With smoky vocals, an understated cool and strong songwriting skills, Midwest native Casii Stephan drums up a slurry of emotions with her newest single “Trust Fall,” a beautiful ballad about learning to trust and love again. Along with her new single, Stephan is performing in Los Angeles on Aug. 25 at Black Rose LA as part of a We Found New Music showcase alongside artists Chandler, Zach Rose, Marcellina and Charlie Pittman.
This post may contain affiliate links. Ads and affiliate links are how independent blogs like Grimy Goods can operate and pay our staff. Thank you for supporting our work and being a part of our music community.
Taking what would ordinarily be on the nose, Stephan adds much more intricacy and depth with her lyrical heft and powerful delivery. Slow burning and with a wide open sound, “Trust Fall” rises and falls like the dawning of a new day. Previously capitulated to the darkness of heartbreak, Stephan has found new hope and a reason to open herself up to the light of love yet again.
Stephan’s music combines a healthy array of influences from her love for the storytelling elements of Disney movie songs to the bold, brilliance of The White Stripes, as well as the soul-wrenching R&B melodies of H.E.R. Another element of Stephan’s writing talents is a tendency to embed hope in all music.
“Its such a cliche word and yet there are so many layers to it,” she notes of the song’s theme. “Hope keeps us alive. It keeps us moving. But it also feels flighty some days like a pixie that does what it wants. But it’s not a pixie. It’s more like the air we breathe. Some days its presence is stronger than we realize and some days we forget in our day-to-day lives that it’s there…keeping us moving forward.”
Growing up in Minnesota (now Tulsa, Oklahoma based), Casii Stephan found her voice when she started writing songs on the family piano in South St. Paul when she was 16. Expanding from there, and with a little encouragement along the way, she has built a colorful bouquet of lush tunes. She has been compared to the likes of Florence Welch, Fiona Apple and Carole King. In addition to her LA date, Stephan will also be embarking on a Midwest tour starting July 27.
Words: Patti Sanchez
For moe on Casii Stephan, make sure to visit her website and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
