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Sufjan Stevens
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Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens (/ˈsuːfjɑːn/ ⓘ SOOF-yahn; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.
His debut album, A Sun Came, was released in 2000 on the Asthmatic Kitty label, which he co-founded with his stepfather. He received wide recognition for his 2005 album Illinois, which hit number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and for the single "Chicago" from that album. Stevens later contributed to the soundtrack of the 2017 film Call Me by Your Name. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media for the soundtrack's lead single, "Mystery of Love".
Stevens has released albums of varying styles, from the electronica of The Age of Adz and the lo-fi folk of Seven Swans to the symphonic instrumentation of Illinois and Yuletide-themed Songs for Christmas. He employs various instruments, often playing many of them himself on the same recording. Stevens' music is also known for exploring various themes, particularly religion and spirituality. Stevens' tenth studio album, Javelin, was released in October 2023.
Stevens was born in Detroit and lived there until the age of nine, when his family moved to Alanson, Michigan, in the state's northern Lower Peninsula. He was raised by his father, Rasjid, and his stepmother, Pat, only occasionally visiting his mother, Carrie, in Oregon after she married her second husband, Lowell Brams (who later became the head of Stevens' record label Asthmatic Kitty). Stevens is of Lithuanian and Greek descent. Sufjan is a name of Arabic or Persian origin. The name was given to Stevens by the founder of Subud, an interfaith spiritual community to which his parents belonged when he was born.
Stevens attended the Detroit Waldorf School, Alanson Public Schools and Interlochen Arts Academy, and he graduated from Harbor Light Christian School. He then attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He then earned an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in New York City.
While in school, Stevens studied the oboe and the similar English horn, which he plays on his albums. Stevens did not learn to play the guitar until his time at Hope College.
Stevens began his musical career as a member of Marzuki, a folk-rock band from Holland, Michigan, as well as garage band Con Los Dudes. He also played (and continues to play) various instruments for Danielson Famile. During his final semester at Hope College, Stevens wrote and recorded his debut solo album, A Sun Came, which he released on Asthmatic Kitty Records. He later moved to New York City, where he enrolled in a writing program at The New School for Social Research. During his time at the New School, Stevens developed a preoccupation with the short story form, which he believed would lead him to write a novel, but ultimately returned him to songwriting.
While in New York, Stevens composed and recorded the music for his second album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, a song cycle based around the animals of the Chinese zodiac that delved into electronica.
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Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens (/ˈsuːfjɑːn/ ⓘ SOOF-yahn; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.
His debut album, A Sun Came, was released in 2000 on the Asthmatic Kitty label, which he co-founded with his stepfather. He received wide recognition for his 2005 album Illinois, which hit number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and for the single "Chicago" from that album. Stevens later contributed to the soundtrack of the 2017 film Call Me by Your Name. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media for the soundtrack's lead single, "Mystery of Love".
Stevens has released albums of varying styles, from the electronica of The Age of Adz and the lo-fi folk of Seven Swans to the symphonic instrumentation of Illinois and Yuletide-themed Songs for Christmas. He employs various instruments, often playing many of them himself on the same recording. Stevens' music is also known for exploring various themes, particularly religion and spirituality. Stevens' tenth studio album, Javelin, was released in October 2023.
Stevens was born in Detroit and lived there until the age of nine, when his family moved to Alanson, Michigan, in the state's northern Lower Peninsula. He was raised by his father, Rasjid, and his stepmother, Pat, only occasionally visiting his mother, Carrie, in Oregon after she married her second husband, Lowell Brams (who later became the head of Stevens' record label Asthmatic Kitty). Stevens is of Lithuanian and Greek descent. Sufjan is a name of Arabic or Persian origin. The name was given to Stevens by the founder of Subud, an interfaith spiritual community to which his parents belonged when he was born.
Stevens attended the Detroit Waldorf School, Alanson Public Schools and Interlochen Arts Academy, and he graduated from Harbor Light Christian School. He then attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He then earned an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in New York City.
While in school, Stevens studied the oboe and the similar English horn, which he plays on his albums. Stevens did not learn to play the guitar until his time at Hope College.
Stevens began his musical career as a member of Marzuki, a folk-rock band from Holland, Michigan, as well as garage band Con Los Dudes. He also played (and continues to play) various instruments for Danielson Famile. During his final semester at Hope College, Stevens wrote and recorded his debut solo album, A Sun Came, which he released on Asthmatic Kitty Records. He later moved to New York City, where he enrolled in a writing program at The New School for Social Research. During his time at the New School, Stevens developed a preoccupation with the short story form, which he believed would lead him to write a novel, but ultimately returned him to songwriting.
While in New York, Stevens composed and recorded the music for his second album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, a song cycle based around the animals of the Chinese zodiac that delved into electronica.
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