Chatting with Leanna Firestone about her Debut Album ‘The Answer,’ Upcoming Headlining Tour, and More

24-year-old Leanna Firestone, one of Gen Z’s brightest and most compelling singer-songwriters making music right now, is about to embark on her biggest headlining tour to date in support of her debut album, The Answer, which drops today on Leanna’s own independent record label and publishing company, Least Favorite Only Child, Inc.

Firestone, who has over 100 million streams across all platforms and a rabidly supportive fanbase, is known for her painfully honest and autobiographical songwriting, releasing music about family trauma, failed relationships, and everything in between. But on The Answer, she switches things up: writing from the perspective of friends dealing with breakups and tumultuous relationships, challenging herself to write from a different lens than her own while still making it feel relatable and universally understood.

Ahead of her debut album release, Leanna took the time to answer some questions about her album and upcoming tour. Check out the Q&A below!

STAGED HAZE: The Answer is your debut album and your first follow-up project since 2022. How has the creative process changed compared to that project, four years ago?

Leanna: I think almost everything has changed! I would say the main difference is that I am a little more trusting with my art. For this album I have worked with many incredible collaborators, and while my previous work was charming and unrefined (and made almost entirely by me and my micromanaging), The Answer is an album where no stone was left unturned. We have whittled and shaped and kneaded this album into this perfect, little thing. The process of creation and the final product, I believe, is more mature and thoughtful than anything I’ve made before in my career.

STAGED HAZE: You’ve mentioned that you’re inspired by artists like Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves. I can definitely hear their autobiographical style of storytelling in your music! What else about their careers has influenced you?

Leanna: Obviously, they are amazing storytellers and legends in our field. But on top of that, I think I’m really inspired by what seems to be a lack of compromise of artistic vision. It’s incredibly easy to get in your head about numbers and successes of others and what people think about your art and letting that compromise the integrity of what you’re making and how you feel about yourself. I think what I admire so much about Kacey and Taylor is how they are able to pivot, able to make whatever they want and it not feel like something is lost. They do not bend to the current expectation of women in music, they forge their own way ahead making the industry part to make way for them- not begging anyone for scraps or falling neatly into lines of genre to be more marketable. No matter the project, they are able to still feel like that album could’ve only been written and performed by them. They are singular and distinct talents, and that only comes from holding your own and keeping the path.

STAGED HAZE: You’re very vulnerable on The Answer, singing about experiences that your friends have gone through, but also the themes of addiction that your family has gone through. How do you determine what you’re willing to share and not share in your music? Does that come easy to you?

Leanna: I wish I had a better answer for this question but I honestly just pick by what feels right and real at the time. Anytime I release something so personal, I always, without fail, feel the rush of fear that I’ve shared too much or gone too far. But before putting out any song, I now define that boundary better by asking myself “would I be comfortable with this being the defining work of my career? would I be comfortable answering questions about this song for the rest of my life?” And if I can say yes (even if it’s an unconfident, scared yes) then I proceed forward. There were songs that I wrote for this album that when I asked myself these questions, I found myself answering no, for the time being- which led to them being kept in the vault.

STAGED HAZE: I recently read that you grew up writing One Direction fan fiction—as a fellow 1D fan who read fan fiction, I can entirely relate to this being a part of your teenage years. How has your online identity influenced your creative process, if at all?

Leanna: The internet has touched every part of my personality and my creative process, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. For example; I don’t think I am capable of writing a song totally for myself anymore, what I mean by that being, that even when there’s not an audience physically in front of me, there’s a metaphorical audience in my head. Waiting, watching, judging. I think in some ways that’s bad. As in, I will never be able to sing like no one is listening. Knowing that someone will someday probably hear your work changes how honest you would like to be or if you would like to name names or how you would describe a situation if you think an involved party might someday hear what you have to say about them.

But in other ways I think that metaphorical audience has made me question myself and has led me to become more compassionate and introspective. Forcing me to ask myself about my own role in a situation, seeing if there’s any other side of the story that could be true in tandem with my own. The knowledge that people will hear and see your stories, and the responsibility that comes with that, requires a lot of care. So if anything, I think my online identity has led my creative process to become more meticulous and diligent than it ever was before internet fame.

STAGED HAZE: What’s your favorite song off The Answer? What was the hardest song to finish?

Leanna: My favorite song off The Answer is probably “Town Ain’t Big Enough.” I actually brought in a half-written song to the session on that day, and it became one of the aforementioned songs that I decided I wasn’t quite ready to write or release. We hard pivoted into writing a much campier, kitchier, upbeat song, which eventually became “Town Ain’t Big Enough.” It’s the flower blooming through the concrete. The hardest song to finish—and yet the first one I wrote—was “Not Yet.” Because that song is about such a sensitive topic (my dad’s addiction and our relationship), I made sure to really take my time with it, however that did lead to many, many versions that were changed and rewritten to finally get to the song you hear on the album. That one took longer to crack but became one of my most favorite songs of my entire discography.

STAGED HAZE: Your biggest headlining tour to date kicks off very soon! What are you looking forward to the most about this opportunity?

Leanna: Wow! I am most looking forward to reconnecting with my fans! I was touring almost nonstop for a couple years before taking a (much needed) break to write this album last year. However, I miss everyone!!! Touring is so strenuous on your mind and your body, you can feel like you’re constantly moving and working—never really getting your bearings. I think the great thing about my fans is I get to see so many of the same people every tour and I genuinely feel very connected to them. I love hearing about what happened in their lives since the last time I saw them. It’s grounding to me to be able to see familiar faces when so much of tour is spent away from my home and routine.

STAGED HAZE: Who else are you listening to right now that we should have on our radar?

Leanna: Bella Kay, is the first that comes to mind. But also Abby Cates, McKayla Twiggs, Devon Again, Mila Bea, Liang Lawrence, Essence Martins, Nia Nadurata, Abby Powledge, Sydney Rose, Brye, Aubory Bugg, Nep, Jensen McRae, and so many other girls with guitars! I love singer-songwriters.

The Answer is out now.