Sufjan Stevens ( born July 1, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release,
A Sun Came. He is best known for his 2005 album,
Illinois, which hit number one in the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and for the song "Chicago".
Stevens has released albums of varying styles, from the electronica of
Enjoy Your Rabbit and the lo-fi folk of
Seven Swans to the symphonic instrumentation of
Illinois and Christmas-themed
Songs for Christmas. Stevens makes use of a variety of instruments, often playing many of them himself on the same recording, Stevens also freely draws from the Bible and other spiritual traditions, often incorporating mystical elements into his music.