Been Stellar: From a 'funny pun' to the next chapter

What started as a joke between two teenagers has grown into one of New York’s most exciting new rock bands. Been Stellar first came together when guitarist Sky and frontman Sam were just 13. “We just thought it was funny”, Sam admitted. “Sky is like, how about Ben Stellar, like Ben Stiller? I like that it’s in the past tense… but to be honest with you, at the beginning, it was just because it was a funny pun.”

That lighthearted start has since evolved into something far more serious. Over the years, the group expanded, most recently welcoming bassist Gigi earlier this year. What began as “two teenagers screwing around on a laptop” has grown into a tight, collaborative unit. “Now it’s just developed in that we have a language we speak with each other when we’re writing”, Sam explained. “And when we’re on stage playing the music, it’s become a lot more of an intimate, almost family kind of experience.”

That sense of connection has helped carry the band onto major stages, opening for heroes like Interpol and Fontaines D.C. “It’s always a pleasure opening up for bigger bands”, said Sam. “There’s always a little bit of imposter syndrome at first, but then you’re left with learning experience after learning experience. The goal is always to be as authentic to yourself as you can.”

Now, after more than a year touring their debut record, Been Stellar are ready to move forward. A run of standalone singles released this summer act as a bridge toward their next album. “I feel like the new stuff we’re working on is a new feeling definitely”, Sam said, “but with the same kind of charm as the older stuff”.

For Gigi, the band’s newest member, it’s about bringing something fresh to the mix. “Hopefully just a new perspective in the writing process”, she said. “Something different, something that I can hear myself in a little bit.”

The writing process itself is wide open, built on shared ideas and improvisation. “One of us will come in with an idea, and we’ll just kinda play that idea and jam on it”, Gigi explained. “From there, we try to come up with a structure.”

With festival season wrapping up, the focus now shifts back to New York and the next stage of their journey. “We’ve been touring this first record for a little over a year now”, Sam said. “Once this run is done, it’s about buttoning up things, filling out the new material, and getting in to record it.”

From a teenage pun to a band with serious momentum, Been Stellar are proving that growth, persistence, and a willingness to learn can turn a joke name into something unforgettable.