Sufjan Stevens Eclectic Musical Style In The Recording Industry

Sufjan Stevens has become known for his eclectic musical style over the course of his 15-years in the recording industry, bouncing from genre to genre with each new album. Releasing more than seven studio albums in that time, his sound has encompassed everything from electronica to lo-fi folk, pulling inspiration from everywhere. Read on to find out more about Sufjan Stevens, and look out for part two of our list, coming soon.

Number Fifteen: Sufjan Stevens Co-Founded a Record Label

Stevens, along with a number of friends in the town of Holland, Michigan, started Asthmatic Kitty Records in 1999. Though they’ve all scattered around the country now, the label is still very much active. Stevens has released every one of his albums through the

Number Thirteen: He Wrote an Album based on the Zodiac

Enjoy Your Rabbit was released in 2001 and features songs that coincide with each of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. While the album has a more electronic feel, it was rearranged and re-released in 2009 under the title Run Rabbit Run, with a more orchestral, string-based approach.

Number Twelve: He Started the '50 States Project' as a Joke

In 2003, Sufjan Stevens released Michigan, the first in what he dubbed the “50 States Project,” claiming that he was going to release 50 albums inspired by each of the 50 states. He released the second one, Illinois, in 2005 before admitting that the entire project was a joke and that he never intended to complete it. A joke or not, Illinois received a lot of critical praise, earning the Album of the Year prize at the 2006 PLUG Independent Music Awards and a number of publications naming it their best album of 2005, resulting in it becoming the highest-rated album of 2005 on Metacritic.

Number Eleven: He Recorded Two Christmas Box