):
butter and he's like gross,yummy.
Tiffany Mason (35:49):
Yummy, yeah, yummy.
Oh no, we've got people arguingwith us about ice cream.
Jay Franze (35:55):
Yeah, ice cream is a subject it's a subject for sure
.
All right, so you get to la.
You get past the food.
You get to work with jeff.
Stella Soleil (36:04):
Let's take it from there so he and he did a
really nice start time for me.
It was not like 5 am, which iswhat I'm usually used to,
getting up like four or five andgetting into makeup, like it
was like the makeup call wasnine o'clock and and then I
think our start time was noon orsomething like that, like two,
(36:27):
two and a half hours of makeupand hair, and do you enjoy?
Jay Franze (36:31):
that?
Stella Soleil (36:32):
Yeah, I love it.
I learned a lot from makeupartists.
Like I'm wearing purple today.
So yeah, it's cool.
Cool it's, they're artists.
You know they're real artistsand I'm like the canvas and I'm
sometimes I just look at myself.
I'm like, oh, is that me?
Tiffany Mason (36:50):
I'm cute, like there's gotta be a pretty good
feeling.
Stella Soleil (36:54):
It's gotta be pretty fun oh, I want to look
like this all the time.
Jay Franze (37:00):
I don't look like that all the time, well, some
people really enjoy it, but somepeople just hate sitting still
and being part of it.
Stella Soleil (37:08):
No, I think it's a cool part of the process,
especially when it's coming tolife.
Tiffany Mason (37:16):
Your face is coming to life, don't you feel
like, or maybe you can tell meif this is the process?
It seems like this is theprocess, like they prime
everything and you're like, goodGod, I hope this turns out Okay
, and then they put like thefirst two layers on.
You're like I don't know, I'mgetting concerned, and then at
the end you're like.
Stella Soleil (37:35):
Holy smokes and then at the end you're like holy
smokes, I'm beautiful.
So Jeffrey like gave her somespecific instructions.
I have pretty good skin and I'mso very light.
I hardly it was very lightmakeup and other music videos
that I've done is like wearinglike pancake batter on your face
.
You know that's gross.
(37:57):
But Jeffrey was like don't puta lot on her, she doesn't need
it and you know so.
Tiffany Mason (38:03):
What a compliment .
Stella Soleil (38:04):
I know right, but he's such a pro he knows these
things Like he could just lookat you and Jeff how much makeup
do I need?
Jay Franze (38:13):
I was just going to ask the same question.
Stella Soleil (38:15):
No, he did.
I was just going to ask thesame question.
No, he did.
We FaceTimed and he was likechecking out my face.
He's like, yeah, you don'treally need much at all.
So he's a pro Dude 3,000 musicvideos, come on, the guy knows
about makeup.
I would agree.
Well, we shot the whole thingin natural light on a green
(38:36):
screen in his backyard, like thefirst.
You know know the shot?
Um, there's this big shot of meon a giant stadium stage.
It was like 12 noon and the sunwas beating directly down.
It was like 100 degrees andhe's like okay, dance, you know.
And I'd be like and I wouldstop like three quarters of the
way through and then they wouldrun me in front of a fan and
(38:59):
then Pumayo, his assistant,would hand me like ice water
with a straw, and then I wouldcool down and then get back on
the green screen in the full sunand you can't even tell that it
was shot outside.
The whole thing was shotoutdoors, that was so cool.
Yeah, so the makeup when you dooutdoor shooting is a lot
different than when you're doingcontrolled lighting which do
(39:22):
you like better?
Um well, I like them both.
I think it's really, uh, it'ssuch an art form to be good at
lighting um controlled lighting.
It's a whole art form in itselfoh, absolutely, absolutely.
Yeah.
Jay Franze (39:40):
So, when you're doing these videos, is there
anything about them that youdon't like to do?
Stella Soleil (39:49):
I don't like wearing high heels Because I
move around.
Jay Franze (39:53):
I like it.
Stella Soleil (39:55):
I'm sure you do.
Jay Franze (39:57):
Only on Saturdays.
Stella Soleil (39:59):
But when the director says dance and you're
in like spiked heels, you knowit's just really tough.
Like I wear, I always wearAdidas superstars.
There's like that's my mainshoe, you know, with like a
thousand friendship pins on thelaces Comfort, yeah, because I
move, I move so much.
A thousand friendship pins onthe laces, yeah, um, because I,
(40:19):
I move, I move so much.
I just think high heels likejust kind of restrict me.
Tiffany Mason (40:25):
So I love so much that you always have all those
pins on the shoes and I lovethat that's part of who you are,
like your personal brand orwhatever.
But, then it shows up in thevideo as well, and it was very
nostalgic for me those littlefriendship pins.
Stella Soleil (40:40):
I know I've been doing this since I was 11.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and one of myfriend here's a pin that's so
awesome.
Tiffany Mason (40:49):
And then I love that the song is just talking
about you know, like nice peoplefinding nice people and here
you are sharing these littlefriendship pins and, you know,
just spreading the love and Ithink yeah that's awesome and I
think you are
Stella Soleil (41:00):
my god it's just a message that just needs to be
out, right now we went downventura and like we're going to
find random people because jeffwanted genuine reactions.
So we're asking these strangershey, can I hug you in my music
video?
And this one guy goes I do notconsent, I do not consent.
And he like put his hand overhis face and I was like a hug
(41:22):
you don't consent a hug.
And then then there were theseother two girls are.
I'm like, hey, can I hug you inmy music video?
They're like, um, no, we're notinterested, but god bless you.
Oh, and I was like what's godgot to do with it?
I was, I was so confused, butgod bless you.
And then like yeah, me and whomI just kind of look at each
other like.
Tiffany Mason (41:43):
Is that like how in the south we say bless your
heart?
Stella Soleil (41:46):
I think so like bless your heart, and and then
another, and then this othergirl goes.
Well, I usually get paid forthis and I'm like well, what's
your rate for a hug?
Yeah, what'd she say?
She?
Tony Scott (41:58):
started laughing, so she was a hooker.
Stella Soleil (42:01):
No, she said she would do it for free.
I felt honored.
Wow, wow, it was a freebie.
Jay Franze (42:08):
You have the power.
Stella Soleil (42:09):
Donating a hug to the music video.
Jay Franze (42:12):
Nice so we do this thing here.
We call Unsung Heroes, where wetake a moment to shine the
light, then somebody thatsupported you along the way or
somebody who may have been therefor you.
Is there anybody that you wouldlike to shine a little light on
?
Stella Soleil (42:28):
Oh, my dream team .
I have a dream team, so SteveLeeds.
Steve Leeds is a legend in hisown right.
I mean, he was head of talentat Sirius Satellite Radio for
like 18 years, and before thathe worked at Universal.
That's how I met him and stayedfriends with him.
So he's on this team, jeffreyPanzer, I love him so much.
Jay Franze (42:52):
Again, you brought up that name again.
We got to figure out who thisperson is.
Stella Soleil (42:55):
Yeah, and Sophia John, who has been great.
She's the general manager ofthe River 89.7 in Council Bluffs
, iowa, which is just across theriver from Omaha.
And my manager, slash lawyer,who I love and I have known
since I was very young, timDonahue.
(43:16):
That's my dream team I havelike the best team ever.
They're so cool, really goodpeople, all good people find one
another.
Tiffany Mason (43:23):
Do they have one of your friendship pins on their
shoes?
Every one of them.
There we go.
Jay Franze (43:31):
All right, folks.
Well, we have done it.
We have reached the top of thehour.
We've actually blown a littlebit past the top of the hour,
which does mean we have reachedthe end of the show.
If you've enjoyed the show,please tell a friend and Miss
Tiffany.
If you have not.
Tiffany Mason (43:41):
Tell two.
Jay Franze (43:42):
Tell two.
You can reach out to both of us.
You can actually reach out toall three of us over at
jayfranze.
com.
We will be happy to keep thisconversation going.
This was a good one.
Stella Soleil (43:52):
Stella, my friend , I really really enjoyed myself
.
Tiffany Mason (43:54):
Thank you guys, thank you so much for having me
on.
Stella Soleil (43:56):
Congratulations, Stella.
Thank you.
Jay Franze (43:59):
It has been an absolute blast, thank you.
You're welcome, All right folksOn that note have a good night.
Tony Scott (44:08):
Thanks for listening to The Jay Franze Show.
Make sure you visit us atjayfranze.
com.
Follow, connect and say hello.
Welcome to The Jay Franze Show, a
behind-the-curtain look at theentertainment industry, with
insights you can't pay for andstories you've never heard.
Now here's your host, JayFranzi, and Tiffany Mason.
Jay Franze (00:33):
And we are coming at you live.
I am Jay Franzi and with metonight the Tina to my Ike, my
beautiful co-host, Miss TiffanyMason.
Tiffany Mason (00:43):
Good evening.
Jay Franze (00:48):
And if you are new to the show, this is your source
for the latest news, reviewsand interviews.
So if you would like to join in, comment or fire off any
questions, please head over tojayfranze.
com.
All right, my friends, tonightwe have a very special guest.
We have a recording artisthailing from the great state of
Illinois.
I said it Illinois, I called ita great state.
Stella Soleil (01:09):
Is it?
I don't know.
I don't actually know anythingabout Illinois except Chicago.
There you go.
Jay Franze (01:16):
We have Stella Soleil.
Stella, my friend, thank youfor joining us.
Stella Soleil (01:20):
Thanks for having me, jay, it is our pleasure.
Jay Franze (01:22):
And Tiffany, tiffany's alright, tina
Tonight's all right.
Tiffany Mason (01:25):
Tina Tonight's.
Jay Franze (01:27):
Tina, tina, tonight she's.
Tiffany Mason (01:28):
Tina.
Jay Franze (01:30):
All right, miss Stella, you, my friend, have a
new song out.
Can you tell us a little bitabout this song?
Stella Soleil (01:37):
Sure.
The new song is called Hello,and it is a song about
connecting with people andfinding people that are a lot
like you Good people.
Finding each other is reallywhat it's about, nice.
Jay Franze (01:54):
So how did it come about?
Stella Soleil (01:57):
I was in a band 14 years ago called Dirty Little
Rabbits and we were a prettyhard rock band Three of the guys
were in Slipknot and me andthen one day we just wrote this
really great pop song calledHello and we didn't know what to
(02:20):
do with it and it just kind ofgot buried on the record because
it just everything else wasreally aggressive.
And then just kind of gotburied on the record because it
just everything else was reallyaggressive.
And then all of a sudden youhave this like hello, you know,
like this, like this, like popsong.
So it didn't really do anything.
Back then.
No one really noticed it,except for a pretty decent size
radio station in Nebraska, 89.7the River, who played it like
(02:44):
469 times.
She told me Sophia John is thegeneral manager there.
She loved it so much and thenit just went away for 14 years
and I just I literally I triedduring COVID to get the guys
from the Dirty Little Rabbitsback together.
They were a little busy withSlipknot and so I was like you
(03:09):
know what?
It's time for this song, thetime has come.
People need to hear this song,especially like right now, like
with everything that's happeningaround the world.
We need some like love andpositivity.
So I got John Fryer, who's myproducer.
He's a really well-known,famous, amazing producer.
He did like Depeche Mode, hedid Nine Inch Nails, pretty Hate
(03:32):
Machine Just so many incrediblerecords and I sent him the demo
we had done like 14 years agoand he's like, yeah, I'm going
to do it, it and yeah, and wereworked it and updated it to
2025 and here it is.
This is, I mean, this is whatit sounds like now and I think
(03:55):
it came out really great allright, I have too many questions
at this point okay all right, Iam a fan of hard rock music, so
let's start there.
Okay.
Jay Franze (04:08):
How did that come about?
Stella Soleil (04:10):
So I have been friends with those guys, the
guys in Slipknot.
So when I was first startingout I got my record deal first
on Universal Records and theywere in Des Moines and I used to
tour a lot in Des Moines, iowa,and so much that the Des
Moinesians thought that I waslike a local band.
(04:30):
But it's just, the radiostation was there, sophia John
was there and that time it wasKKDM and she was playing my
project.
At the time it was calledSister Soleil and I just thought
Slipknot was going to be hugeand they were like really having
a hard time getting evenbookings, like nobody got the
(04:51):
masks nobody practice a littlebit more, they'll be pretty good
and so I used to like take themeverywhere with me and like,
when I got to Universal, I wentto the president of Universal
Records and I said these guysare going to take over the
planet.
You have to sign this band.
And he's like I don't get themasks.
(05:12):
And I'm like, oh man, have youever heard of Kiss?
I mean, come on.
And they wound up signing toRoadrunner eventually and they
did take over the world.
So I was right.
So you discovered Slipknot yeah,I mean, I wouldn't say I
discovered them, I'd say Ihelped them.
They were from Des Moines,they're low, they were Des
(05:33):
Moines locals and I alwaysinsisted that we play on the
same show, even though, like I,at that time I had an electronic
project that was closer to NineIn nails than it was metal,
like Slipknot.
Tiffany Mason (05:45):
But I just thought that they were
monumentally talented and I justkept pushing and pushing and
pushing for them, you knowthat's so awesome, though, that,
like you, were willing tobelieve in them before they
could believe in themselves, oryou were able to help others see
what you saw in them yeah, Imean amazing artist to obviously
(06:06):
try to advance your own career,but then also take them under
your wing and be like no, theseguys are amazing.
Stella Soleil (06:12):
Well, it's kind of my personality.
I'm always helping otherartists and I developed a lot of
artists.
I write for other artists.
I like working with otherartists.
I'm a really good collaborator.
I don't play any instruments.
I'm a really good collaborator.
I don't play any instruments.
I'm a lyricist and I writemelody, but I don't play any
instruments.
So most everything well, prettymuch everything that I've ever
(06:34):
put out is a collaboration withother people.
Jay Franze (06:37):
So yeah, Was it the Slipknot that we know today?
Stella Soleil (06:42):
Well, paul died in let's see, died in 2008,.
I think he died.
Paul Gray, what a sweetheart,oh my God.
He was so sweet.
And Joey died, the drummer,just a few years ago.
So it's funny because, dirtyLittle Rabbits, two of the guys,
mike and Jeff, are now inSlipknot.
(07:03):
They were Sean Cran and hisclown.
I was living in LA and he cameto LA to convince me to move to
Des Moines to front his new hisnew band and I and I did and it
was great and we played togetherfor like three.
We toured all over the world andI loved being in that band.
(07:25):
I thought we wrote great stufftogether.
Jay Franze (07:27):
But, like I said, when we wrote Hello, I kind of
wanted to go more in the popdirection and they wanted to go
more in the hard directionthat's what I wanted to get to,
so yeah you did finally findthat turning point that brought
you into the world of pop versusthe world of rock or metal well
, when I was on Universal I dida pop pop record like no getting
(07:49):
around it, straight up, cookiecutter, corporate pop.
Stella Soleil (07:54):
But I did learn a lot.
I was sent all over the worldto work with like the hit makers
and I did as much as I hatedpop at that point in my life.
I didn't really learn a lotfrom working with these writers
and how to craft songs and evenif I didn't like the style or
the production, I really learnedhow to write a strong song.
(08:17):
So then by the time I got intothe Rabbits I had that
sensibility, that popsensibility.
So Hello was very easy for meto write Like in minutes.
I wrote that like in 10 minutes.
Jay Franze (08:30):
So yeah, Well, while we're there, why don't you go
ahead and tell us what thewriting process was?
Stella Soleil (08:36):
So I was very poor and I lived in a house
without furniture and the boyswould come over Mike and Ty,
actually and one day we weresitting on my hardwood floor
with no furniture and Mike wasplaying the keyboard and I just
started singing Hello, hello,you know, and it just came
(08:58):
together so fast and we werelike, oh my God, I think we're
onto something, and then went torehearsal and played it for the
rest of the guys and it justwrote itself.
It was such an amazingexperience because we kind of
all knew like, wow, this issomething really special.
But now what do we do?
Because it doesn't sound likeanything else, that this record
(09:20):
that we're making is justcompletely different.
It did get released but it wasnever pushed as a single.
Tiffany Mason (09:27):
It just kind of got buried on those records,
those two records that came outtwice and well, I think, with
the genre being different, right, it probably threw the listener
for a loop a little bit.
We say that sometimes thegeneral public just isn't ready
for the song yet too yeah, itcould have been timing as well,
(09:47):
you know, or that it's marketedto a different you know,
listening population.
Stella Soleil (09:52):
Well, I mean I think part of the problem is
that we were being marketed tothe slipknot fans and we were
our own thing.
And I think that was the bigmistake, because when I did
Warped Tour in 2010, kevin Lyman, who owned that festival, he
always put us at the top fivebest bands to see.
(10:15):
There were 70 bands on thattour and we were always in the
press as the top five bands bestbands to see, best bands to see
.
And literally whenever I playedthe song Hello Live and no one
had ever heard it before, itwould go from like 50 people in
our audience to kids literallyrunning full speed trying to
(10:37):
figure out where this song whichwhich of the 10 stages the song
was coming from and then, likeby the end of the song, there'd
be like 1500 to 2000 kids likefor the song was coming from and
then, like by the end of thesong, there'd be like 1500 to
2000 kids like for the song.
So I'm like, okay, there'ssomething really, really special
with this song because I mean,they were like running, running
to get to us well, at that time,what was the sound of the song?
(11:00):
it was, um, it was similar, Iguess.
Uh, there were no harmonies, itwas just a single vocal line.
But Sean couldn't come on theroad with us, so we went down
from a five-piece to afour-piece and back then there
was a Hammond organ in it too.
We took that out.
John Fryer said I think I wantto make it more guitar driven
(11:24):
than the kind of quirky guitar,the quirky Hammond B3 organ, and
it's more anthemic now thanlike it was.
It was quirkier back then andnow it's more anthemic.
I think it's a lot morepowerful now and I wrote these
really beautiful harmonies thatthat weren't there before, when
(11:45):
we first wrote it so was it yourband at that time that went in
the studio with you to record ityeah, the players back then
were from Dirty Little Rabbits,and and then now re-recording
this and working with John Fryer, I used all musicians from the
western suburbs outside ofChicago.
Jay Franze (12:04):
So are they studio musicians or are they just known
musicians in that area?
Stella Soleil (12:08):
So one of the like, pat Gilroy, is in the band
One Life they're on the PlainWhite Tees label and like Adam
Cryer, he was AM Taxi and likeLucky Boy's Confusion.
And Ricky is the bass player ina really well-known band called
Liquid Soul who's been aroundfor like 20 years.
(12:29):
I mean, they were graminated.
They were graminated.
They were graminated for anominee.
Jay Franze (12:35):
Grammy nominated.
Stella Soleil (12:36):
They were graminated for a nominee.
Jay Franze (12:39):
I like that, let's start using that for now.
Tiffany Mason (12:41):
They're graminated.
I'm so cool, I'm always up fornow they're grammy.
I'm so cool, I'm always up forlearning new words.
Stella Soleil (12:50):
Yeah, and Eric is the youngest of all of us and
just an amazing drummer andthese guys.
I went to rehearsal and wereworked it and yeah, and it
just popped.
It just popped with these newplayers.
Jay Franze (13:02):
So how did you hook up with John to produce the song
?
Stella Soleil (13:06):
So John Fryer I have been begging him for like
the last seven years to give mea shot.
I mean, he's like my all-timefavorite producer, Like my two
favorite bands in the world areNine Inch Nails and the Cocteau
Twins, and he produced both ofthem you know, so I'm like just
(13:27):
give me a chance.
And so, and now we work togetherall the time.
We do a lot of stuff like filmstuff and I just did this really
cool.
There's this on Magnetic EyeRecords.
They just done the DownwardSpiral Redx with all these great
artists and I got asked tocover I Do Not Want this Nine
(13:49):
Inch Nails off of DownwardSpiral and John and I did it
together and it's likeorchestral and it's really crazy
cool.
And that comes out at the endof November.
So yeah, so now we're workingtogether pretty often.
Jay Franze (14:04):
Let's take it a step further.
I know he is known forengineering as well as producing
, and he does get his hands intothe mix.
What was the relationship likebetween the two of you when you
went into the studio?
Stella Soleil (14:17):
It was remote.
I stayed in Chicago and Itracked in Chicago and then sent
him the tracks and then heproduced and mixed them in LA.
So it's cool that you can makerecords like that.
Now he doesn't do trackinganymore, he just does straight
up producing and mixing Right.
A lot of phone calls, a lot ofFaceTiming.
Jay Franze (14:39):
So how did you record your tracks then?
Stella Soleil (14:42):
So a studio here in Chicago, illuminate, a guy
named Joseph Castelberry, didthe engineering for me and then
sent the track to John Fryer toproduce and mix and actually I
sang 52 hours.
I know, oh, my goodness, thefirst time I recorded this I
(15:04):
probably sang two hours and the2025 version of Hello 52 hours
in the vocal room.
Tony Scott (15:15):
Oh my goodness, why.
Stella Soleil (15:17):
Because I had written all these really, really
amazing harmonies it was.
It went from a single linevocal to and John Fryer, he
loves like he makes me doquadruples of everything.
You know.
Before, when I would record, Ionly had heard of like doubling
your vocal.
(15:38):
He wants quadruples ofeverything, and so I mean of
everything, and so I mean, ifyou're doing three harmonies
plus the main vocal, that's like16 vocal tracks just in one
spot and by the end it was like72 tracks that we sent him okay,
so I am not from the musicindustry in the respect of like
(16:03):
recording, producing, right okayit's a lot of tracks yes, so
what is intriguing me right nowis the fact that you sang your
harmony parts.
Tiffany Mason (16:13):
Oh yeah, I did all my harmonies on this, yeah
ah, I guess I that may wouldmake sense, but it didn't dawn
on me that that's how it couldbe done.
Stella Soleil (16:23):
Oh yeah, I mean I've done a cover with the boys.
Love the one you're.
With stephen stills we sing inthree-part harmony on that.
That's, that's my second single.
That that will come after hello, and so they did the harmonies
with me.
But, um, hello, I did all myown harmonies, yeah is that
(16:44):
breaking news?
Jay Franze (16:45):
Are we the first to know that as well?
Stella Soleil (16:47):
Oops, I think I wasn't supposed to say that.
Jay Franze (16:50):
No, that's all right .
That's what we like.
Stella Soleil (16:52):
Yeah, you're the first one.
Jay Franze (16:55):
We just want to feel special.
That's all it is.
We just like to feel special.
Stella Soleil (16:59):
I mean yes, yes, that was intentional.
Tiffany Mason (17:01):
We're going to be all back behind the stage
information.
Jay Franze (17:05):
That's why we love you, miss Tiffany.
When a singer can do their ownharmonies, first of all, it's
rare, not every singer can singtheir own harmonies, but when a
singer can sing their ownharmonies it's a nice blend.
It makes things sound thicker.
Stella Soleil (17:21):
Huge yeah, like a big anthem.
Jay Franze (17:24):
So when you go in with a team of background
vocalists, that also soundsgreat.
Stella Soleil (17:32):
But it's not quite the same.
No, unless you're doing like acrosby stills and nash like
cover, where you want differenttextures and stuff like that.
Sometimes I've had backupsingers come in and it gets a
little syrupy sounding, but whenit's your, own voice um like
not so much emotion.
They're singing perfectlypitched vocals, but when you do
(17:55):
your own backup vocal, whenyou're doing your own harmonies,
the emotion is still there.
Tiffany Mason (18:00):
You know, so it's more.
Stella Soleil (18:01):
I think it's more powerful when you do your own
harmonies Plus when you do yourown harmonies, you're matching
the melody almost identical.
Yeah.
Jay Franze (18:10):
Where you bring in harmony singers, they're going
to sing the melody to where itshould fall as a background
vocal.
It doesn't always match thelead vocalist and again, that's
personal preference.
Sometimes that sounds great,sometimes people don't like it.
They'd rather have it match.
Stella Soleil (18:24):
I mean, yeah, If you're like Pink Floyd or
something, you remember theybrought in that woman and she
was like whoa, like that wasreally cool.
Yeah, that's when it's reallycool yeah.
Jay Franze (18:40):
All right.
So you go in the studio inChicago, you bring in these
musicians.
Tony Scott (18:44):
Yes.
Jay Franze (18:47):
So you had the engineer there.
Was there anybody hands-onproducing the musicians there,
or did you just record all thetracks and then send them off to
John?
Stella Soleil (18:55):
No, these guys are such pros, they pretty much
can produce themselves.
I mean, they've been in theindustry for a long time and
they just walk right through it.
They're just like bam, bam, bam, it's perfect, you know.
Jay Franze (19:07):
So the initial, before they walked in the studio
to do their bam bam bam, wasthere?
Somebody give a little bit of a?
You know say hey, this is whatI'm going for, this is what I
did.
Stella Soleil (19:18):
I gave them some direction and they just got it
right away.
Jay Franze (19:23):
You know you did go in there and give them a little
bit of guidance, and then justyeah, I mean, basically, what I
said is I want to make this ananthem.
Stella Soleil (19:32):
I just imagine the stadium like we're playing
madison square garden.
I want big, big drums, bigguitars, which is like night and
day.
From the original, you know,yeah, so that's what they gave
me.
I mean, the thing is is theseguys are like stars in their own
right, and so I'm just likewhat do you do?
(19:53):
And these guys are stars, youdo crosby stills and ash with
them you know, because you canyou know so?
but um, hello was great becauseI almost got rid of the intro.
I thought I was going to goright into the song and Adam
Cryer actually was like no, youhave to keep that part.
That's like one of the bestparts of the song.
(20:13):
So, yeah, they know whatthey're doing.
Jay Franze (20:17):
It's always cool like that, right, so you record
with these musicians.
Now, do you ever have the hopeof performing it live at this
point?
Stella Soleil (20:27):
So I did so much extensive touring in my career
and man life on the road is likeit's hard, it's hardcore, it's
hard to stay healthy, it's hardto eat right, you're eating out
of gas stations and if I eversee another waffle house, I'm
gonna puke and like not asponsor, but could be, but um, I
(20:52):
think probably I will ask theseguys to do like target shows
with me.
Jay Franze (20:57):
You know, not full-blown touring but that's
what I was wondering.
Yeah, so would they?
Yeah, would they support you toplay a show or two?
I'm sure they've got their ownthings going on.
They're not gonna be able totour yeah, they're very, they're
very busy themselves.
Stella Soleil (21:10):
But you know, like key shows here and there, I
I'm sure that they would dowith me.
Would they be in Des Moines?
No, no, they're here.
Yeah, they're here.
In Chicago, well, the westernsuburbs, yeah, yeah.
Fun Right outside, yeah, no.
So Let me know.
Tiffany Mason (21:24):
I to get up there , I need to see my girlfriend in
Carol's stream.
Stella Soleil (21:28):
You can come stay with me, come stay with us.
We have a guest room.
Okay, perfect.
Jay Franze (21:35):
Don't offer it.
Don't offer it unless you meanit, because she'll be there.
Stella Soleil (21:37):
Tiffany can come stay with me.
Tiffany Mason (21:39):
Don't say you weren't warned.
Warned of a good time, don'tstart.
Jay Franze (21:49):
Alright, so you're going to play one show here or
there, so I assume it's like theGrammys and a few other
showcases like that right.
Stella Soleil (21:57):
Well, definitely the VMAs, because Jeffrey Panzer
did the video and I know he'sgoing to get a VMA It'll only be
like his 50th.
Jay Franze (22:06):
Who is this Jeffrey person you talk about?
Stella Soleil (22:08):
Jeffrey Panzer.
Jeffrey Panzer, the legend, theEmmy winning, vma winning.
I walked into his house and Iwas like wow, like they're
everywhere, like you can't sit,there's no furniture, just
awards in his house.
Tiffany Mason (22:26):
Welcome to my pile of awards.
Jay Franze (22:28):
So what you're saying is we should know who
this Jeffrey person is.
Stella Soleil (22:32):
You know exactly who Jeffrey is.
Maybe if he wins one more awardwe can consider him I think he
would have to get a new house.
I don't think he can fitanymore in his house.
He's already storing a few ofthem in my house.
Jay Franze (22:45):
It's all right, so tell us what it was like to work
with jeff oh my god, oh, he's agenius, this guy.
Stella Soleil (22:57):
I know he's like do you realize?
This guy has literally doneover 3 000 music videos.
I mean crazy I know, I'm likehas anybody ever made that many
music videos in their lifetime?
I mean it's crazy.
And he's such a good director.
(23:18):
He just he had an idea.
He loved the song.
It was really funny Because Isent him the song and he was
jogging and there was this youknow, the hook in the song is
all good people find one another.
And he stopped jogging.
And he was this you know, thehook in the song is all good
people find one another.
And he stopped jogging.
He was like he picks up thephone.
He called me.
He's like what kind of witcheryare you using on me?
(23:39):
Did you write this about us?
So he loved the song so much.
He's like I have an idea, cometo LA right now and we literally
we shot for three hours and 45minutes and it was all shot and
then he spent like 75 hoursediting.
Jay Franze (24:00):
That sounds about right.
Stella Soleil (24:02):
Yeah.
Jay Franze (24:04):
So wait, so come to LA now.
Stella Soleil (24:07):
Now, right now, get on the next flight From that
moment?
Jay Franze (24:11):
how long was it until you were in LA?
Stella Soleil (24:13):
Like five days later.
Oh wow, you both were movingquick.
Oh, yeah, no, we've been on.
Jeffrey and I have been on warpspeed for the last two weeks.
I keep going wait what happened?
What happened?
Oh, was I in LA?
I was there, I was there, right.
Okay, now I'm back.
Did la happen?
Yeah, it was so fast, Icouldn't even believe it and I'm
(24:38):
terrified of flying.
Oh my god, I am so terrified offlying.
It was a four and a half hourflight, but they have this cool
thing now on wi-fi.
So between texting my husbandand jeff, there's turbulence,
there's turbulence, and I'm likeit's just air pockets.
Just think of it like goingover a street and rocks and I'm
like, okay, there's no moreturbulence, okay, I'm fine, but
I was like texting the both ofthem like through the whole
(25:00):
flight.
Tiffany Mason (25:01):
I thought you were going to say there's this
new thing.
Jay Franze (25:03):
It's called chloroform I was gone.
Tiffany Mason (25:07):
Woke up, I was gone.
I woke up, I was there.
Stella Soleil (25:09):
No, no, those are Xannies.
You just pop Xannies like TicTacs.
Jay Franze (25:17):
I get them from a doctor.
Stella Soleil (25:18):
I get them from a doctor.
Jay Franze (25:19):
You have taken a left folks.
Tiffany Mason (25:21):
Well, if you guys get a chance I mean everybody
who's listening you should hopon over to Stella's social media
on Instagram.
She had some fun updates fromthe trip to LA.
I saw it in Living Colors, so Iknow it happened, stella.
Stella Soleil (25:34):
Yes, you went to LA.
It was there right.
Yeah, you were there.
You were there, you have somegreat AI videos.
Tiffany Mason (25:43):
You guys should hop over there and just kind of
see Stella's great personalityand just the fun time that she
had getting to the airport andthe inside of the I think it was
the LA airport you were showingand that looked kind of cool.
Stella Soleil (25:55):
There was O'Hare with the lights and I was like
I'm the conveyor belt.
I was like wow.
Tiffany Mason (26:01):
I haven't been to O'Hare for a minute so they
must have done some upgrades meeither, like it looks like a
spaceship down there, likeyou're like holy cow, it's
united.
Stella Soleil (26:12):
It's like the.
The hub is so huge in chicagolike you have to get on this
like walking conveyor belt toget over to united yeah that's
funny that you flew on unitedand your song is about people
getting united um.
You know what's even funnier?
Jay Franze (26:29):
it was on the 13th day of the month and it happened
at one o'clock in the afternoon.
Stella Soleil (26:34):
I like interview the pilots before I get on.
I'm like, excuse me, sir, howlong have you been flying?
And I do like a whole lot.
How often do they get that,though I bet that's not uncommon
.
I'm like I just want you toknow that twice I turned around
two Boeing 747s and went back tothe gate, so I need to know all
of your experience.
(26:57):
But the United pilot on the wayback was so cool, he had a
turbulence tracker like a littleiPad and it tracks the
turbulence, so he would comerunning.
He's like, okay, look, here'sthis little patch we're going to
hit in like 10 minutes and thenit's going to be over.
And yeah, he kept running backlike every 20 minutes to make
sure they wouldn't have to dolike an emergency landing.
Tiffany Mason (27:23):
Listen, I am Stella Soleil and I'm a big deal
, and so if I am not happy weare landing this way, I need to
get off right now.
Stella Soleil (27:31):
Like it's so funny.
Did you see bridesmaids?
Like there's a colonial womanon the wing and she's turning
butter.
Yeah, that, that's me okay nowquestion
Jay Franze (27:44):
okay, I'm sorry he tells you, come to LA within
five days, you're going to bethere.
Does the upcoming flight botheryou enough to stay in your mind
up until the the moment?
Stella Soleil (27:57):
oh, no sleep for five days.
No sleep for five days, yeah wegotta talk.
Tiffany Mason (28:03):
I got some.
I got some stress managementskills dude.
Stella Soleil (28:06):
I went to fear of flying school and everything
and and like there's a fairflying school oh yeah, no, it's
for real.
And and so when I was in thisfair of flying class, you know,
they said, like this is one ofthe flights.
I turned around they said, youknow, pattern your behavior
after this.
The, the stewards andstewardesses, I know, know
(28:28):
that's not PC.
What are they called now Flight?
Tiffany Mason (28:31):
attendants Flight attendants.
Stella Soleil (28:31):
Thank you, stewardess.
Yes, you can't say that anymore, it's flight attendants.
Jay Franze (28:36):
You can't say what you can't say stewardess.
Stella Soleil (28:39):
Nope, you have to say flight attendant.
Jay Franze (28:41):
So stewardess is a word you don't want me to say
anymore.
Tony Scott (28:44):
Jay.
Stella Soleil (28:52):
I'm just trying to get it right.
So it's stewardess is the word.
Well, I was on a flight fromNew York to San Francisco and it
was bad weather and we weretaxiing.
We were on the tarmac for likethree hours and the fear of
flying school said just watchthe flight attendants and
pattern your behavior aftertheirs.
And so I was watching and then,all of a sudden, this guy a
couple rows back gets up.
He's like that's it.
I'm getting off.
(29:13):
And a flight attendant goes sir, you need to go back to your
seat.
And I'm like oh, that's panic.
I get up and I run to the backof the plane and I'm like
hyperventilating, and a flightattendant grabs me by the
shoulders and she's like you'refine, just keep breathing'm like
(29:39):
, oh, my god, did she smack youacross the face?
No, I fainted, I went down, Iwent down, blacked out, and then
the next thing I know I come to, I could hear the pilot going
everyone return to your seats.
There's a medical emergency onboard.
And I kept thinking to myselfwell, if this person would get
off of me because I had to getback to my seat and put my seat
belt on.
There's a medical emergency onboard.
And I kept thinking to myselfwell, if this person would get
off of me, cause I have to getback to my seat and put my
seatbelt on, there's a medicalemergency on board and not
realizing I'm the medicalemergency, yeah, and because
there's this thing like where,if you're out cold, the flight
(30:03):
attendant they have to lay theirwhole body on top of you and
yeah, and so I couldn't get heroff of me to give anything more,
you're gonna bring back myflight anxiety so so I so this
last flight I told the pilotthat story, so I think that's
why he kept running back to me.
Tiffany Mason (30:22):
Yeah, that was sweet of him, so you made it to
la I did, you made it back.
Stella Soleil (30:26):
Yes, and you made it back and I made it in
monkeys.
Tiffany Mason (30:28):
Yes, and you made it back Fabulous video and I
made it back.
Jay Franze (30:32):
All right, so describe day one.
Stella Soleil (30:34):
Was working with Maxie who's Maxie?
Maxie is this amazing makeupartist and stylist that Jeffrey
works with and then we glued.
He had a bow tie that he cut onthis little pink dress, and
then we used fabric glue andglued it onto the dress.
So it was this cute littleblack bow, and then we had to,
(30:56):
like, stand there and hold itwith our hands for like 20
minutes.
Tiffany Mason (31:01):
And then I had to take it home and put books on
top of it.
Stella Soleil (31:04):
I think that's called being in wardrobe
Wardrobe yeah, air quotesWardrobe Gluing a man's like
like bow tie onto my dress.
That was Friday and then um,let's see, saturday was a lot of
food and um, hanging out withmy friend.
Jay Franze (31:21):
Don't just gloss over the food um seafood is my
favorite.
Stella Soleil (31:25):
She took me to a really fancy schmancy seafood
place and I like had like twodozen oysters and I saw a lot of
stops at starbucks.
Tiffany Mason (31:36):
So how many times ?
Stella Soleil (31:37):
did you go to starbucks?
Okay, listen, I have a problem.
I have a.
I have a serious addiction tostarbucks, like and and like, so
much so that my friend trishawould have it delivered to her
house.
I get up and I'm like I needStarbucks, I need Starbucks.
Tony Scott (31:55):
You said there was going to be coffee Tricia.
I need Starbucks right now.
Jay Franze (31:58):
You guys are both talking about Starbucks to a
Bostonian.
We're going to have problemshere.
Tiffany Mason (32:03):
Although she did say that Scooters is better.
Stella Soleil (32:06):
Scooters is better Dunkin'.
Jay Franze (32:07):
Donuts.
Stella Soleil (32:09):
I love Dunkin' Donuts, dunk.
They don't know how to make tealattes, they only know how to
make chai lattes.
Oh man.
Tiffany Mason (32:19):
What kind of tea latte do you Real quick side
tangent?
What kind of tea latte are yougetting these days?
Stella Soleil (32:24):
I like Earl Grey tea lattes, the London Fog, but
without the vanilla.
I mean London Fog has thevanilla in it, so I'll do the
London Fog, hold the vanillas, Ijust like the tea lattes I hold
the vanillas I just like thetea lattes.
Tiffany Mason (32:40):
I lived in london for three years and I just got
addicted to tea, and so I'mreally really had it iced.
Stella Soleil (32:43):
Um, I have had it iced, but I'm kind of snooty
about my teas.
Okay, okay, well, if you livedin london I was it is, it's an
english thing, you know, like Iwas, gonna say when in rome, but
when in england I like um.
My favorite is pg.
Tips is the best.
Like tea, english tea have youhad?
Ruibas, it's not english yeah,I've had a ruibas, yeah, yeah,
(33:04):
no, I, I like it.
I like ruibas too, but I'msnooty.
I want english tea.
Yes, okay, fair enough sorry wederailed so what we digress we?
Tiffany Mason (33:14):
digress.
What was day two?
Food jay wants to know okayjeff is saying you're very
disciplined and it sounds likeyou are I, yeah, I was a ballet
dancer.
Stella Soleil (33:24):
I started out as a ballet dancer.
So I mean, I started when I wasthree and and and then I became
a competitive ballet dancer andthen I mean I trained like four
or six hours a day and then mymom was my choreographer.
We used to tour all over thecountry competing and stuff.
So yeah, wow, I can't.
That was my childhood was likecompetition after competition.
(33:45):
So, yeah, very, I am superdisciplined.
Yeah, you can't get away withlike half budding it.
Tiffany Mason (33:55):
I thought that's where you're going.
Stella Soleil (33:57):
I know I was like I'm like, what else can I say,
half budding it in ballet youcan say it, it's alright food.
Tell me more about the food letme see Starbucks always and
seafood, and then I think I hadice cream too, on all right we
(34:21):
have a winner tell me the rightflavor and we can get off the
food subject um, I meanchocolate, anything chocolate
with chocolate chunks withchocolate, anything chocolate,
chocolate, chocolate sound likemy daughter we have a place here
called graders.
Jay Franze (34:37):
When I moved here I was told was the best ice cream
in the world and being fromboston and having my local
favorite, I thought yeah, okay.
But I went and I will tell youit is truly the best ice cream
in the world.
But graders has a signatureflavor, black raspberry chip,
and I have just become ohchocolate.
Stella Soleil (34:54):
oh, I love chocolate and raspberry with
chocolate chunks in it.
Jay Franze (34:57):
Yeah, you got it so good.
Now you have to come visit me.
Stella Soleil (35:01):
Yes, I will.
All me and Tiffany are going todo is sit and eat ice cream the
whole time.
Tiffany Mason (35:07):
Fair enough, but mine is going to have to be like
vanilla or caramel or peanutbutter flavored with chocolate
and caramel swirled in it.
Tony Scott (35:16):
Tiffany, you're fired, goodbye.
Tiffany Mason (35:18):
I didn't fire you for your ice cream.
Jay Franze (35:21):
No, because I chose a good one.
Stella Soleil (35:24):
But peanut butter .
I love chocolate with peanutbutter too.
Like chocolate, peanut butterice cream oh no, it's so good oh
you know my husband grumbles ontop.
He hates it.
My husband hates like mixingpeanut butter and chocolate
together.
You know those.
Remember those commercialswhere we had this genius idea
and they bumped into each otherand chocolate meant peanut
(35:44):
butter and he's like gross,yummy.
Tiffany Mason (35:49):
Yummy, yeah, yummy.
Oh no, we've got people arguingwith us about ice cream.
Jay Franze (35:55):
Yeah, ice cream is a subject it's a subject for sure
.
All right, so you get to la.
You get past the food.
You get to work with jeff.
Stella Soleil (36:04):
Let's take it from there so he and he did a
really nice start time for me.
It was not like 5 am, which iswhat I'm usually used to,
getting up like four or five andgetting into makeup, like it
was like the makeup call wasnine o'clock and and then I
think our start time was noon orsomething like that, like two,
(36:27):
two and a half hours of makeupand hair, and do you enjoy?
Jay Franze (36:31):
that?
Stella Soleil (36:32):
Yeah, I love it.
I learned a lot from makeupartists.
Like I'm wearing purple today.
So yeah, it's cool.
Cool it's, they're artists.
You know they're real artistsand I'm like the canvas and I'm
sometimes I just look at myself.
I'm like, oh, is that me?
Tiffany Mason (36:50):
I'm cute, like there's gotta be a pretty good
feeling.
Stella Soleil (36:54):
It's gotta be pretty fun oh, I want to look
like this all the time.
Jay Franze (37:00):
I don't look like that all the time, well, some
people really enjoy it, but somepeople just hate sitting still
and being part of it.
Stella Soleil (37:08):
No, I think it's a cool part of the process,
especially when it's coming tolife.
Tiffany Mason (37:16):
Your face is coming to life, don't you feel
like, or maybe you can tell meif this is the process?
It seems like this is theprocess, like they prime
everything and you're like, goodGod, I hope this turns out Okay
, and then they put like thefirst two layers on.
You're like I don't know, I'mgetting concerned, and then at
the end you're like.
Stella Soleil (37:35):
Holy smokes and then at the end you're like holy
smokes, I'm beautiful.
So Jeffrey like gave her somespecific instructions.
I have pretty good skin and I'mso very light.
I hardly it was very lightmakeup and other music videos
that I've done is like wearinglike pancake batter on your face
.
You know that's gross.
(37:57):
But Jeffrey was like don't puta lot on her, she doesn't need
it and you know so.
Tiffany Mason (38:03):
What a compliment .
Stella Soleil (38:04):
I know right, but he's such a pro he knows these
things Like he could just lookat you and Jeff how much makeup
do I need?
Jay Franze (38:13):
I was just going to ask the same question.
Stella Soleil (38:15):
No, he did.
I was just going to ask thesame question.
No, he did.
We FaceTimed and he was likechecking out my face.
He's like, yeah, you don'treally need much at all.
So he's a pro Dude 3,000 musicvideos, come on, the guy knows
about makeup.
I would agree.
Well, we shot the whole thingin natural light on a green
(38:36):
screen in his backyard, like thefirst.
You know know the shot?
Um, there's this big shot of meon a giant stadium stage.
It was like 12 noon and the sunwas beating directly down.
It was like 100 degrees andhe's like okay, dance, you know.
And I'd be like and I wouldstop like three quarters of the
way through and then they wouldrun me in front of a fan and
(38:59):
then Pumayo, his assistant,would hand me like ice water
with a straw, and then I wouldcool down and then get back on
the green screen in the full sunand you can't even tell that it
was shot outside.
The whole thing was shotoutdoors, that was so cool.
Yeah, so the makeup when you dooutdoor shooting is a lot
different than when you're doingcontrolled lighting which do
(39:22):
you like better?
Um well, I like them both.
I think it's really, uh, it'ssuch an art form to be good at
lighting um controlled lighting.
It's a whole art form in itselfoh, absolutely, absolutely.
Yeah.
Jay Franze (39:40):
So, when you're doing these videos, is there
anything about them that youdon't like to do?
Stella Soleil (39:49):
I don't like wearing high heels Because I
move around.
Jay Franze (39:53):
I like it.
Stella Soleil (39:55):
I'm sure you do.
Jay Franze (39:57):
Only on Saturdays.
Stella Soleil (39:59):
But when the director says dance and you're
in like spiked heels, you knowit's just really tough.
Like I wear, I always wearAdidas superstars.
There's like that's my mainshoe, you know, with like a
thousand friendship pins on thelaces Comfort, yeah, because I
move, I move so much.
A thousand friendship pins onthe laces, yeah, um, because I,
(40:19):
I move, I move so much.
I just think high heels likejust kind of restrict me.
Tiffany Mason (40:25):
So I love so much that you always have all those
pins on the shoes and I lovethat that's part of who you are,
like your personal brand orwhatever.
But, then it shows up in thevideo as well, and it was very
nostalgic for me those littlefriendship pins.
Stella Soleil (40:40):
I know I've been doing this since I was 11.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and one of myfriend here's a pin that's so
awesome.
Tiffany Mason (40:49):
And then I love that the song is just talking
about you know, like nice peoplefinding nice people and here
you are sharing these littlefriendship pins and, you know,
just spreading the love and Ithink yeah that's awesome and I
think you are
Stella Soleil (41:00):
my god it's just a message that just needs to be
out, right now we went downventura and like we're going to
find random people because jeffwanted genuine reactions.
So we're asking these strangershey, can I hug you in my music
video?
And this one guy goes I do notconsent, I do not consent.
And he like put his hand overhis face and I was like a hug
(41:22):
you don't consent a hug.
And then then there were theseother two girls are.
I'm like, hey, can I hug you inmy music video?
They're like, um, no, we're notinterested, but god bless you.
Oh, and I was like what's godgot to do with it?
I was, I was so confused, butgod bless you.
And then like yeah, me and whomI just kind of look at each
other like.
Tiffany Mason (41:43):
Is that like how in the south we say bless your
heart?
Stella Soleil (41:46):
I think so like bless your heart, and and then
another, and then this othergirl goes.
Well, I usually get paid forthis and I'm like well, what's
your rate for a hug?
Yeah, what'd she say?
She?
Tony Scott (41:58):
started laughing, so she was a hooker.
Stella Soleil (42:01):
No, she said she would do it for free.
I felt honored.
Wow, wow, it was a freebie.
Jay Franze (42:08):
You have the power.
Stella Soleil (42:09):
Donating a hug to the music video.
Jay Franze (42:12):
Nice so we do this thing here.
We call Unsung Heroes, where wetake a moment to shine the
light, then somebody thatsupported you along the way or
somebody who may have been therefor you.
Is there anybody that you wouldlike to shine a little light on
?
Stella Soleil (42:28):
Oh, my dream team .
I have a dream team, so SteveLeeds.
Steve Leeds is a legend in hisown right.
I mean, he was head of talentat Sirius Satellite Radio for
like 18 years, and before thathe worked at Universal.
That's how I met him and stayedfriends with him.
So he's on this team, jeffreyPanzer, I love him so much.
Jay Franze (42:52):
Again, you brought up that name again.
We got to figure out who thisperson is.
Stella Soleil (42:55):
Yeah, and Sophia John, who has been great.
She's the general manager ofthe River 89.7 in Council Bluffs
, iowa, which is just across theriver from Omaha.
And my manager, slash lawyer,who I love and I have known
since I was very young, timDonahue.
(43:16):
That's my dream team I havelike the best team ever.
They're so cool, really goodpeople, all good people find one
another.
Tiffany Mason (43:23):
Do they have one of your friendship pins on their
shoes?
Every one of them.
There we go.
Jay Franze (43:31):
All right, folks.
Well, we have done it.
We have reached the top of thehour.
We've actually blown a littlebit past the top of the hour,
which does mean we have reachedthe end of the show.
If you've enjoyed the show,please tell a friend and Miss
Tiffany.
If you have not.
Tiffany Mason (43:41):
Tell two.
Jay Franze (43:42):
Tell two.
You can reach out to both of us.
You can actually reach out toall three of us over at
jayfranze.
com.
We will be happy to keep thisconversation going.
This was a good one.
Stella Soleil (43:52):
Stella, my friend , I really really enjoyed myself
.
Tiffany Mason (43:54):
Thank you guys, thank you so much for having me
on.
Stella Soleil (43:56):
Congratulations, Stella.
Thank you.
Jay Franze (43:59):
It has been an absolute blast, thank you.
You're welcome, All right folksOn that note have a good night.
Tony Scott (44:08):
Thanks for listening to The Jay Franze Show.
Make sure you visit us atjayfranze.
com.
Follow, connect and say hello.
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