Stell was "Born Lonely"

Friday, February 16, 2024 – Matt Stell reaches out to fellow broken hearts in "Born Lonely," a confessional dose of country rock out today.

"My parents got divorced not long after I was born. My mom and I moved to Florida, and I spent my childhood splitting time between there and Arkansas – where most of my family still is. I could not ask for better parents, stepparents included. The truth is, though, that being from a broken home had an effect on me especially when it came to relationships," said Stell. "'Born Lonely' is about the way I am and why I think I'm that way. It's also about seeing that same kind of thing in other people."

Co-written by Stell with Jake Mitchell and Benjy Davis, the song's main character finds it all too easy to leave – and that's what he does, until eventually recognizing the same hurt in someone else. Even as she pushes him away, their star-crossed path offers a glimmer of hope, and the chance to make a change.

"I was kind of embarrassed to release this song initially. I thought that a grown man should be over this kind of thing, and also there are people who have it way worse than me when it comes to family stuff. But then I realized that the reason I felt this way might be because I hadn't ever really heard someone like me talk about this," Stell said. "Also, acting like something's not an issue doesn't make it not an issue – it's the opposite actually. So that's when I decided to not only release the song, but write a record around it."

Stell tattooed "Born Lonely" on his arm. He documented in his adjoining music video – directed by Dustin Haney – the tattoo process inside Nashville's Welcome Back Classic Tattoo, as he got his first tattoo.

"In the way that I have scar tissue from things that happened when I was a kid, and from relationships that I have sabotaged, messed up or have chosen poorly in terms of fit, there's collateral damage – that's part of what this video portrays and this tattoo is a permanent reminder of where I have been and how I want to change for my future," said Stell.