Stella Cain gives a heartfelt ode to family, loss, and legacy
Stella Cain’s music feels like a sunlit afternoon by the Fremantle coast – warm, nostalgic, and deeply personal, acting as a love letter to the past.
Her new single ‘RODDY,’ the title track from her debut EP, pays tribute to her late grandmother, the vibrant piano teacher who first nurtured her voice.
Infused with the warmth of familial love and the quiet grief of Alzheimer’s loss, the song unfolds like a cherished heirloom: delicate piano melodies, choral swells (courtesy of her longtime students, the Watkins Street Choir), and even her father’s voice woven into the tapestry.
Cain’s sound – shaped by the sweet balladry of Carole King and raw lyricism of Adrianne Lenker – feels golden, expansive, and deeply personal.
‘RODDY’ captures those fleeting moments of connection, from childhood carol singalongs to the solace of songwriting.
“Music was never a choice,” she says. “It’s how I breathe.”
Listen to the heartfelt EP here.
Read Stella Cain’s interview below as she dives into family, creative rituals (piano sessions, ocean dips), and why grief can birth the most beautiful art.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
STELLA CAIN: I always start my day with a long walk down South Beach groin, I have a busy mind and it’s important for me to clear and connect before it all kicks off.
I’m moving house at the moment and navigating some major life changes I didn’t anticipate, approaching this release.
It’s oddly comforting to reconnect with songs you wrote long ago and to find yourself needing them again in a different way.
I am go, go, go most of the time, working, teaching or songwriting.
HAPPY: Tell us a little bit about where you live, what do you love about it?
STELLA CAIN: I’ve spent my life in and around Walyalup (Fremantle).
I feel inspired by the seaside/drop-in for cups of tea culture that we have here, almost like a small town.
On warm afternoons you’ll find me by the piano, working to finish a song.
HAPPY: Your debut EP RODDY is named after your late grandmother.
How did the grief of losing her influence the music you made, and what did it bring out in your songwriting?
STELLA CAIN: Roddy tutored me from a young age, and after she passed, music became my way of reconnecting with her spirit.
‘RODDY’ is about the fullness of a life and how even after we’re gone, the beautiful things we’ve touched continue to keep us alive.
It’s also a tribute to the generations of women who carry stories with them, and how we can see fragments of ourselves in our grandmothers and aunties.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have music and community as the driving forces in my life, as they allow me to carry her legacy forward
HAPPY: You’ve described songwriting as a way of working through grief.
What role has music played in helping you process life’s heavier moments?
STELLA CAIN: I think one of the most magical parts of songwriting is that the song always knows the feeling before you do, or the answer.
I firmly believe song ideas are precious gifts and they are always trying to tell us something.
Because songwriting is so intuitive it is our responsibility as songwriters to listen, to hear what they are trying to say.
If you listen and let yourself go there it can be so incredibly healing.
HAPPY: Growing up in Fremantle, you were surrounded by a tight-knit community.
How did this upbringing shape the way you make music and perform?
STELLA CAIN: I feel lucky for the community I was shown from a young age.
There were always people in and around the house, drop-ins and cups of tea.
Some of my favourite memories are listening to my mum and her sisters telling stories.
I love to share stories, feelings, gossip if you will, and all of this contributes to songwriting.
Some of my best songs are not my own stories, but stories of close friends or family.
HAPPY: RODDY is full of raw vocals and intimate piano arrangements.
Was this a deliberate move for a more stripped-back sound, and how do you feel it represents your evolution as an artist?
STELLA CAIN: I wanted my first body of work to be a true representation of my live performance and also my approach to songwriting.
I am all about the harmonies (choir girl at heart) and I wanted to create music that I would personally like to listen to.
My mission is to create music that helps people heal and for it to feel as if you are sitting right next to me on my piano stool.
I believe in the intimacy of my music and that being its strength.
HAPPY: Music runs in your family.
How does your musical background continue to influence both your personal and professional life today?
STELLA CAIN: My dad plays in an 80’s cover band and is one of the best performers I know, his approach to his art is a huge inspiration to me.
On my mum’s side, with six siblings, music is all about harmonies and blending voices together.
Beyond the music, my family plays a central role in my life.
The close connection I share with them is one of the most important aspects of who I am.
They provide unwavering support, love, and guidance, and I carry that sense of connectedness in everything I do.
HAPPY: Looking ahead, what’s coming up?
STELLA CAIN: I am working on my next project which will hopefully be recorded in the second half of this year.
I have a collection of pop/country songs that I want to develop, I just wanna be like Dolly P.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
STELLA CAIN: Honestly, my community and songwriting.
I am most happy when I’m in my parents kitchen bouncing around between a pasta sauce and a new idea.
