Stella Prince’s “Ruby Boots” - Building a Bridge Between Folk’s Past and Its Future
Stella Prince grew up surrounded by music in Woodstock, New York, a town synonymous with musical history and generations of influential artists. For Prince, music was never simply something she listened to, it was part of the landscape of her childhood.
Her introduction to live music came early. At four years old, Prince attended a Pete Seeger concert, where she handed the legendary folk singer a card that read, “I love music. Love, Stella.” Around the same time, she experienced another formative musical moment watching folk artist Levon Helm perform. Those early encounters would become the beginning of a lifelong relationship with songwriting and performance.
Prince knew from a young age that music was what she wanted to pursue. She spent much of her childhood immersed in it, developing a diverse collection of influences along the way. Joni Mitchell, Karen Carpenter, Judy Garland, and Patsy Cline each helped shape her musical perspective, bringing together elements of folk, pop, country, and classic songwriting.
As she grew older, Prince began carving out her own path as an independent artist, booking shows across the country and steadily building her career on her own terms. While her musical foundation was rooted in folk, her influences weren't confined to the genre's traditional boundaries. She also grew up listening to 2010s pop music, creating a musical identity that exists somewhere between the two worlds.
Prince calls that sound “Gen Z Folk.”
The idea isn't to recreate the folk music of the past, but to carry its spirit forward. Prince's goal is to introduce folk songwriting to a new generation while creating something that feels distinctly contemporary. Rather than looking backward, she sees the genre as something capable of evolving and she wants to help build that bridge.
Her new single, “Ruby Boots,” is the first step.
Released August 21, “Ruby Boots” serves as the first single from Prince's upcoming debut album. Produced by Dr. Blum and co-written with Matraca Berg, the track offers an early glimpse into the musical world Prince has been developing for years. But for Prince, the song represents something larger than the first release from a debut record. It's an introduction, not only to her music, but to herself as an artist.
“Got my pair of Ruby Boots. I’ve got nothing left to lose. Not after I’ve come all this way. Click my heels and wish the world away.”
The imagery immediately evokes one of Prince's longtime influences: Judy Garland and “The Wizard of Oz”. Yet beneath the familiar reference is something deeply personal. The ruby boots become a symbol of movement: of leaving uncertainty behind and stepping toward whatever comes next.
For Prince, those words embody the spirit of this particular chapter: moving forward with confidence, letting go of doubt, and embracing the unknown. It's a sentiment that reflects where she finds herself now, both personally and artistically. But her connection to folk music began long before she understood what it meant to have a genre.
From Woodstock and those first encounters with Seeger and Helm to the pop records of her adolescence and the stages she's built her career on, Prince's musical journey has always existed between worlds. “Ruby Boots” brings those influences together, offering a sound rooted in the past while looking firmly toward the future. And if Prince's mission is to introduce folk music to a new generation, “Ruby Boots” makes a compelling first introduction.
When asked what she hopes listeners take away from the song, Prince keeps it simple:
“That it’s something they haven’t quite heard before.”
That may ultimately be the clearest description of what Prince is building: something familiar enough to recognize, but new enough to make listeners stop and listen.
Photo by John Joseph
