Casii Stephan is hard to pin down… to a genre that is. To Casii, genre has always felt more like a tool to tell a story or evoke an emotion than a category to fit into. Anytime someone has said she’s found her “niche”, well, no one has ever told her the same thing twice.

Born and raised in funky Minnesota and cultivated in rootsy Tulsa, Casii is carving her own space in music, just don’t ask her to label it. Best described as somewhere between pop, soul, and rock, she has also been embraced by the folk community for her love of stories, and telling them through song. Casii writes her songs honestly, from the depths of her emotions, with wide ranging themes including death and life, love and loss, protest, and often pushing back on negative societal norms like sexism and ageism.

Casii has received national songwriting awards, most recently winning Best AAA/Alternative Song with her single, “California Gold” at the International Acoustic Music Awards. She has toured regionally and internationally including London’s inaugural SXSW. She has performed multiple official SXSW and Folk Alliance showcases. She has been profiled on platforms such as Billboard, NPR, SPIN, and American Songwriter. Casii’s extensive songwriting catalog is with TRO Essex Music Publishing, who represents talented folk writers such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and iconic rock bands like The Who and Black Sabbath. Casii’s highly anticipated Relationship Status EP, produced by Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes, St. Paul and the Broken Bones), was released in September 2024 on Shamus Records to rave reviews.

Casii is currently recording her debut album. She’s taking her love of hooks, bass grooves, and sad songs into an album that explores the dichotomy of life, from loss to love. “This album started with the idea of a grief concept album after my dad passed away, but then as time went on and I started living, the songs changed, and I wanted to combine the two ideas,” says Casii. Working with her on the album is Chad Copelin (Ben Rector, Broncho, Colony House) who let Casii exist without genre definition and helped embrace the pop side of her music. “If this album doesn’t demonstrate my range as a songwriter and artist, I don’t know what will.”