Featured Artist of the Day: Singer-Songwriter Casii Stephan

Casii Stephan is a Minnesota-born, indie-pop meets soul-rock singer-songwriter now based in Tulsa, OK. Her “gorgeously emotive voice inspires comparisons to alt-pop artists like Florence Welch and Fiona Apple with a writing style reminiscent of Carole King”, proclaims NPR.

Stephan’s vocals are fierce and fearless, but this was not always the case. She grew up shy and afraid of her voice until she started writing songs on the family piano when she was 16. Moving to Tulsa in 2014, Casii Stephan had the intent to give up her pursuit of a music career, however with a little encouragement from a friend, she continued songwriting and started releasing music in 2016. Since then, Casii Stephan has received numerous songwriting awards, headlined tours, performed official SXSW and Folk Alliance showcases, and received praise from top-tier outlets including Billboard and American Songwriter.

The authentic songwriter writes her songs honestly, from the depths of her emotions, with lyrics that push back on negative societal norms like sexism, ageism and “playing nice” as a woman.  She uses writing to deconstruct her own beliefs with an underlying hope that things can change, inviting listeners on their own journey.

Her latest single is a timeless and emotional cover of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You”. Recorded in one take at The Church Studio in Tulsa, which he founded, Casii’s rendition is soulful, evocative, and seductive. She confides, “I believe this song is one of the greatest when it comes to best-written love songs. It’s also just not an easy song to cover. Part of me viewed this as a challenge to myself and the other part viewed it as a way to express my respect for what Leon did as a songwriter and musician. Recorded in one take (It was Take #4), it forced me to accept the performance with all its nuances just like the song describes the acceptance between the two lovers. It ain’t perfect and that’s the beauty of it”.