Casii Stephan is hard to pin down, at least when it comes to genre. For her, genre has always been a tool for telling a story or stirring an emotion, never a box to climb into. Whenever someone tells her they have found her niche, she notes, no two people ever say the same thing.
Born and raised in funky Minnesota and cultivated in rootsy Tulsa, Casii is carving out a space of her own in music, and she would rather you didn’t ask her to label it. Her sound sits somewhere between pop, soul and rock, though the folk community has also taken her to heart for her love of storytelling. She writes honestly and from the depths of her emotions, on life and death, love and loss, protest, and pushing back against the societal norms she finds so corrosive, from sexism and ageism to fascism.
The recognition for that honesty has been building all through 2026. She won Best AAA/Alternative Song at the International Acoustic Music Awards for “California Gold”, was named a finalist for Best Rock Song by the International Songwriting Competition, and earned the coveted New Folk Finalist title at Kerrville Folk Fest with two unreleased songs from her upcoming debut album. Most recently, she was a finalist for Best Rock Song at the Unsigned Only Music Awards. She has toured regionally and internationally, including London’s inaugural SXSW, has played multiple official SXSW and Folk Alliance showcases, and in September performed her first official showcase at AMERICANAFEST. Billboard, NPR, SPIN and American Songwriter have all profiled her. Her catalogue sits with TRO Essex Music Publishing, a home to writers such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and to bands like The Who and Black Sabbath. Her EP Relationship Status, produced by Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes, St. Paul and the Broken Bones), arrived in September 2024 on Shamus Records to rave reviews.
Next comes the big one. In early 2027, Casii will release her debut album, Let Her Have Her Flowers, a project that weaves together hooks, powerful vocals, bass grooves and real emotional depth as it explores loss and love. Working with Chad Copelin (Ben Rector, Colony House), she keeps embracing her full range without apology. “If this album doesn’t demonstrate my range as a songwriter and artist, I don’t know what will,” she says.
Her latest single, “Happy”, is a fine place to start. Its catchy hook asks what it actually means to be happy, and her warm, soulful voice carries the question through a retro, sunlit production by Chad Copelin (SPORTS, BRONCHO, Ben Rector). The song sounds brighter than it reads. The doo-do-doos and na na nas that once filled pop songs about a happy world return here with a cheeky edge, sung at a moment when happiness can feel like a daily battle, and everything seems political. The result is a song that dances while it wonders.
For further information on the artist, please visit the following links:
- https://www.casiistephan.com
- https://www.instagram.com/casiistephan
- https://www.facebook.com/casiistephan
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