Stephs Strings set to release her debut album, Feel Alive

MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST and singer-songwriter Steph Strings from San Remo is set to return home for the Ocean Sounds Music Festival on Churchill Island on January 10, 2026 – the day after the release of her long-awaited debut album, Feel Alive.

After a decade in the making, Feel Alive magnetically journeys through blazing swagger and percolating acoustics, effortlessly coursing into a dreamy stupor laden with bliss and natural soundscapes, before diverting back to earth with a heartfelt and moody turn via Melbourne Blue.

Although the recent recording work was more concentrated, some songs date back to 2017. “I have been working on this album for nearly 10 years,” says Steph. With 11 tracks recorded, she felt the record needed one more powerful, attitude-driven song – Devil Woman.

Heralding the announcement of her maiden full-length, Steph also unveiled the new single and music video, the smouldering country-pop track Devil Woman – the fierce, powerhouse song that Steph felt the album was missing, “something with fire and attitude,” she said.  

Devil Woman is a song reborn through re-recording and fuelled by the archetype of iconic female villains. “Devil Woman brought out that powerhouse that’s sitting there waiting to erupt,” she says.

The song allowed Steph to tap into a playful, darker energy she hadn’t foregrounded before, a song she can belt out. “Live, I can just let go and let my hair down. This single is about an evil woman who will never change,” shares Steph.

“I was picturing some iconic female villains when I was writing this, such as Cruella de Vil, Maleficent and Bellatrix Lestrange (and even some people I know personally!).  This really allowed me to exaggerate the idea of what a devil woman really is.”

Produced by 2023 GCMA Producer of the Year Jared Adlam and mastered by George Georgiadis, Devil Woman also leaps into vivid new waters for Steph via the track’s accompanying music video, stepping beyond her trademark coastal visual stylings for this brand-new chapter.

The debut album Feel Alive stages Steph’s personal refusal to be anything less than herself. An album that simultaneously transports listeners deep into the psyche of Steph Strings while also presenting as a shimmering port in the storm against life’s woes or tribulations, Feel Alive kicks off with "Gratefully," a folk-hued spark that resonates with warmth and reflection.

 “Jared really brought the song to life and pushed me to explore some punchy country sounds,” shares Steph. “And the film clip was produced by OneHouse Productions, with whom I’ve worked since the very beginning. One of the founders (Fin Sampson) is my childhood friend. The first day we met at age 13, we promised we would make music videos together.”

Accompanying the single is a striking music video, filmed in Little River, Victoria, and serving as a cinematic ode to dusty Americana. Shot in the back of an old truck, rumbling down the road, the Devil Woman music video combines wide, open landscapes with eye-catching guitar playing, feeling like you’re in an outback Americana movie, with banjos, silos and a theme of adventure! 

“I’ve always wanted to play guitar in the trailer of a car, speeding down a dirt road,” says Steph, “and I finally got to live out that Americana dream!” The film clip is the perfect visual for this adventurous country hit, taking you on an outback journey, leaving you wondering, “Who is the devil woman?”

Teaming up with producer Tim Hart (Boy & Bear) for the entirety of Feel Alive, along with Alice Ivy for the track Three Wishes and Adlam for Devil Woman, Steph’s upcoming debut album traverses’ gratitude, longing and chasing a dream, balanced by moments of folk, rock, country, pop and unbridled honesty.

Genre-blending was not a deliberate attempt to chase trends; it emerged naturally. “Honestly, it was just me in the studio, playing what I felt. “I think that genre variety can reveal an artist's full personality and keep listeners engaged,” said Steph.

Steph didn’t want to feel trapped in a single genre; blending allowed her to represent different moods and sides of herself – from tender piano ballads in Melbourne Blue and A Storm in April to powerhouse tracks in Devil Woman.

“I put blood, sweat and tears into this album, and when I looked back at it, I thought, I’m sharing every single emotion, and all those songs, they make you feel alive.” As an independent artist, she retained full creative control, enabling her to follow instincts rather than external mandates.

“I’ve got full control over my creative world, said Steph, “but I’ve learnt so much along the way. I learnt to have longevity from Kim Churchill, I learnt about mental health from Ziggy Alberts, and I learnt a lot about passion from Cat Empire.”

A truly gifted storyteller at her core, Steph Strings is a renowned singer-songwriter and guitarist, merging coastal fingerstyle indie rock with blues, folk and Celtic influences, along with percussive wizardry. A lover of laughter, big kick drums, sunset drinks, golden retrievers, and philosophical conversations, Steph found a passion for music at the age of seven, learning to play the piano before ultimately finding herself drawn to guitar.

Feel Alive continues to flourish with Steph’s dexterous stylings and delivery; a fact that only heightens in its final few tracks, balancing open-vein lyricism reminiscent of Stevie Nicks and the like (Heaven), an otherworldly piano-driven instrumental interlude (A Storm in April), country-soaked instrumentals blended with amiable melodies and messages of empowerment (title track Feel Alive), and, ultimately, the sublime vulnerability of closing track To Be Loved.

Starting guitar lessons at the age of nine, Steph has never looked back. Releasing her debut EP Allegoric Oceans in 2017, Steph’s ability to channel her influences and creative history into a sound entirely her own has only deepened with each new release. Now in command of millions of streams and a global audience firmly mirroring her talent and determination.

Now the world is hearing her talent, and Steph’s guitar is more than accompaniment; it’s a signature thread that weaves through her sound.

Starting the guitar lessons at nine, through to 17, when first developing her technique, Steph shared that even on piano, despite only two years of lessons at seven years old, she learned to play largely by ear, rather than relying on formal notation. “I was better at learning how to balance just by ear,” said Steph. “I could hear a song, and then I would be able to play it immediately.”

Songs written in her teens now sit on vinyl, showcasing the arc of her playing, and Steph said releasing this debut album is a vivid mix of emotions, framing those feelings as proof of how much the record means to her. “Some days I’ll wake up feeling anxious and second-guessing myself, but mainly I’m just proud and so excited, I just want January 9 to get here so that I can just get it off my chest and give it to the world.”

2026 is stacked for Steph; she’s set to perform at Ocean Sounds Festival in Cowes in January and then return overseas for an extensive UK and European headline run next March and April.

“Fans can expect to see a newfound energy, more sing-alongs and more dancing!” says Steph of her upcoming performances. “If they’re lucky, maybe even some tear-jerking piano ballads too…”

Melbourne Blue is out now, and before Steph continues the beautiful whirlwind that is her ever-burgeoning creative adventures, the long-awaited release of her forthcoming debut album will quite literally be music to the ears of many; the release of Devil Woman is only the beginning of even more magic to come.

“Devil Woman feels like my first, official step into the new Steph Strings,” Steph shares. “It’s super special knowing that I get to show this other side of myself to the world.”

“If I can leave any mark on the world, it would be to influence as many people as possible to find their freedom and feel alive,” adds Steph. “I really believe that my debut album Feel Alive can make people heal, dance, dream, cry, fall in love, reminisce and above all, FEEL. Every day I pinch myself because I feel so incredibly privileged to be able to write and perform, travel the world and live out my dream.”