Alyson Stoner is embracing vulnerability.
The former Disney channel star premiered her powerful new single, “Stripped Bare,” on Thursday night and is opening up about the downside of being in the spotlight at such a young age.
“I’ve been sitting on this song for about a year and change,” Stoner, 25, exclusively tells PEOPLE. “There’s never really an ideal time to disrupt how things have been going with a career or relationships, but I felt it was time to share parts of my story that haven’t been made public yet.”
In the first verse of the song, Stoner sings, “I can’t believe family could be so savage,” before repeatedly singing in the chorus that she’s “stripped bare, got nothing left.”
She adds: “You think it’s a sad song, but it’s an anthem.”
Alyson Stoner.Shannon Beveridge
From her standout dance inMissy Elliott‘s “Work It” video to parts in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,Cheaper By the Dozenand theStep Upfranchise, Alyson Stoner had a pretty busy childhood — nabbing roles in high-profile projects since the early 2000s.
Despite her success, Stoner has previously admitted that fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Alyson Stoner’s “Stripped Bare” Cover.Shannon Beveridge
“Being famous as a kid is weird and unhealthy,” she revealed in acandid YouTube videoposted in August 2017.
“I was a pack mule growing up,” she said. “Living in that little box? Being part of that little machine? It takes a huge toll on you.”
Recently, Stoner dropped the music video in October for her single “Fool,” which starred a female love interest just months after sheopened up about her sexualityin a moving essay.
In the essay, which was published toTeen Voguein March, Stoner described how shefell in love with a womanfor the first time in her life. The star does not label her sexuality but instead said she now realizes she is attracted to men, women and those who do not define themselves in those terms.
Stoner described in detail about how she realized she was not attracted to just men after she became “mesmerized and intimidated” when she attended a dance workshop and met her female instructor.
source: people.com
