After more than a decade of making her home and her way in Tulsa, Oklahoma has become home for singer-songwriter Casii Stephan.
“I actually looked at moving to Nashville a couple years ago, just because there is more of an industry, (and it’s) just easier to make connections. I went out there a couple times in 2024; I have songwriter friends I stayed with, and I did some co-writing,” said Stephan, who was born and raised in Minnesota.
“One friend was like, ‘Do you have community in Tulsa? Do you have people who are creating dope things in Tulsa?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I do. Want to hear this?’ … and she was like, ‘Stay in Tulsa. You have community. You have really cool things happening.'”
So far, the choice is working out for the soul/pop/rock musician, who has earned international acclaim this year. In February, her sunny anthem “California Gold” won first prize in the Adult Alternative Airplay/Alternative song category from the International Acoustic Music Awards, which celebrate independent acoustic music across genres like folk, Americana and acoustic rock. With that win, her “California Gold” is now garnering airplay across 250 radio stations.
In March, she was named a finalist in the rock category for the International Songwriting Competition with “King in America,” a fiery protest song co-written with and featuring fellow Tulsa performer Damion Shade. The winners are expected to announced in May, and the competition’s judges include prominent music industry professionals and popular songwriters like Jason Mraz, Tom Waits and Elle King.
On the strength of her unreleased songs “Meet Me at Dawn” and “Like an Old Friend,” Stephan was also named earlier this month one of the finalists in the New Folk Competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. She and the 23 other contenders will perform May 23-24 as part of the sprawling songwriters fest.
“Spring has just been kind of crazy. It’s been one thing after another in a really good way, like getting notified that this song is a finalist, this song is a finalist, and this song won,” said Stephan, who has been based in Tulsa since 2014.
“So, it’s just been like, ‘OK, well, this is exciting. Let’s keep going.'”
Tulsan is one of the headliners for OKC’s Festival of the Arts. Closer to home, Stephan participated Thursday, April 23, in a panel discussion on the “Science of Songwriting” at this year’s Norman Music Festival. Running through Saturday, April 25, in downtown Norman, the fest annually brings more than 55,000 attendees and 200 performances to the historic Walker Arts District. Hosted by the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, the Thursday night songwriting panel at Norman’s Sooner Theatre also featured fellow Sooner State songsmiths Jordan Cain of The Damn Quails and Danny Davis of Husbands.
Plus, Stephan is one of the headliners for the 60th annual Festival of the Arts, which also started Thursday, April 23 and continues through Sunday, April 26, in and around Bicentennial Park, Colcord and Couch drives and City Hall lawn in downtown Oklahoma City. The flagship event for the nonprofit Arts Council OKC, the free, family-friendly “rite of spring” showcases works by 140-plus visual artists, diverse fare from more than 30 food vendors and trucks, at least 100 local performers and children’s activities.
She is playing Friday night on the OKC fest’s City Stage east of City Hall, where the other headliners include the Latin dance of Clips N Hips and R&B crooning of Skyy Webster.
Local favorite performers on the Festival of the Arts’ Main Stage in the middle of Bicentennial Park range from Americana duo The Imaginaries to R&B band Shortt Dogg. For the second year, Oklahoma City Ballet will be among the Main Stage headliners, and the company’s 8:15 p.m. Friday performance will be followed by a drone show to mark the event’s 60th anniversary.
What can music fans expect from Tulsa singer-songwriter Casii Stephan’s upcoming album? Ahead of her 8 p.m. Friday, April 24, set on the OKC Festival of the Arts’ City Stage, Stephan spoke with The Oklahoman about her live performances, her upcoming debut album on Shamus Records and more:
Q: So, can you give me your thoughts on being a part of Norman Music Fest again?
Yeah, I headlined last year … and I love everything that they’ve been doing to up their game on the festival and create it as a viable place for independent (music). I think the one thing that they have that no other city in Oklahoma has is they’ve really curated this independent music scene and appreciation for independent music — the small indies up and coming — and they’ve done an amazing job of that. The crowds are always there, the people are out and about, and I love how they’ve upped their ante with paying artists, too. Really appreciate that. …
For me, the Norman Music Festival is such a key part to Oklahoma’s independent music scene in helping artists find bigger artists, and then also to just connect us with artists across the country. You have to have these kinds of festivals. … You get told, as an independent artist, if you can open for a bigger artist, that’s the way up. But most artists tour with their own opening acts. So, getting these opportunities to play in front of bigger artists’ audiences that you normally can’t pull at, like, the Mercury Lounge or The Colony, it’s just a huge game-changer.
Q: Is this the first time you’ve played the downtown OKC Festival of the Arts?
I’ve almost played that every year, I think, for the last three or four years. This is my first time headlining, though. … I’m grateful for anybody that pays. I feel like that’s been kind of a conversation we’ve had over the last, gosh, five years. … Valuing people’s time and talent that they put into this, I’m always a huge proponent of that. …
It honors the visual arts on top of audio art and music. And you’ve got the food trucks and stuff, so it’s just a really fun time. We enjoy playing it. It’s always a good crowd, and I’m excited to headline on the City Hall stage this year.
Q: How’s your residency at Tulsa’s Mercury Lounge been going?
I’ve got one more Monday night at Mercury Lounge. It’s been going really good, having really fun vibes. Last (time), we had Amber Watson and Branjae. … Amber, she’s just started releasing music in Tulsa. Amazing voice, great songwriter, both of them just really talented. And it was just fun to have them sing with me. … It’s, again, that community of showcasing each other and building each other up. …
It was just for the month of April, Monday nights, and this Monday (April 27), we’re going to have Olivia McGraw as a special guest. She plays violin, just a gorgeous violin player. So, it should be fun, just adding different elements. I’m just having the mindset of, like, adding different elements, seeing what happens, and just having fun. Residencies, to me, are different than a set, where, like, ‘this is the show.’ This is a time to just mess around a little bit.
Q: Do you have summer plans?
I have an album that I worked with (acclaimed Oklahoma producer and engineer) Chad Copelin on, and I’m figuring out release dates and building tours based off of that.
Q: Can you talk about your upcoming album?
I can tell you it’s a pop record, more pop-focused. There’s Americana, disco, singer-songwriter, R&B. It’s flirting with a bunch of genres. I don’t like to commit to a certain genre. (laughs) It’s just not how I hear music. Genre, to me, is a way to communicate emotion. It’s not a box for me to label myself with. If I want it to feel a certain way, you lean into that genre. …
I’ve done an EP, a lot of singles, but this will be THE album. … A lot of people say, ‘Just release a lot of singles for the streaming algorithm. Everything’s algorithmic-based at this point.’ … But at the end of the day, how people find you out as an artist and believe in you, I think, is still album-oriented, because it helps tell that story of who you are. And the label was just very encouraging.
Q: You’ve been tapped to perform at Americanafest in September in Nashville; are you excited for that?
Yes! I can’t believe it. It’s absolutely shocking and surprising. I’m so excited. … When we got the showcase, I was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ … I know the other Tulsan that I got in, too — Ramsey Thornton — so it’s just exciting, having another Tulsan there. So, I’m just honored. I’m excited to do this one that I haven’t done before.”
60th Annual Festival of the Arts
When: April 23–26.
Where: Bicentennial Park, Colcord and Couch drives, and City Hall lawn.
Information: https://www.artscouncilokc.com/festival-of-the-arts.
Casii Stephan’s headlining set: 8 p.m. Friday, April 24 on the City Stage east of City Hall.
