Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens ( 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 Christmas-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 and most recent studio album, Javelin, was released in October 2023.

Latest Articles

News / Music

Sufjan Stevens Announces Second Hamer Hall Show

Stevens' first Melbourne show has sold out already.

News / Music

Sufjan Stevens Announces 2016 Aussie Tour Dates

Heading Down Under next February.

Reviews / Live

Live Review: Sufjan Stevens

"Observing punters exiting the hall, one could see many dazed, flushed faces and hear breathless exclamations. That’s the kind of electric, lingering effect a Sufjan Stevens concert tends to produce"

Reviews / Album

Album Review: Sufjan Stevens -- Carrie & Lowell

"His most accessible work for years, a mausoleum-esque beauty."

Features / Music

Listen: Sufjan Stevens Album Stream

Stream Sufjan Stevens' new album Carrie & Lowell.. Sufjan Stevens hasn't actually had a non-Christmas themed album since 2010's The Age of Adz, so this month's Carrie & Lowell is actually a fairly big deal. Even more so given that, as we previously commented on, Sufjan is returning to his folk roots with Carrie and Lowell, after a period of more avant-garde, electronic experimentation. And folky it is: Sufjan whisper-sings his way through eleven tracks, with a voice so tender it sounds like he's about to burst into tears at any minute. I'm not a folk fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this stripped-down stuff is making me want to look out from behind a rainy window longingly. No doubt many an indie-drama auteur is going to be queing up to get the rights to use these songs in their next film. Stream it over at the site of album premiere kings NPR. It's out on March 31 through Asthmatic Kitty Records. You can also watch the album's official trailer, below:

Features / Music