Podcast Summary: takin' a walk – “Making Music History with Singer-Songwriter Chloe Stroll”

Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Chloe Stroll
Release Date: November 23, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode of "takin' a walk" features singer-songwriter Chloe Stroll in a candid conversation with host Buzz Knight. Chloe reflects on crafting her own identity in music apart from her high-profile racing family legacy, especially as the sister of F1 driver Lance Stroll. The episode explores Chloe's journey developing her pop sound, her deeply personal songwriting process, influences, motherhood, artistic independence, and the creative and emotional experiences behind her debut album Bloom in the Break.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Forging an Authentic Path in Music

• On Authenticity:
  Chloe repeatedly affirms the importance of authenticity both in music and in life:

  • “I’ve always tried to just be authentic. If you don’t like it […] it’s not for you. I get it. That’s fine.” (00:01, 29:54)

• Navigating Family Visibility:

  • Despite being known as Lance Stroll’s sister, Chloe is defined by her “brutally honest lyrics about love, identity and finding yourself.” (00:12)
  • “We’re so hilariously normal. If people really looked under the hood of my relationship with Lens, everyone would be like, ‘Oh, that’s it.’” (21:59)

2. Musical Influences & Full Circle Moments

• Formative Influences:

  • Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston — “women who had this big voice who just belted these notes that seemed so out of this world, impossible. That is what I wanted to do.” (06:10)

• Full Circle Performance:

  • Performed on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," which was a dream come true:
    • “When I had heard that she wanted me to perform on the show, it was so this full circle moment for my younger self… she was such a pivotal part of me learning my voice and learning to discover who I was as an artist.” (07:03)

3. The Songwriting Process: Inward and Outward

• Writing “I Stood My Ground”:

  • Written while Chloe was six-and-a-half months pregnant; addresses moments of choosing values at crossroads in life:
    • “Your values are what you have. Stand your ground for those.” (09:04)

• “You’re Okay”:

  • Inspired by the death of her grandmother—universalizing personal loss without being too specific:
    • “…if you’re able to… I get it. Like, my childhood dog died, and I cried for four days… I wanted it to evoke that same emotion.” (10:55)

• Song Spotlight—Album “Bloom in the Break”:

  • “A Lot To Give” & “Prisoner”:
    • Written years earlier, kept until they felt perfect.
    • “Prisoner is about… anxiety… being able to personify it, make it come to life… something I was very proud of the way that I wrote it.” (13:52)
  • “Love in the Dark”:
    • Also part of the trio of songs she held onto for years before producing them.

4. Creative Process, Storytelling, and Influence

• Writing Method:

  • “I’m a lyrics first person. I think it does depend on the song.” (13:13)

• On Storytelling:

  • Self-taught through reading: Disney, fantasy, Romantasy novels, and series like Harry Potter helped her love storytelling.
    • “I just loved storytelling. Literature was my favorite class in English growing up.” (15:46)

• Musical Mood and Influence:

  • Admires the “modern, timeless approach” of artists like Alex Warren.
  • While making an album, she mainly listens to her own work “on repeat… change this note, do this.” (12:14)

5. Personal Life: Family, Motherhood, and Vulnerability

• Motherhood’s Impact:

  • Profoundly changed her perspective, inspired new songs:
    • “Becoming a mom has changed my perspective… probably my favorite song that I’ve ever written… was ‘Home’ on the album Bloom in the Break. But I would never have been able to write it if I wasn’t pregnant.” (23:05)

• Relationships Within Family:

  • Chloe and Lance are “super close”; their relationship is normal and supportive despite the public profile. (21:59)

6. The Challenges and Liberations of Independent Artistry

• Navigating Highs & Lows:

  • “The highs can be very high, and… the lows can be very low. There’s some things that you can’t control… like losing my voice before a gig.” (24:52)
  • Emphasizes celebrating wins and working through lows:
    • “When the great moments come, you have to celebrate everything. And I do… when the low moments come, you have to remember that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.” (24:52)

• Sense of Humor as Coping Mechanism:

  • “If you don’t have a sense of humor, you can’t do anything. I think a sense of humor gets you through the lows in careers, the lows in life, in marriage, in friendships.” (26:42)

• Learning to Believe:

  • “Something I believed about myself but I’ve changed my mind about: that I couldn’t do this… going after a passion like this in today's world would be… a fool’s errand. And God, I’m so glad I proved myself wrong.” (31:51)

7. Mental Health, Music, and Social Media

• Music as Therapy:

  • “Music, for me, at least in those… darkest moments… has been there… That therapeutic element… its power is so incredible.” (28:38)

• Balancing Authenticity and Online Pressure:

  • “If you’re not being authentic… I think people see that. In today’s world, we want a connection… I’m myself, take it or leave it.” (29:54)

8. What Fills Chloe’s Cup (Apart from Music)

• Reading and Escapism:
  • Books are her main recharge activity—a way to immerse herself in another world and return refreshed.
    • “I love being taken to a totally different world and just living through that… helps me kind of recharge and put my feet back on the ground.” (31:02)

9. Memorable, Light Moments

• Buzz's “Taking a Stroll” Joke:

  • Chloe laughs off the host’s play on her surname: “You would be surprised. But I’ve heard that joke before.” (04:46)

• On Fitful, Exhausted Laughter:

  • Chloe shares her tendency to laugh uncontrollably when tired, to the cue of her husband’s not-so-funny jokes:
    • “No one else was laughing. And I just fell off my chair and just crying. And I was exhausted and jet lagged…” (27:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “If you don’t like it… it’s not for you. I get it. That’s fine. Not everyone has to.”
  — Chloe Stroll (00:01, echoed at 29:54)

• “A big one was Kelly Clarkson… I would always sing ‘Breakaway.’ That was my go-to song.”
  — Chloe (06:10, 07:03)

• “It was such a huge full circle moment… she just said my name out loud and she knows who I am…”
  — Chloe on performing on The Kelly Clarkson Show (07:03)

• “There’s a fork in the road, and you have to pick left or right to keep moving forward… you are forced to stand your ground.”
  — Chloe, on writing “I Stood My Ground” (09:04)

• “Prisoner is about… anxiety… I experienced a lot of it over my life and I was really held prisoner to it.”
  — Chloe (13:52)

• “Literature was my favorite class in English growing up. And I think that… I just loved storytelling.”
  — Chloe (15:46)

• “Becoming a mom has changed my perspective in a lot of ways of life… I wrote probably my favorite song… ‘Home’…”
  — Chloe (23:05)

• “If you don’t have a sense of humor, you can’t do anything… I think it’s a necessity.”
  — Chloe (26:42)

• “That I couldn’t do this… and God, I’m so glad I proved myself wrong.”
  — Chloe (31:51)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01 / 29:54 — Chloe on authenticity and not making music for everyone
• 05:19 — Dream walk: Chloe would walk with Adele
• 06:10 — Early musical influences (Clarkson, Dion, Houston)
• 07:03 — Performing on The Kelly Clarkson Show
• 09:04 — Backstory and message of “I Stood My Ground”
• 10:55 — Writing “You’re Okay”; universal themes of loss
• 12:14 — What she listens to while working—herself, mostly!
• 13:52 — Deep dives into “A Lot To Give” and “Prisoner”
• 15:46 — Influences from literature and fantasy novels
• 20:44 — On releasing intensely personal songs
• 21:59 — Relationship with brother Lance Stroll
• 23:05 — How motherhood impacted Chloe’s songwriting
• 24:52 — The highs and lows of an independent music career
• 26:42 — Importance of sense of humor
• 28:38 — Music as therapy, connection for listener and artist
• 29:54 — Navigating authenticity versus online pressures
• 31:02 — Escapism and essential joy found in reading
• 31:51 — Overcoming self-doubt and “proving myself wrong”

Episode Tone and Style

Chloe Stroll is warm, witty, grounded, and candid. She shares vulnerable moments, creative victories, nerves, and laughs (often at herself) throughout the episode. The conversation is supportive and encouraging, with Buzz Knight fostering genuine, open storytelling.

Takeaways

• Chloe Stroll’s artistry is rooted in honesty, emotional resonance, and personal growth.
• Her journey reflects the challenge and excitement of carving a unique identity in music, guided by strong values, personal experience, storytelling, and resilience.
• Motherhood and family are central inspirations and sources of strength for her music and life.
• She deeply values connection, both in her songs and the way she presents herself to the world.

For fans of personal, behind-the-scenes music conversations, and anyone inspired by journeys of perseverance, vulnerability, and finding one’s voice.