Throughout his career, soul singer and songwriter Allen Stone admits that he’s suffered from “imposter syndrome.” It’s the feeling that you don’t belong or aren’t good enough. For some, this may be hard to believe given Stone’s other-worldly singing voice. His is a tone like golden light doused with dripping butter. Yet, that doesn’t necessarily alleviate internal feelings of insecurity. In the end, perhaps nothing might. But what Stone has realized over the years is that he can control the smaller things about his craft: showing up, being prepared, trying hard. He’s about the work. The rest—outwardly offered awards and acknowledgment—is for the birds.
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As such, Stone is set to release his newest LP APART, an acoustic, stripped-down reimagined collection of some of his best songs over his decade as a professional musician. The record, which showcases both the origins of the songs and Stone’s vocal prowess performing them, is out November 12.
“When you strip everything away,” says Stone, “I think a lot of what I feel as a singer and musician is imposter syndrome. When I’m in the moment and I’m singing, I’m fine and it’s fun, especially if I’m in front of people. Usually, people give you energy, give you that love. But in the studio, it can be completely different.” He adds, “So, the insecurity kind of creeps in.”
To combat insecurity, Stone works to find an emotion, a feeling for a given song or performance and then he looks to live in it, share it. That’s what he hopes to land on wax, and he’s achieved that too often, stunning levels with his new album. On the song “Circle,” Stone tells the story of regret, expertly weaving between soft and prominent vocals. For the chorus, he’s buttressed by a choir. It’s divine stuff, even if it lasts just more than three minutes. Over the years, Stone has developed a more and more nuanced touch.
“I think my approach toward dealing with insecurity has changed,” Stone tells American Songwriter. “It used to be a hard-charging, idiot pride. Where deep down I was dealing with imposter syndrome, constantly, deep down. But how I dealt with it was, ‘no way, charge 100 miles per hour. Attack the bull by the horns.’”
Now, Stone says, he focuses on something much simpler: gratitude.
“Here’s the scoop,” he says, “I think that insecurity, I think that breeds positive things. I think a lot of people would go, ‘It sucks, you should have confidence in what you’re doing.’ Living in this day and age, it’s all about confidence, right? But I think sometimes insecurity breeds humility, breeds hard work, preparedness, which I think can be a good thing,”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stone, like many musicians, was given a precious resource: time. Stone, who is a new father, took advantage of that extra time by connecting with his family and sitting down to engage music, to reconnect with his instruments. As a nearly year-long performer and touring artist, it can be hard to find time to practice. Now, Stone had plenty of time.
“Really,” he says, “I just found my way back to my instrument, my guitar, my piano, and my voice.” He adds, “It brought me back to a new relationship with those tunes.”
With APART, Stone says, he wanted to show the bones of the songs, their essential elements. He didn’t want to deviate from their original skeletons. His mind was with his ride-or-die fans, those who have been with him for the past three albums before this one. The fans, he says, who’ve bought multiple rounds of tickets for show after show. There were moments in Stone’s life and career when he says, he was focused on arena tours, Grammys, and the like. Now, though, it’s about the smaller things: connections with people, connections with songs.
“I want to be the best version of a musician, a bandleader, a husband, a father, a friend that I possibly can,” Stone says. “That’s going to take time, going to take effort, precision, and focus. And I think that keeps me motivated to keep moving forward.”
To achieve these goals, Stone knows he has to be happy, fulfilled with his goals. He can’t have some target ahead of him without his heart in it. That’s spiritual suicide. Now, he says, he cares about things like keeping his voice as pristine on day one of a tour as on day 28. The idea that with some giant hand he could control anything more seems ridiculous to him today.
“Somewhere along the line,” Stone says, “I realized how not in control of this thing I am. One day, I woke up and said, ‘Get real, dude, you’re in such a hurricane of luck and timing and randomness.’ To think that I’ve any control over anything besides just showing up and doing my best is kind of ridiculous.”
Today, the married new father says he is happier than ever, busier than ever. The 34-year-old singer has come a long way from his small-town upbringing. Stone, who is the son of a minister, grew up singing in church. Ever since he became a performer, even back then, he’s seen the reaction from people in the crowd when he opens his mouth. No matter the confusion or worry on his heart, that’s made him practically levitate.
“With music,” Stone says, “I get the joy and pleasure to stand in front of people with this thing I made in my bedroom. I put it through a microphone and in real time I get to see people experiencing it. It makes me feel connected to so many more people—it’s the best thing ever.”
Phot by Shervin Lainez / Grandstand
