Today, the fourth of July, Tulsa based singer-songwriter Casii Stephan is releasing her new single “King in America.” With a hard White Stripes-type bassline and a voice reminiscent of Fiona Apple and Lorde, Stephan has created a fiery anthem of resistance and one against the notion of “kings” in the US. The song also features a verse from Damion Shade.
We caught up with Stephan to learn a bit more about the song and the history behind it. Stephan explained how the song was written just before the ‘No Kings’ protests in the US, more specifically around the inauguration of Donald Trump.
“I wrote it because I was in Ireland and the UK around the time of Trump’s inauguration and shortly after it. I was hearing how Americans are loud, bold, and brash. I came home and of course the executive orders were going out left and right, and a songwriter friend was saying they were ready to rise up and they had their pitchfork. Also my trans friends were being threatened and I couldn’t just skate by. I’m a straight white woman. This song is me saying ‘Pick on me. Don’t pick on them. Come after the majority.'”
We asked Stephan how the reception has been so far, of her new song as well as of her protest songs in general, and she mentioned that her most popular song to date is her cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs.’ Unfortunately, such a song is still very relevant today.
“I’ve done the mental work and preparation to know this is what I want to do and if people don’t like it, oh well. We’re at a crucial time. Things are just getting worse. If we don’t push back now, it gets harder as time goes by.“
Meanwhile, the debate continues, about whether art and activism should go hand in hand or somehow be seperated. Stephan adds that it depends on the artist. She doesn’t believe that the two can be separated, especially during times like these, but she acknowledges that some artists need to keep the politics out of their art.
To each their own. We’re all here to do different things. Some of us are healers. Some of us are entertainers. Some of us are here to create an atmosphere. It’s the artist’s job to figure that out.
