Up and Away with Summer: How I was ‘Charmed’ by Σtella’s Album

By Lillie Lenga-KromaS

SOME OF THE MOST MEANINGFUL music enters your life completely without you knowing. Last summer, that song for me was "Charmed". When a friend recommended Σtella’s signature song to me in June 2024, I had no idea it would become the soundtrack that defines my favourite season of the year.

"Charmed" was the perfect introduction to Σtella’s discography. Its soft, airy sounds and soothing vocals carried a sense of nostalgia and warmth The chorus felt so expansive, capturing her wave of emotions with each swell of the vocals. I fell for it instantly and before knew it, I was pressing play again and again. It just felt like summer encapsulated in a song.

I shuffled through the rest of the album, Up and Away, as the afternoon stretched on, finding myself drawn into the slow rhythm of each song. Σtella’s sound felt dreamlike and light, allowing its melodies to unfold slowly. Its hazy energy felt inseparable from summer itself, becoming the backdrop to its lazy afternoons.

Greek-born and based in London, Σtella is known for creating music built on delicate melodies and an atmosphere of warmth. She priorifices feelings over form in her songs, letting the deeply intuitive emotions carry her listeners through the music. On her album Up and Away, released in 2022, she shares the gentle ache of love in a blend of pop and Greek folk.

With "Black and White", the album picks up a little, adding a touch of contrast to the rest of the album. Its brighter melodies and buoyant rhythm are a lot more upbeat, creating a little pocket of joy in the middle of a mostly mellow album. This was the song I pressed play on late summer mornings, when the sun was blazing and my energy was pumping for the long day ahead of me.

I found myself returning to "The Truth Is" whenever I wanted a softer moment. Σtella’s soft "ooo"s in the background add a dreamy quality to the song, floating through the instrumentation of the song in the most intimate way. It sounds almost confessional, making it feel as if I was listening in on a more private and reflective moment - her confessions on vulnerability and longing.

It was my first time going abroad that summer, and Up and Away became my companion on each exhausting ferry ride and every glowing sunset view. On that Greek island, the music of this album made everything amplified. The rush of the sea, the warmth of the sun, and the excitement of exploring all felt bigger.

I was someone who always struggled to give an answer when asked my favourite album or song. I typically drift from genre to genre, with an 'On Repeat’ playlist filled with deep indie soul and punchy rap songs simultaneously. But this album changed that completely. I rediscovered my taste in music, and finally felt a deeply intrinsic connection to the sounds I was hearing.

Since that summer, my fondness for the album has grown. I've played it weekly on my own Rare FM radio shows, recommended it to my closest friends, and blasted it on repeat at every chance I get. Whenever I'm looking for something to soothe my soul, it's the first thing I reach for.

In October 2025, I was finally able to see Σtella live at the Islington Assembly Hall. Hearing these songs in person was something else entirely. Hearing the songs I'd spent my summers with, and her deeply emotional vocals, made the album feel so much more alive. Every song carried that same nostalgia l'd felt at the very beginning of the journey.

It was a perfect venue for the performance, intimate enough that Σtella’s soft vocals carried over the entire hall. The low, orange lighting to start with set the mood immediately, bathing the room in an ethereal glow that mirrored a summer evening. As the colours transitioned into reds, blues, and pinks across the set, I became completely absorbed by the music coming from the stage.

If there was any concert to become completely immersed in, it was this one. It felt dreamy and effortless, reminding me exactly why I fell in love with this artist over a year before. I travelled back home in silent appreciation for what l'd experienced, feeling echoes of that same comfort I'd spent each summer with.

Before discovering Up and Away, music was almost disposable to me. Songs were something I cycled through like seasons, switching from one to the next and rarely remembering a songbeyond the moment.

But from the very first day, this album felt different. The music stopped being background noise and became a part of my soul. It was something I could feel, remember, and carry with me into each memory I experienced going forward.

Σtella’s music started off as a warm companion to my summer, and quickly became a soundtrack I know I’ll always return to.