Singer makes fresh start in Kawartha Lakes

Stella Panacci got her start in the music scene in the 1990s in the Toronto area as an indie pop drummer and songwriter and lead singer for the band Kat Rocket. Now relocated to Kawartha Lakes, she is getting set to release an album that has been two years in the making.

Panacci says her most treasured memories are here, especially at her grandparents’ cottage on Pigeon Lake. 

“I’ve always been a dreamer, and I have always loved Neil Young,” she said, adding that when she was younger, she believed she’d “catch a glimpse of him in town or something, like a sasquatch.”

“I always pictured him writing the song “Helpless” right at the black railway bridge as you go to the Omemee locks to park and launch the boat.”

Panacci, who calls her musical style folk/rock/alt country, says she was just eight years old when her grandma pushed her onto the stage at the Bobcaygeon Fair where she won first prize for singing “River Road” by Crystal Gale. “I won $20 and I felt lucky.”

Before the pandemic she was finishing up an album when everything went sideways. She lost her job and a close cousin died of a respiratory infection. That’s when she packed up and moved to Kawartha Lakes to start a fresh life chapter. The new album is slated for release this month. Visit stellapanacci.com to learn more.