Ive created a very personal connection with it.

Theres so many different varying degrees of what a human can feel.

Shes alsoworking on a stage musical adaptation ofThe Notebook.

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Credit: Shervin Lainez

I think this [album] is a natural extension of that, she explains.

That being said, Im not using their names in the song and the songs stand alone.

If you didnt know the show you would never know [it was about it].

So [it was a] very positive response.

Its one of the reasons I love the show.

Ive always longed to re-live childhood memories.

Theres no word in the English language to describe what it is that Im feeling.

I dont think it necessarily has to be something that youve experienced.

I think as a storyteller you tell a story.

I didnt want to go full 80s …it didnt seem like the right vibe.

But Ive never really done it, so I thought this is a fun way to enter that world.

Theres this one song by the group Yazoo, called Only You.

That was another kind of tonal reference that I used a lot.

Lets talk about Missing You.

I think I can say that much without giving anything away.

Who are the characters inStranger Thingsthat resonated with you the most?Well, Eleven obviously.

The fact that a girl of small stature is the strongest, most powerful character on the show.

I think that is pretty great.

It was hard to not write every song about her or from her point of view.

I had to be like, okay, Ive done enough Eleven songs!

I dont necessarily know if I resonate with her but shes the most inspiring for sure.

And its about being a strong woman.

And ifIwrote it and can separate it and make it about me, thats something.

I just want people to listen and to make the songs about them.

Thats what I think music should do.

I positioned myself in a place where people knew that I wanted to work on something.

So I think thats why it came to me, because I put it out into the world.

You did theater growing up.

I wasnt cast as the lead originally, I was a secondary character.

Then the lead had to back out.

She got into another show on a different production, and they bumped me up to the lead.

It was an amazing role.

It was a hard, challenging role and I was a little baby when I did it.

But I think that might be where I peaked.

How does the pop songwriting experience compare to writing a Broadway show tune?Its different but its not.

Pop writing is more about a localized moment.

Not to say that theater isnt a localized moment, but you have more of an agenda.

Theres a little bit more pressure on you to push forward the movement of the whole piece.

So its been really fun, but its also challenging.

What did you love about the movie?I actually read the book first.

It has a lot more information than the movie.

But [I love] the story, just the story.

And the idea of loving someone so much through everything, its just such a great story.

Who doesnt loveThe Notebook?

Its going to be magical, and so theatrical and just incredibly moving and beautiful.

And I just keep saying the word excited, but Im just so excited!