Stephanie Lambring’s songs are largely about difficult topics, and the stories they contain are often dark and sad. Her official biography sums her debut album up really well: “Autonomy centers around what it is to have the ability to make your own decisions—to truly own the course your life takes. Lambring examines topics that sound familiar, like things you’ve thought about before, from childhood embarrassments that still pop up now and again to relationships that were bad choices from the beginning, from the constant desire to (still) please parents, to what in the world it feels like to try and understand evangelical Christianity in the current iteration of America.”
Last year, Stephanie came seemingly from nowhere and delivered an incredible first album, but it turns out that she’s not new to songwriting at all. She spent five years writing songs for a Nashville publishing house, hoping to write the next big country hit.
Eventually, she became disillusioned with writing to formula and writing for other people and turned her back on the publishing deal. She spent time on the road and on her own, finding herself and her voice again.
In 2020, amid the ongoing global pandemic, her album Autonomy was released to rave reviews from fans, publications, other songwriters, and nerdy song-lovers like me.
One song on the record in particular really caught my attention. The song, and the powerful video that accompanies it, detail Stephanie Lambring’s struggle with a dangerous eating disorder.
Stephanie bravely told me the intimate details of her struggle and the dark thoughts that motivated it.
If hearing this story might be too painful for you, either because it’s too much like your own story or that of someone you care about, I urge you to get help immediately. Please reach out to a physician or a therapist to start taking steps toward a healthier diet and a better self-image.
CAMH has some great information about eating disorders on their website. Click here to visit.
CMHA also is a great place to go for information and help. Click here to visit.
Music Credits:
The music used in today’s episode included, “Fine,” “Daddy’s Disappointment,” “Mr. Wonderful,” “Joy of Jesus,” and “Pretty,” all from the album Autonomy, which is available on Bandcamp.
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