Kate Stephenson: a classical, modern, future indie star

On Aug. 2, 2020, Kate Stephenson, a sophomore film production major, released her second album “Growing Up In Reverse.” Photo courtesy of Stephenson.

Everyone is a product of their experiences. Every artist is a summation of their influences. Both these things are abundantly clear in Kate Stephenson, a Chapman sophomore film production major. 

Stephenson’s music is full of fascinating contradictions: a combination of classical and modern, a poetic lyricist with great vocals who is classically Midwest-humble. At first glance, Stephenson seems like another late-teens singer who wants to be the next Clairo or King Princess – but like everyone, she is more complex up close.

Born in Florida but raised in the Chicago area, music has always been a part of Stephenson’s life. Her parents are both classical musicians who first met while playing in the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. Growing up, classical music was omnipresent. Stephenson resisted it as a child, making a scene at some concerts with her sister, but now is grateful for that foundation.

“I’m glad I have an appreciation for that now,” Stephenson said. “I’m just now realizing, with this most recent album, how much I like to include strings in my music and I don’t think I would do that if my parents were anything else.”

This specific life experience is part of what makes Stephenson such an interesting artist. Her music has such a strong sense of place; her EP “Dearest Midwest” is a love letter full of yearning to the region, while her jazzy standard “California” is the same for the state. She has a clear fondness for Chicago, but also sings about California as home, describing it as a “side of her heart” in the song.

“I love both places and I love my people in both places, so no matter where I am, I’m always missing something – which is great for music, but not so much for mental health,” Stephenson said, with a laugh.

A true do-it-herself musician, Stephenson works every step of the way. With the exception of one collaboration with her sister, she writes all her music and produces every song herself. She plays guitar, cello, piano and cajon. Self-taught on Logic Pro, Stephenson mixes and masters all of her songs, programming drums and using found samples.

She is incredibly prolific, referring to a song from 2019 as an “oldie.” In the past two years, she has released a handful of singles, an EP and two albums. 

But those are just numbers, and numbers are boring. Her latest album “Growing Up In Reverse,” released Aug. 2, is more than a collection of songs – it’s the story of her coming-of-age, told in reverse. The songs are ordered by when she wrote them; four are pre-college and the rest were written during quarantine and are about her time at home this summer, while representing a reflection on her youth in Chicago. The first track, also called “Growing Up In Reverse,” is the last one she wrote. She wanted a short, title track to preface the rest of it, similar to what Dua Lipa did with “Future Nostalgia.”

“(The first track) is like a setup for the entire concept of the album,” Stephenson said. “It’s organized from most present me, to past me. So it’s going in reverse; it starts with what I think is my new style.”

Looking forward, Stephenson wants a career similar to one of her musical heroes, Maggie Rogers.

“I don’t want to be ‘big,’ I just want to be big enough to make money and have a house,” Stephenson said. “I want to go to the grocery store and not be recognized, but I also want to support a family. Maybe there’s a happy medium there.” 

Still trying to figure out her exact sound, Stephenson has individual tracks that are reminiscent of Clairo, Billie Eilish, Ella Fitzgerald and musical theater standards. 

“‘California’ is jazzy, there’s some pop, there’s a bunch of different styles,” Stephenson said. “They’re all me, they’re all what I like to do. I just don’t know what I want to stick to.”