Headliner Mindset

STELLER - Mental Health, Healing & Playing For A Purpose

• Nik Cherwink

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Steller just wrapped her first headlining tour — and she’s doing things differently. In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to build a career with intention, from learning to trust your gut to putting your mental health first in an industry that often glorifies the grind.

We get into:

  • How Steller partnered with To Write Love On Her Arms to bring mental health resources to her shows
  • Why she waited a full year before going on tour — and how she knew the timing was right
  • The emotional and somatic signals she listens to when making big career decisions
  • How to avoid burnout and comparison while still building a successful brand
  • Why putting yourself out there on socials is a non-negotiable — even if it feels scary

If you’re building something meaningful and want to do it on your own terms, this one’s for you.

Follow Steller here:
https://www.instagram.com/stellersounds

Follow Nik Cherwink here:
https://www.instagram.com/nikcherwink

And visit my site to join the mailing list or book a free coaching call:
https://www.nikcherwink.com

Stellern:

there's so many just different influences. Like your team has an opinion, your friends, your family, like you should do this and do that. But at the end of the day, like. if you really do listen to your intuition, like that is the truth. And like that is what you should follow.

Nik Cherwink:

What's up everybody? Welcome to the Headliner Mindset podcast. This week's guest is one of the hottest rising acts in the bass music scene. She just wrapped up her first ever headlining tour playing huge shows all over the country and absolutely crushing it. This is someone that I was really excited to get on the podcast because I just really respect what she's doing as an artist by using her platform to spread awareness about mental health, which is something that I think is so important for all of us to be talking about. So we really go deep into that. This episode, we talk about the specific tools and practices that she uses to take care of her mental health, how to access and trust your intuition, and of course, the story of how she built her brand and her fan base. So without further ado, this is stellar. Stellar. Welcome to the Headliner Mindset Podcast. So happy to have you on here.

Stellern:

I am excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Nik Cherwink:

I'm really excited to dig into this conversation'cause I think that you are doing something different. You're really standing for something important and using your platform to just promote a powerful message, which I think more artists should be doing. And so just want to yeah, celebrate you for that and I'm really excited to dive in with you.

Stellern:

Thanks. Yeah. I have always been a big, proponent of promoting mental health and bringing awareness to it and kind of like bringing the stigma. I've been in therapy for like almost 10 years now and

Nik Cherwink:

Mm.

Stellern:

it benefits me in every way and has really changed my life, so. If I can provide resources or like a voice for people that might be afraid to like seek help or not know where to turn, then

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

so happy to do that.

Nik Cherwink:

Totally. Totally. Well, I'm excited to dig into that. You know, before we get there, I'd love to hear a little bit about your story and how you got into making music in the first place. Like what was your first introduction to actually creating music? Where did that begin?

Stellern:

So I've always been in music in some capacity, I would say

Nik Cherwink:

I.

Stellern:

way back, like when I was in fourth grade, I started learning guitar. And that was kind of like my first intro into music. Um, and then from there I started doing voice lessons. And then I went to college for music. So I have a bachelor's of music and the, the program I was in was for audio engineering

Nik Cherwink:

Hmm. What program was that that you did?

Stellern:

Um, it was the music technology program at Florida Atlantic University, and I was like, actually I didn't even know that was a thing, like when I was applying to colleges, like I was applying specifically for music programs, but they were all classical

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

um, to be in like,

Nik Cherwink:

Like sight reading and stuff.

Stellern:

just like all that

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

And then Florida Atlantic, which is literally down the street from me, had this commercial music program. And I was like, wow, this is like exactly what I want to do. So

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

perfect.

Nik Cherwink:

So were you into electronic music at the time? When did you get into the kind of EDM scene in.

Stellern:

that was like, when I was in high school, I started getting into, raves and electronic music. I went to my first rave when I was 15, just like snuck in and it was like an.

Nik Cherwink:

Hell yeah. Love that.

Stellern:

It was, it definitely opened my eyes to a lot of things just because before that I was really into more indie alternative like singer songwriter stuff. Um, so I went to a rave that was amazing and then I started diving more into that and I went to my first Pretty lights concert

Nik Cherwink:

Hmm.

Stellern:

that was just like open the flood gates for everything.'cause I was like, whoa, this is electronic and more organic elements like with like drums and guitars and instruments. And it was my first intro to blending those two styles kind

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Yeah.

Stellern:

in love with it from there and, yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

What was the moment?'cause I feel like everyone had a moment where they were like, they were in the crowd seeing an artist and they're like, I want to actually be up there. Like I want to be that person curating the set and performing rather than just being in the crowd. Did you have a specific moment that you can remember where you're like, I want to actually do that?

Stellern:

Yeah. Um, well that Pretty Lights concert was definitely very eyeopening to me and I fell in love with their music. But I think the moment that you're referring to, I remember seeing, I. Alice in Wonderland in 2015 when she was first coming up. And that was my first time seeing a female artist as well. And I was like, whoa, this is really cool. She is doing her thing, she's a badass. And then I saw her a few years later, or maybe that same year at EDC Orlando, and that was my first like very big festival. And I just remember watching her being like, damn, I wanna be up there one day if she's

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

I can do it too.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. So it sounds like that was an important piece of it was to actually see a woman up there, someone that's like, you are like me, you're not a dude like all these other guys. And so that probably, yeah, I totally get that. Like, and it's a, I think it's an interesting, I. Thing to think about is like if we're not seeing people that you know, we really look like or like kind of resonate with, right. Almost on an unconscious level, there might be a little bit of a degree of like separation from that.

Stellern:

For sure. I feel like there is something, like you said, like subconsciously about that, even if it's not registering,

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

it makes it easier when you see someone looks like you or is advocating for you. Um, it just like makes it easier to want to do that or it seems more in reach, it doesn't seem so like untouchable if, because I feel like for me at least. It was always like male DJs and like, wow, that's really cool. But it kind of seems like out of grass for me.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

saw Alison Wonderland doing her thing, I was like, okay,

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

It's real.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. I had a really good conversation with Lady Faith. She was on the podcast a while back and a super good episode. You guys, if you haven't listened to it, go check that one out. Just, I think similarly, like she, I. She just has a fucking mission. She's got this, like there's a reason for why she's doing what she's doing, which I think, you know, not everybody has, but I see that similar parallel with you, that there's an actual, like purpose underneath, what you're doing. Um, but she shared the same thing where she was like going to clubs all the time and then she's like, I finally saw a woman doing this, and I was like, oh fuck. Like. I can do it too. Like something kind of clicked and registered in her brain. So yeah. So super important that you're getting out there and like really showing all the other girlies, like, yo, there's a fucking space for us up here,

Stellern:

Yes, for sure.

Nik Cherwink:

Hell yeah. sippy is one of my clients, so I've been like loving seeing her, just killing it. And I feel like there's a lot of, especially like in the bass music scene, I think there's some pretty badass women that are making waves and doing some cool things. Who are the other female artists that like you really, look up to and wanna shout out like the other girls out there that are crushing it?

Stellern:

I'm definitely gonna shout out my besties in, she is like one of my really good friends in the space and also collaborator and we have an EP coming out soon and I've just like, we've been really close and she's helped me a lot and I think vice versa, just kind of navigate things and yeah, she's just a great human and she also has a mission and is killing it out there. So definitely wanna give her a shout out. I also like, really like Cloy. She's one of the first female artists alongside Alice Wonderland that I saw, and really enjoyed her music as well. Um, there's a bunch of girlies though, like Auster iss also really amazing. Um, like you said, sippy is killing it. She's great. Like I see her on socials all the time, just like putting herself

Nik Cherwink:

She's so fun. Yeah.

Stellern:

I think

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

that.

Nik Cherwink:

Cool. Cool. So, okay, you decided you wanted to produce and make music, you went to college, spent some time learning that. When did you start the Stellar Project and how long have you been working on this?

Stellern:

So I always like, I wanted to do this, but didn't really know like how it was going to come to be. So when I was in school for audio engineering, that's when I started. my own music and really diving into, like, trying to find a sound and stuff. But I would say when I graduated, that's when I like Stellar. So a couple years ago. Yeah, so I would say like five years ago is when Stellar was born.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

name and the idea for it.

Nik Cherwink:

And so right now you are in the middle or maybe wrapping up, I think a headlining tour right now. You've been out there like I saw your tour flyers out, you've been got dates on the books, like you're doing the damn thing, right? We are out of the bedroom and we are out here doing it.

Stellern:

Mm-hmm.

Nik Cherwink:

what would you say have been some of the main ingredients for success for this project?

Stellern:

Well, it just really honestly, like it takes time. Like I know there's a phrase that people say where it's like, it takes five years to be an overnight success kind of thing, or whatever and I feel like that has some value to it because I'm on year five and it's the first time I'm doing my own headline tour, and I've just been patient, been grinding. Making as much music as possible, really honing in on my sound, and having like a really cohesive vision for what I want to give to people. And I think that's what has helped me do this headline tour and be where I'm at. Um,'cause I had the opportunity to do. A tour last year and I don't know, I just didn't like, feel right about it. Like I felt like I could have done it, but I wanted to wait so that, my vision was more complete. Um, I just don't wanna do things like haphazardly. So I think it was like perfect timing to do it and with the Tri Love on our arms partnership too, like that was just perfect.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Let's definitely talk about that. Um, I find that so interesting that you waited.'cause I think a lot of people would be like chomping at the bit to like, oh my God, I wanna get out, I wanna play shows. I wanna, like, everyone is so anxious to get out there. So the fact that you were like, wait, I'm actually not quite ready and you chose to wait,

Stellern:

yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

a little bit more about. Why you chose to wait and what it was specifically about feeling prepared to really execute this vision that you have.

Stellern:

Yeah. I mean I definitely was eager to play shows and get out there and do this, so I definitely teetered on, oh, well maybe I should, maybe I shouldn't. But I really just tried to be still and listen to like my intuition and that just told me to like wait a little bit longer. Um. And I think it panned out well. So, yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

So. I just perked up a little bit because that piece about being still and listening to your intuition, it's so funny. I totally believe that everything is divinely orchestrated. Synchronicity is such a real thing. I literally, 30 minutes ago before we got on this, I was just talking to my girlfriend about something that came up to today very, very strongly, which was this reminder to. Trust myself to listen to myself, and that all of the answers are already inside of me

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

it's so easy to be looking outside of yourself for all the answers. There's so many, you know, books and podcasts and coaching programs and mentors, and everyone's on social media and has an opinion. So tell me a little bit more about sitting with yourself and listening to your intuition.

Stellern:

That's definitely been a process to get to that point. Um, I feel like just within like the last year or two, I've really been starting to actually trust myself because like you said, there's so many just different influences. Like your team has an opinion, like your friends, your family, like you should do this and do that. But at the end of the day, like. if you really do listen to your intuition, like that is the truth. And like that is what you should follow. And I feel like I've been tested a lot recently and I've been practicing that, just sitting and trusting myself and it's always worked out and I'm like,

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

write it down.'cause like, I wanna like keep a log of every time I've like trusted myself and it's worked out. So it just is a reminder to keep doing that. Um, but yeah, like the other day. I had an offer come in and I was like, oh, maybe I should take it. Maybe I shouldn't. My team was like, you need to take this offer, like this really good offer, like whatever. And I just like didn't feel right about it. And so I said no, and they were like upset, but then the next day I had an even better offer come in

Nik Cherwink:

Yes.

Stellern:

like, this is why I waited. Like this is why the voice inside of me said, don't do it. So

Nik Cherwink:

so real, so real. Yeah. I have a countless long list of examples just like that. Even just from like literally today, what had come up for me was I was actually considering joining a coaching program that I was gonna sign up for and be a part of, and. Just from even just booking the call, it was like the, like the calendar system was like, it went to my spam folder and then had this weird sort of like suspicious thing and then the guy had the wrong date and was like texting me and I was just like, this automatic, I was like, I just got this weird feeling. It just feels off. And then even today, like we finally were gonna have the call and then it was like he was late. It was like, oh, I'm gonna be five minutes late now. I'm gonna be 10 minutes late. I was just like, you know what? Like, this just doesn't feel like a fuck. Yeah.

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

And I'm, I'm curious if you could share about how does somebody actually tap into their intuition? Like how do you actually access that?

Stellern:

Um, I feel like you said if there's any little inkling of hesitation or like this might feel wrong, it's so important to just sit with that and not just like jump to listening to what your team is saying or what your friends are saying. Just take a moment and sit with yourself. Like my mantra for this past year is nothing is life or death. Like no matter what someone is making it seem like the pressure, whatever, like that is not the case. You can take the time, you can take an hour, you can take a day to just sit with yourself and what you feel and really process and just like suss out if it's right for you or if it's not right for you. And. Like paying attention to the signs, like you said, like the spam folder and him being late, like all those little things add up and kind of fuel that knowing that you have already. So just pay attention, I guess is what I would say.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, beautifully said.

Stellern:

Thanks.

Nik Cherwink:

funny'cause it can be. Sometimes just a subtle thing of like, oh, I just have this weird kind of you know? It's like, it's a feeling, right? It's call it, I dunno. It's a gut feeling. Like sometimes it's very powerful though. It's like a visceral, like my body is talking to me, right? Because it's like, it's the mind and the body, right? Your brain has all of your. Just the mental thoughts, the, the actual mental process. But then there's like a literal like physical somatic process of like, my body has wisdom and is also talking to me all the time too. And can I, I think so much of it boils down to can I have the courage to trust it?

Stellern:

Mm-hmm.

Nik Cherwink:

Right.

Stellern:

yeah, the word somatic is so good too.'cause that's definitely what it is. Um, and having the courage, because it's always like, you wanna listen to like your mentors and people that know and have the knowledge and like obviously like they're bringing value to the table and like they have that knowledge, but you also have like an inner knowing that maybe because. You're newer in the industry or like whatever you're doing, it might seem like you can't trust it, but obviously it's there for a reason, so you should

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Yeah.

Stellern:

And the somatic thing too, always feel like if I have anxiety about something that means it's not good for

Nik Cherwink:

Um

Stellern:

there's a difference with exciting anxiety. Like before I play a show and like anxiety, anxiety and like if it's that, then usually I'm

Nik Cherwink:

hmm.

Stellern:

it's a no go.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. You know, I think one of the other. Best ways for us to learn how to trust our intuition is in the moments that we don't,

Stellern:

Mm-hmm.

Nik Cherwink:

because everybody has experienced that before where you have said yes to something, you've went to an event, or you got into some situation, or you trusted a person and then it, it blew up in your face somehow and you're like, fuck. You're like, I knew. Like. I knew I shouldn't have done that. There was something inside of me that was telling me, but you didn't listen to it. And then you reflect back. You're like, fuck. Like, I knew I shouldn't have done that, that thing. Like, that's the thing. And so sometimes, not trusting your intuition is one of the best ways to also learn how do identify it. Because then in the future you remember oh yeah, there's that feeling again. I remember what happened last time. I didn't listen to it.

Stellern:

Yeah, no, I was literally about to say like, that is also a blessing in disguise because then, you know, like, shoot, I should have trust myself, but now I know for the next

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

practice. Honestly, like anything.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, totally. Um, yeah, this is great. I love this. Um, Tell me about the tour and specifically your partnership. You've partnered with a mental health nonprofit to write love on her arm is what it's called.

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

tell me about them. What are they all about and why was it important for you to partner with these guys?

Stellern:

Well, yeah, they've been around for a while. They, uh, I first heard of them at Warp Tour, like back in the day.

Nik Cherwink:

Hell yeah.

Stellern:

I've seen them at festivals and stuff. They always have like a little booth. Um, I wanted to do something special for my first headline tour. I didn't wanna just have it be a bunch of shows, you know, I really wanna make a difference and like build up a. Powerful community of like-minded people that is like helpful and helpful with one another. Um, but yeah, to write Love on our Arms was down to partner with me and they're already in the festival space, so it was like perfect. And they're also based in Florida, which I didn't know, so that was also another perfect thing. Um, but yeah, they're a nonprofit that just brings awareness to mental health. They do a lot of outreach. They have so many resources on their website, um. Just providing a space for people that, like I said earlier, might not know how to ask for help or if they're seeking help, everything is there on their website, different services and phone numbers and hotlines and stuff. And they're just basically trying to break the stigma around mental health and just be a safe space for everyone, which I really love. So, um, at these shows we have like a little pamphlets with all those numbers and hotlines and stuff, and just information about. They're a nonprofit. We've, uh, have some collab merch items where, like the proceeds go to their organization. So I just thought it was a, a great partnership.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, yeah, definitely. It sounds like an amazing organization. Why is the topic of mental health so important to you and such a big part of your brand?

Stellern:

Well, I've struggled with mental health, since I was, I don't know. 10 maybe,

Nik Cherwink:

Mm-hmm.

Stellern:

I didn't really have the awareness or the knowledge about what was going on until I got older and I started seeing a therapist and getting into more self-help stuff and I was like, wow. I was like really in the dark for the longest time. I didn't have any resources and like finally. Someone's helping me and I can like see what's been going on inside of me and I can kind of untangle that anxious, depressed ball and kind of have a clear vision. And I just feel like so many people struggle. They might not even know what's going on with them. And so just having a place or a space to talk to someone or some kind of resource could literally be life changing. And I already feel like music. that, it brings people together. So why not have those resources there? When everyone's already there, everyone's already like in the PLU like mindset and mentality,

Nik Cherwink:

Hmm.

Stellern:

amazing to begin with. So I just think it makes complete sense to have that in the space.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, it's interesting because words like mental health, anxiety, depression, a lot of it gets thrown around. But like you said, sometimes people don't. Really even know what they're going through or have the words to be able to articulate it succinctly. What were you actually going through and feeling and experiencing, uh, that inspired you to eventually start seeking out help.

Stellern:

So when I went to college, it was my first time leaving home, essentially

Nik Cherwink:

Mm-hmm.

Stellern:

time, like being on my own and kind of like navigating that and it just brought up. A lot of uncomfortable feelings. Um, and then I was in like a really bad relationship and I was just like not in a good space. And I think my mom was like, you should find a therapist. And which was like, great, because I like didn't even consider that.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

found this therapist, it just really opened my eyes and she helped me like words to what I was feeling and going through and also just. Uncovering a lot of stuff that went years back that needed to be untangled and yeah, it was

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah,

Stellern:

yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

it's, it's always the fucking breakups,

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

It literally is like the thing that will rip your heart out of your chest and throw you into a. Spiraling pit of despair. It's always the, the breakups are the, are the worst. Uh, and it's funny, it's like, you know, we call it mental health, but it's really emotional health, right? It's not just like, Hey, my mind is thinking about a lot of things, but it's connected when I'm thinking about certain things. Then it brings up the feeling, it really is the emotional health of like, oh, I have a, there's a feeling inside of me that is debilitating and is painful and I dunno how to get out of it. Right. So it is like, okay, we gotta Yeah. Change the thoughts and the perspective and the way we're thinking. But it also is learning how to, you know, we talked about like somatic earlier. It's like actually, like how do I move the energy from my body? Right? Uh, that's a whole other modality of work. If we really want to get deep of just like, you know, somatic coaching or somatic. Breath work, body work. It's like, you know I love the perspective that emotions are energy in motion. It's energy that's in your body that needs to be in motion. It needs to be moved. Like we need to cry, we need to scream. We need to fucking flail around and like we need to dance. Right? This is why we gotta go to, this is why I think unconsciously. Millions of people are going to the club every weekend and going to festivals is because we're actually craving a space that we can go move our bodies, because when we move our bodies, it gets some of that emotion and gets some of that energy out that might be stuck, right?

Stellern:

Well

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

you asked me like what I was feeling exactly, and that's honestly a hard question for me to answer because a lot of my problems were somatic. Like I had chronic stomach issues for

Nik Cherwink:

Mm.

Stellern:

like since I was a child. they just like never resolved until I started going to therapy. My

Nik Cherwink:

Mm.

Stellern:

away. Like

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah,

Stellern:

started doing this inner work and trying to like heal these different parts of me, so it was all like this somatic like anxiety and stuff that was like trapped inside of me, trying to come out. But it was manifesting in my like stomach problems. Um,

Nik Cherwink:

yeah.

Stellern:

like a huge piece of it.

Nik Cherwink:

I.

Stellern:

maybe people don't even know, like some people might have like. Migraines or like

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

rashes and whatever, and they might think it's like something not related, but a lot of the times it has to do with your emotions and

Nik Cherwink:

Yep.

Stellern:

and stuff.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, there's a really famous book called The Body Keeps the Score.

Stellern:

been

Nik Cherwink:

Uh,

Stellern:

I just

Nik Cherwink:

yeah. Right. Really, it's like, it's mind blowing stuff. I mean, it's, it's, you know, I don't know science at the end of the day, but it's like, if you think about, you know, one of the. Leading causes of death is heart disease, right? And that's related to stress. Stress is an emotion, right? And so that emotion, like I'm feeling stress all the time, that emotion also is then releasing certain chemicals into your body. It's causing heart disease, it's causing cancer, it's causing stomach, you know, ulcers, stomach problems. Like it's, your body will physically have a reaction. To the emotion. You know, it's the train of it is like our, our thoughts and the way that we're thinking then create certain emotions and those certain emotions create certain physical, you know, physical symptoms in our body. It's, it's a wild web of how it all works and it's connected, but it's good to, it's good to start like learning and understanding like how we work. This is funny at first time I'm thinking about this, but you're spending. Hundreds of hours, thousands of hours figuring out how Ableton works, right? I'm gonna figure out how fucking serum two works and, you know, how do I mix stuff and how do I, you know, I'm putting in thousands of hours into learning how this thing works. We should put some time into learning how this thing, as in me, myself, how does this thing work? How does, how does these energy systems work, right? Because when you, when you start to kind of figure that out and crack that code, all of a sudden it's like, whoa, this whole thing is up and running a little bit better now.

Stellern:

Yeah, it's crazy because I feel like a lot of people don't take the time to look inward or take stock of like how they're feeling and stuff because of life or like whatever. Maybe it's like too scary to like dive into what you might be feeling, but

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

it's just so important because like we're. With ourselves. That's all we have. At the end of the day, you have yourself, you know, and that's who you spend the most time with. So just really important to keep check of how you're feeling and I've always been a huge fan of seeking help and a

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Yeah, yeah,

Stellern:

books that are out there and,

Nik Cherwink:

that's what I was gonna ask. What are some other tools or some other modalities that you've explored? Because there are so many, obviously going to therapy is one. Have you explored other healing modalities and tools that you've used to help in your own healing and growth journey?

Stellern:

Yeah. Well, obviously like everyone talks about meditation, but there's a reason for that. I

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

that is one of the greatest things you could do because it's just so helpful to going back to quieting and being still with yourself, like

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

can get so much clarity and. Calm through meditating, and it is definitely a practice. Like I still need to stick to my meditation schedule, but, um, it's, yeah, it's been amazing. It's really helped with my anxiety and quieting my mind and even before I sit down to work on something, I'll like just clear the energy and do a quick little five, 10 minute meditation. So I'm like in the right head space to create and I just, yeah. I love it.

Nik Cherwink:

I love that. Yeah. I advocate with my clients to have a pres studio ritual

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

just, yeah, do something to get your energy right, whether that's physically in your room or Yeah. Go for a run. Do some breath work, do some meditation. Just get yourself in a good head space before you create. Um, have you ever read The Power Of Now, have you read that book before?

Stellern:

Um, is that Eckhart

Nik Cherwink:

Eckhart Toley? Yeah.

Stellern:

his, um, oh my gosh,

Nik Cherwink:

A.

Stellern:

here.

Nik Cherwink:

A new Earth.

Stellern:

It's another book. It's the orange cover

Nik Cherwink:

A new Earth.

Stellern:

wait, no, not a new

Nik Cherwink:

Is that what it No. No, that's his other big one. That's a really good one too.

Stellern:

of his books right now, but I have heard of that. Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

love, you'll love that one for your, after you finish the body keeps the score. Everyone. Everybody. A hundred percent. This is, should be like required reading. Everybody read Power of Now. This is like foundational.

Stellern:

Okay.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, it's like spiritual development. Really, really good one.

Stellern:

that.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Um, okay, so Therapy. Meditation. What else? What else do you use to. Be your best self.

Stellern:

I try to go for a walk every day, even if it's a quick 20 minute, 30 minute walk just to get your body moving and just stay healthy. Yeah. Meditation, therapy, working out, eating well. that's what I would say really.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Have you ever got into breath work? Have you tried breath work at all?

Stellern:

have heard of it. Um, haven't done it really myself. I know some people swear by it, but I am not too knowledgeable on breath work.

Nik Cherwink:

I've probably still only done it properly, let's say maybe a dozen times.

Stellern:

Mm-hmm.

Nik Cherwink:

I'm telling you guys, get the fuck out there and go do some breath work.'cause what we're talking about, we're talking about the emotions, right? The stuck emotions of I've got this anxious energy inside of me. I've got this depressive energy inside of me. I've got this, this stuff inside of me that doesn't feel good. The breath can basically clear your system out of it. But it's like my experience of it is wild.'cause you basically are like laying on the floor hyperventilating and you bring yourself into like a psychedelic state. Like I've talked to God multiple times, like I'm talking about downloads, like receiving downloads and insight and intuition. Not only there's the release of moving the energy and the emotions, but I get like. Downloads from another dimension. When I do breath work, it's so fucking cool. So if you guys haven't tried it yet, go out there. If you have tried breath work, let me know. Leave a comment wherever you're listening to this and let me know if you're on the breath work train.'cause every time I do it, I'm always like, I gotta do this every week. Like this gets to be part of the process. So yeah, I think you'll, you'll, you'll dig it once you dip your toes in, in the water. Yeah.

Stellern:

need a try. Like everyone talks about it just

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

thing. That's

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

So.

Nik Cherwink:

Now, I think all of this is even more important for artists because y'all are living a crazy lifestyle, not your normal nine to five. We've got the same routine. It's like you're getting on flights. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, multiple nights a week, you're flying all over the place. Time zones are crazy. You're out till late at night, and trying to maintain some balance and some consistency in a very inconsistent, wild type of lifestyle and schedule. So how do you balance staying healthy and grounded in the midst of what is kind of a chaotic industry?

Stellern:

Yeah, so I just accept that my weekends are gonna be crazy. let them be what they're gonna be. Um, I don't really drink, honestly. on my rider I have like health shots and like

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

and stuff like that.

Nik Cherwink:

Smart.

Stellern:

try to like have some kind of. Normalcy and health and whatnot. Um, but during the week I really try to like stick to a routine to have some semblance of yeah, like a routine I guess. Um,

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

that also just helps me with my productivity, but I have just accepted that the weekends are gonna be whatever they are, and I'm grateful for that. So,

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, for sure. So, so earlier you were talking about having a vision for your tour and then wanting to like pause a little bit so that you could actually really, really bring that vision to life.

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

What is the vision for what you're creating with the tour?

Stellern:

Yeah. So, the tour is called the Here and Now Tour, which. Goes back to literally everything we're talking about of just being present and stuff. Um, and since I started going to shows, when I was a teenager, that's really what like my love for this music and the scene is every time I would go to a show I would be completely present and just in the moment enjoying my friends, the music. I wasn't thinking about what's gonna happen after what happened before. And it was just like a huge relief and. Almost like a meditation, just to be there dancing and having the time of my life. So I wanted my tour to invoke that feeling when people come to these shows, just to be present and be here now in the moment with the music, with your friends, and just kind of escape like the craziness of life for a little bit. Um, so that was like the vision that I was trying to. I guess sit with an I I knew it like for a while. I've always had here and now just kind of in the back of my head. And was also waiting to write an EP to go with this tour as well. Um, so that took a bit of time. I didn't wanna just like, play a bunch of shows with nothing to tour off of it, you know, like I, obviously I have music and stuff, but I wanted it to be fresh, um, and just bring something new to, to these shows. Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

Hmm. You know, it's funny because we often talk about how. EDM and going to shows is a way to escape,

Stellern:

Mm-hmm.

Nik Cherwink:

right? And even myself, sometimes I even kind of talk down on like the escapism, you know, just the, let's forget about all our problems and leave the world behind kind of a thing. But I'm just thinking about this for the first time where it really. It's almost like we're escaping during our day-to-day life because we're so in our head and we're so like, we're living in the past and in the future, and we're just like grinding and basically we're preoccupied. It's almost like we're escaping the present moment. By being so busy and going to a show isn't escaping, it's actually coming. Back home. It's actually coming back to, to, to look at, look at this. I can't even see this. That's

Stellern:

Wait. Are you dead

Nik Cherwink:

I, that's so funny. I just realized for those of you that aren't watching on YouTube, I just realized that my shirt literally says, be here now. That's so funny.

Stellern:

do that on purpose?

Nik Cherwink:

swear to God, I just noticed it.

Stellern:

Oh my God. That's crazy.

Nik Cherwink:

That's so funny. But yeah, like if you think about it really, it's like that, you know, being present, that's reality. That's real life. That is actually that is, I love this idea that, you know, there is no such thing as the past in the future that we've been living in the same moment our entire life.

Stellern:

Yeah,

Nik Cherwink:

it's never not been now. It's always been now,

Stellern:

that's

Nik Cherwink:

it's like your show actually provides and just you know, dance music and shows in general. It provides an anchor to come back to reality, to actually come back to being present. Whereas the other 90% of the time we're like, we're just flopping around, you know, like on a, on a hamster wheel, like not being present at all. Right. So,

Stellern:

yeah. I mean,

Nik Cherwink:

yeah.

Stellern:

It's kind of hard to just like stop during the week or during your normal routine to meditate or just journal or do whatever you need to do to come back to the present. Because I mean, you know, life calls for going to work, doing your things just like going about your day. You can't just sit around all day and meditate. So I

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

I mean, that'll be great, but I feel like it's important to carve out time to just come back to that, like you were saying, because. Shows obviously provide that. Even just listening to music for me, provides that escape or coming back to the center, like you said. Um, but yeah, I just, I try really hard to take 20 minutes outta my day just to do some inner work and stuff like that.

Nik Cherwink:

Totally. Yeah. Yeah. If for anyone that follows me on social media, you know, I'm all about the hot boy walks a little 20 minute walk outside to get some sunshine. It's like, just go be with yourself. Go be present. Take that time. Whether it's a, yeah. Meditation or a walk or something. Um, that's, yeah, that's so important.

Stellern:

That's so true because anytime I'm feeling really overwhelmed and then I go for a walk, I come back and I'm like, that what? What was I freaking out about? Like nothing

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Like, yeah, like, like you said earlier, it's not, it's not life and death, right? Nothing. Nothing is life and death you know, I started my career at Capital Records, right outta college, and I was working in the Hollywood Tower working for like a-list. Artists we're putting out, big records and it would get stressful. It was like a high, you know, it could be a high stress environment, long hours. And I remember my boss would always say she would like, when things were getting tense, she'd always be like, all right, you guys. Remember, like we're, we're not saving lives here. We're not like, we're not doctors. We're not doing open heart surgery where there's like a li like, we're literally putting out records.

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

it's not,

Stellern:

fun.

Nik Cherwink:

it is not life and it is not life and death. Like there is some real life and death shit. Like you're a EMT, you're a a surgeon. Like, that's, that's life and death. We're putting out fucking music. Calm down. It's all good. We're literally dancing. Like we're, it's all good. Yeah.

Stellern:

that's so true. I mean, I get it.'cause like I care so deeply about music and what I'm doing and just. Where I want to be. So I put a lot of pressure and stress on myself, but when you put it like that, at the end of the day, like we're just having fun and

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

I should

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah,

Stellern:

at it.

Nik Cherwink:

yeah. Well, that's what I wanted to ask is do you feel I. Pressure. I,'cause I feel like so many artists feel a lot of pressure, especially ones that are coming up and like, they wanna succeed so bad, they wanna make it their dream. I mean, you have got to that point now where this, this is your job. You're at that next stage where it's become the career. Um, but I feel like that pressure often doesn't go away. You know? Do you feel that? Pressure to, to succeed, you know, what's the, what is it like carrying that and being in that and how do you navigate that?

Stellern:

my gosh. Yeah. Literally every day I like wake up and I'm like, I have to be productive today, or my career's gonna fail. Like I

Nik Cherwink:

Hmm.

Stellern:

do something to like get myself to a next level. But even like aside from that, just. There's so much talent out there and so many amazing artists, and it's so hard to not compare yourself to what other people are doing. Just, I don't know. I always find, or I had found myself doing this where I'd be like, well, why am I not getting this opportunity? Like, why is

Nik Cherwink:

Mm.

Stellern:

it? Like, I wanna have this but it all happens in time and if you just stay like genuine and authentic to your path and what you're doing as an artist, like that stuff will come, which I didn't know back then when I was first starting. I just like wanted to like zoom my way to where I am now and. And you get there and it's so important to just like go with the flow and enjoy the process of all of it. And really try not to compare yourself because that does so much damage and there's room for like, there's literally room for everyone. I don't think a lot of

Nik Cherwink:

Yes.

Stellern:

but

Nik Cherwink:

Yes.

Stellern:

much room for everyone. So I don't think there needs to be this competition or so and so got this. Why didn't I get it? Like, who cares? There's

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

get it a year from now, it doesn't matter, you know?

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. It goes back to the mindset, the mental energy, the emotional energy, and the physical energy, right? If my mindset is that, oh, this person is succeeding, and so that means that there's competition or there's not enough to go around, why are they winning? And I'm not. If my mindset is. That this is like a race and other people are beating me, then that's gonna create a certain kind of emotion inside of me that's gonna create jealousy. It's gonna create resentment. It's gonna create stress. Right. I'm gonna feel like, oh God, I have to grind even harder now. Right? And that can then also potentially create, you know, the, the physical burnout from that. Right. Um, and so shifting the mindset around it, first shifting to like, wait a minute, if they're winning, that means I can too.

Stellern:

exactly.

Nik Cherwink:

Like I believe, I believe in abundance. I believe that there's enough to go around,

Stellern:

Yes.

Nik Cherwink:

this is exactly what sippy came to me with when she started working with me, when she was getting caught up in comparison. And so the first shift we made was I was like, yo, every time you see somebody winning that you feel like you know you wish you had what they had, or they're further up on the lineup than you, you celebrate them. Celebrate them, step into celebration and be like, yo, fuck yeah. Go get it. Cool. And what that does is that it makes me feel different. I actually feel good'cause I'm living in the energetic state of celebration. And from that energetic state of celebration, I start to create differently. I start to show up into my, to my relationships differently. I start to like physically feel different as well. So it starts with the perspective, but then it's followed by like, how do you actually feel emotionally because of that?

Stellern:

That's so, that's so good. And

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Yeah.

Stellern:

like. I don't know.'cause I dealt with that a lot when I was first starting, like, I don't know if I'd call it resentment, but definitely comparing and being like, oh, I want that so bad. Or like, why did they get this? Like I want it. And I just started switching my mindset, like you said. And every time I would see something I would comment on my friend's post or like other artists and be like, you're killing it. Like

Nik Cherwink:

Yes,

Stellern:

whatever. And it just makes you feel good, obviously. Like it makes them feel good'cause they're getting all this positive feedback and just creates like this. of abundance and positivity,

Nik Cherwink:

Yes.

Stellern:

start manifesting those positive things because you're not coming from that like lack mentality anymore. You're coming from like the abundance. So that's what's showing up in your field.

Nik Cherwink:

That's it. Y'all go back and rewind the last two minutes. This is the fucking game changing secret and I talk to artists all the time. I work with so many artists and I know all you guys are listening, and it's like everyone, you have that desire to be successful and you want to grind, and you want to push, but you gotta. You gotta really look at where is it coming from? Where am I operating from? Am I operating from scarcity or am I operating from abundance? And back to paying attention to your body. Does your body feel tight,

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

Or do you feel. Loose and open and expansive, right? That's what you get to pay attention to. Where am I coming from? Where, what is my operating system? The invitation is to step into abundance, step into knowing that like, yo, you are destined for this. Your time is gonna come. You keep showing up. You do it with love, you do it with positivity. You do it with openness and celebration and they can both get you there. You can also grind and push and compete, and like that energy can drive you, you can whip yourself until you get to the top. But which journey do you think is gonna be more enjoyable and more sustainable? Right?

Stellern:

I

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

the most basic way to put that, and it's what we just said is, what I would tell someone who's just starting out or people that might be struggling with this is that there is space for everyone. Even if it might not seem like that. Like there's so much room, there's room at the top. I still have so much growth that I want to do, and I feel like if you're looking at things from that perspective of that there's a place for everyone, it just takes the pressure off of it. You don't have to compete for someone else's spot because your spot's there. You just have to like step into it. You know what I mean? So.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, and everyone has a spot because you are the only you.

Stellern:

Mm-hmm.

Nik Cherwink:

Right Out of all 8 billion people in the world, nobody can do what you can do. Nobody can make the music that you can make, nobody that can put on the show and curate the set and show with the vibe and the energy that you authentically have. And that's the other big thing to really pay attention to and like not get caught up in is like. What are other people doing? They're doing this with their brand. They're doing this with their sound. They're doing this with their business moves. Like, all right, cool. Fuck yeah, that's them and their path. Maybe take some inspiration, but this is where so much of us lose ourselves. Kind of going back to like trust yourself, right? Trust yourself to do it your way to show up authentically with like what actually feels good to you, and I honestly think this is. 95% of people's problems is, it's like we're getting too caught up in like, what's everybody else doing? Get back into you and your authenticity and know that you're gonna carve out your own unique lane.

Stellern:

Yeah, exactly. I love

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, yeah. And then the final thing I'd say on that is like, enjoy where you're at. Every step of the way. Like we oftentimes we want to be at that next level so bad,

Stellern:

Yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

to like, you know, be being present, be the here and now. It's like, okay, this is where you are. You're at this stage of your career fucking. Love that. Like, let's go. Like, that's exciting. Of course, of course. We all want to, you know, be at that. I wanna have a higher billing, I wanna make more money, I wanna get to the next place. But that's the trap. And also really the concept of like, the power of now is not like living in the future, right? Because we see it all the time too. The person that's a step ahead of you, five steps ahead of you, they still want to be further as well. And they're, they're not even enjoying where they are. It's like, we all gotta like, just love the process and the journey and be grateful for where we're at too.

Stellern:

it's so true because like, obviously tomorrow's not promised and I feel like the music industry itself is so volatile. Like you just never know what's gonna happen and. I find myself getting existential sometimes in my thoughts, but I just have to remind myself, like to be present and happy with where I'm at and just enjoy the process because yes, of course you want all this stuff in the future, but you're not there yet. So like you have to just focus on where you're at and be grateful for that.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. A hundred percent. Wow. There's such good wisdom in here for everybody. Um, if you had anything else to add, any other tips for up and coming artists, what would you share with them? I.

Stellern:

I feel like we cover a lot of it, like the. The mindset thing. I always try to look at it when I was coming up to blinders on, so to help myself not compare. Um, obviously you wanna see what your peers are doing and take notes of people who are really successful and how they built their careers and stuff. That's good to do, but you don't wanna get in the habit of comparing so much because it's just gonna, you're gonna shoot yourself in the foot, but. aside from that, I would say don't be afraid to put yourself out there when it comes to socials and releasing music, because that was a huge problem for me. I was so concerned about everything being perfect, um, with my releases, with my social image, I just wanted it to be perfect. And I was stopping myself from growing because nothing is ever perfect. Um, and when I first took the leap and kind of put myself out there. I saw the growth happen so rapidly and it was just a game changer for me. So I always tell people to, you need to put yourself out there. Like you can't just be overthinking. And obviously that's so easier said than done. I still overthink everything, but you need to act as if maybe that part, you act as if it's life or death. Like if you don't make the post it's life or death, like put it

Nik Cherwink:

Mm

Stellern:

like force yourself

Nik Cherwink:

mm.

Stellern:

yourself out there because you're gonna be rewarded for that. And you're

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

people engaging with you because you're being authentic and putting yourself out there. So that's what I would say to people

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah, it's the life or death of your career really. In a way. It's like, and and I talk about that a lot as well. There's a difference between being an artist and running a business and you have to kind of. Cross that threshold and step into like, Hey, not only am I an artist and I make music, but I also want to be successful in the music business. In order to do that, I need to, I'm launching a business and I need to run a business and whatever. Regardless of what industry you're in, you have to market yourself as a business owner. So that's the, the life or death of the business for sure. I like that perspective.

Stellern:

It's crazy'cause I didn't know that when I was first starting out, I was just an artist. I was just wanting to create and make music and then I quickly realized that you do have to market yourself and it is a business essentially, like artists are entrepreneurs in a way.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

and yeah, you just, you have to put yourself out there or

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

your product, which is your music.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

yeah.

Nik Cherwink:

kind of tips do you have for putting yourself out there? What do you find works and resonates with people? I think everyone's trying to figure out the content game and building their brand and using social media. What kind of advice would you have around that?

Stellern:

I think you need to do something that feels good to you. I would stay away from seeing what's trendy or what so and so did, and then trying to copy it because people will pick up on that. They'll see they look uncomfortable or this feels gimmicky or something. So just

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah.

Stellern:

feels authentic to you and that's what's gonna resonate with other people. And even if it seems cringe or whatever, if it feels good to you, that's what you should post. Like you shouldn't post what so and so did because they're. Real. Got a million views. You should do what just feels right to you.

Nik Cherwink:

Yeah. Amazing.

Stellern:

Um,

Nik Cherwink:

right, so last question here. What are you most looking forward to right now?

Stellern:

Um, I'm just really happy with where I'm at. I'm just really grateful to be here and to have done my first headline tour this year I feel elated about that. Um, and I'm just looking forward to the journey and what next year brings and. Growing my community and my supporters and yeah, it's just, it's all love. It all feels really nice, so I'm just relishing in that.

Nik Cherwink:

Amazing. And congratulations on your first tour, your first headlining tour. That's so exciting. Like you've been putting in the work and you've also been, I dunno, I think just fueled by a deeper purpose, which I really do believe makes a big difference. And so I. Just really love what you're up to. I love the message that you're preaching. I love the space that you're creating and just the love and the positive energy that you're putting out there. We need more of that in the scene. We need more of that. We need more plu in the industry. Let's bring it back, y'all. If, if you're on the PLU train, you're my people. So thank you so much for taking the time to come on today and um, yeah, good luck with everything.

Stellern:

Thanks for having me.

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