Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens
Stevens onstage with his eyes closed and hand raised in front of a microphone with a banjo slung around his shoulder and wings on his back
Stevens performing at Pitchfork Music Festival in July 2016
Background information
Born (1975-07-01) July 1, 1975 (age 49)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals · guitar · banjo · guitalin · keyboard · woodwinds · percussion
DiscographySufjan Stevens discography
Years active1995–present
Labels
Websitemusic.sufjan.com

Sufjan Stevens (/ˈsfjɑːn/ 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.


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