As she enters her second decade in music, twenty-four year old singer-songwriter Stephanie Staples has a rare mix of youth and maturity that allows her to have inter-generational impact. Her music is appreciated by young people and seniors alike, with each group being fundamentally inspired by both the quality of the music and the spiritual presence exuded by it.
Stephanie has an acoustic-driven easy listening style featuring soothing melodies and intimate, thoughtful lyrics. Her music encourages the listener to simply sit back and listen reflectively. Though she does have fast-paced songs—such as the Latin-guitar and percussion-driven song “Prodigalâ€â€”her music offers an escape from on-the-go culture, encouraging the listener to slow down and to meditate on the deeper things of life. This is particularly evident on her latest project, Journey Home, which clearly exhibits her strengths as a singer, songwriter, and artist.
From a purely musical perspective, Journey Home is Stephanie’s most polished project yet, featuring an all-star cast of musicians, with guitarists Bill Hatcher (Henry Mancini, Luciano Pavarotti) and Mike Pachelli (Mike Pachelli, Phil Keaggy), keyboarder Tom Rogers (Brenda Lee), and percussionist Ronny Ciago (Frank Stallone) contributing their exciting talents. Thanks in large part to the quality of the musicianship featured throughout, Journey Home is a mature and well-crafted album that demonstrates Stephanie’s growth after ten years in music.
Stephanie began singing professionally at the age of thirteen, appearing at a variety of music festivals, conferences, churches and other venues, and sharing the stage with many artists. Despite her youth, onlookers were struck by Stephanie’s strong stage presence and powerful, dynamic voice.
By the age of fifteen, Stephanie was writing her own music while continuing to perform at various venues throughout the United States. In 2001, at the age of seventeen, Stephanie performed before 20,000 at New Zealand's Parachute Music Festival, joining Third Day's Mac Powell for a powerful rendition of the duet, "God of Wonders," after performing her own sets. In addition to this, she also traveled to Italy and China, both trips that deepened her desire to make a lasting impact on the world.
Later in 2001, Stephanie began recording her first self-produced album, Breathe on Me, an easy-listening acoustic album with soul-searching lyrics inspired by her experiences from the prior three years. The album (originally released in 2003 but re-mastered in 2006 to include two additional songs) also features Grammy Award-winning guitarist Bill Hatcher. Hatcher has since been a consistent contributor, also appearing on Face to Face (2006) and Stephanie’s newest project, Journey Home (2007).
Appearances:
-YouthFest Bloomington, IN; Indianapolis, IN; Ashland, KY.
-The Parachute Music Festival in Aukland, New Zealand.
-Tom Fest in Washington
-TeenChallenge, Brooklyn: an organization founded by David Wilkerson to help the addicted.
-WinShape Foundation College Program, founded by Truett Cathy
-Various concert venues: Festivals, Women's Conferences, Churches, Youth Groups, Youth Camps and other youth functions, Jr. High and High Schools, shelters for the homeless.
For more information:
www.stephaniestaples.com
[email protected]
P.O. Box 379
Evans, GA 30809
Shoutlife.com
