INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background.

My name is Chelsea (or Chelsea O.) and I'm the songwriter/performer behind Stress Dolls. I'm also the founder of Angry Girl Music, my own record label that I plan to release my work on moving forward.

Tell us a bit about yourself. (Location, artist name, the works!)

I'm based out of my hometown of Buffalo, NY. Primarily I play music under the name Stress Dolls (both solo and with a band), but I'm also part of an electro-pop duo called Urge Surfer.

What's your musical origin story? (when did you start? What inspired you?)

My parents enrolled me in piano lessons around the age of five, and I stuck with it until I was 14. What drew me away was an interest in playing guitar - in my teens I grew more and more entranced with pop/rock music, starting with Avril Lavigne but then leading to obsessions with bands like Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, Nirvana, and more. I liked an alternative sound but I also gravitated toward hooks; I loved songs that combined the two.

My dad played in bands throughout my childhood and had an acoustic Yamaha around the house. After learning "Smoke on the Water" from a friend, I started borrowing it and trying my hand at making sounds on the fretboard. My dad observed this growing interest and for my 14th birthday gifted me with an acoustic/electric Ibanez. From there, I was hooked.

It would be years before I had the courage to perform in front of people, let alone perform my original work, but all the while I dreamed of music being something more in my life.

What were the driving forces or pivotal moments that inspired you to pursue music?

I began playing around Western New York in 2013, initially calling myself Wolf. Eventually, I formed a band and we released 1 EP called "It's Electric" on local DIY label Steak & Cake Records.

Afterwards, the group went through a few different line-ups and, in time, I changed the name to Stress Dolls. We released a self-titled EP in the Fall of 2016, but shortly after split up to pursue different paths. I chose to continue playing solo under the moniker Stress Dolls and made a move to Nashville, TN in 2017, but then a series of events spurred by chronic illness (I have Crohn's and gastroparesis, along with some other stuff) led to a change of plans and I ended up moving back to Buffalo in the Spring of 2018.

For a time I thought that my health would put an end to my musical aspirations, but actually, it inspired me to figure out ways that I could continue to perform and make art while trying to find a balance of keeping my symptoms in check (I'm still learning).

In 2022 I was invited by a producer named Jim Wirt to come record with him at Superior Sound Studios in Cleveland, OH. Jim's past credits included Fiona Apple, Something Corporate, and Incubus, so I was intrigued. I also came to find that Jim was working with an indie label, Sun Pedal Recordings, and ultimately our collaboration led to a record deal. In 2024 I released my debut album, "Queen of No".

In 2025 the label and I decided to part ways amicably, and I was able to buy back the rights to my music and reissue "Queen of No" under my own label, Angry Girl Music.

MUSICAL IDENTITY

How would you describe your style of music?

During my time with this project I've been lucky to receive lots of fun comparisons from listeners, including "Joni Mitchell meets Nirvana," "Kathleen Hanna fronting Modest Mouse," and "Avril Lavigne and Foo Fighters in a blender." I've also received comparisons spanning from PJ Harvey and Sleater-Kinney to Olivia Rodrigo and The Replacements.

How is your personality reflected in your work?

Writing always comes from a personal place, even if it's inspired by things outside of my own experience (i.e. books I read, movies I watch, witnessing other peoples' stories), so I think it's inevitable that my POV and emotions seep into my work.

Describe your creative process when you write new music.

Honestly it's different every time. Sometimes I'm strumming my guitar and come across a chord pattern that I like and decide to work with it. Other times I come up with a poem or line that I think will work well as a chorus or verse and try to think of a melody around it. Or, on some occasions, songs seemingly beam into my brain almost fully formed. I really love listening to other songwriters talk about their process, because I feel there's a common thread of channeling something subconscious. There have been countless times where I'll write something that doesn't make much sense to me in the moment, but months, or even years, down the line it becomes clear.

CURRENT WORK

What is the name of your latest releases?

My latest album is called "Queen of No." It was originally released in May of 2024 on Sun Pedal Recordings but I just reissued it this past May on my own label, Angry Girl Music.

What was the inspiration for that release?

"Queen of No" is a combination of songs from over the past 10+ years. It wasn't a concept album or structured around a specific theme - I view it more as a culmination of the decade leading up to recording it and all of the stories from over those years. There are a couple of songs about grappling with chronic illness ("Body" and "Better"), songs about disillusionment with technology and social media ("Illusion" and "Crazy"), and several songs about a combination of topics including anxiety, body image, and various relationships.

PROMOTION & ENGAGEMENT

What strategies do you find most effective for promoting your music?

Not so much a 'strategy,' but I find connecting with listeners to be the best way of finding an audience. Whether that's through meeting people who attend live performances, or engaging with those who are kind enough to listen and share online, I think that creating community and showing appreciation to those who take the time with your work is important.

How do you engage with your fans online and offline?

I have mixed feelings about the Internet and the way it factors into sharing my music. On one hand, I've been able to reach people from all over the country, and even different parts of the world, by utilizing it. Regardless of the expenses of touring, my chronic health conditions limit my ability to travel, so no matter what, reaching the people that I have would have been close to impossible back in an era before the Internet was accessible. However, the in-person interactions through playing shows are really special to me. There's something about human connection away from screens that can't be beat. I hope it never goes away.

What upcoming promotional activities or releases are you most excited about?

An upcoming release that I'm excited about is actually not a Stress Dolls release, but an EP by my other project, Urge Surfer. I'm one half of the project, the other is my friend and collaborator Jordan Smith. We began writing songs via email during the tail end of the pandemic and have released 1 album (REACH) and 1 EP (Alphabet Archive) since. With every release I feel we grow and become more collaborative, and this upcoming EP is no exception. It will be out September 30th, you can give us a follow on Instagram or Bandcamp to keep up-to-date.