ILLINOISE's Becca Stevens Releases New Album 'Maple to Paper'

Maple to Paper, the first entirely solo acoustic album from 2X GRAMMY nominated singer-songwriter and rising star Becca Stevens, is out now via GroundUP. Watch the music videos for singles “Now Feels Bigger Than The Past”, “I’m Not Her”,“Shoulda Been There For Me” and album focus track “Maple to Paper”.

Maple to Paper is Stevens’ first entirely solo acoustic record, a profound shift from the highly communal nature of her past projects. Mixed by frequent collaborator Nic Hard (Snarky Puppy, Huntertones) the album is comprised of 12 original songs and one heartrending cover of “Rainbow Connection,” fully embracing the unhurried simplicity of folk. “This album brought me back to my roots as a guitarist, especially the Appalachian folk music my dad raised us on,” notes Stevens, a classically trained guitarist. “Instead of feeling the urge to bring in other instruments and add a lot of complicated rhythms and harmonies, I challenged myself to find a way to make the songs believable without relying on anything but guitar and vocals to hold them up.”

Thematically, the new album deals with two monumental changes in Stevens’ life: the death of her mother, and the start of her own journey into motherhood. Stevens discovered an unexpected sustenance in holding her memories of frequent collaborator David Crosby, who passed away soon after she began recording Maple to Paper. “After losing my mom it was so difficult to lose David too, but on the good days I could feel his music in me,” she says. “I’d look down at my hands and see his hands, and I could hear him encouraging me—almost like he was a songwriting partner.”

Stevens admits to a certain unease surrounding the release of such an intensely personal body of work. “In all honesty, I didn’t even realize I was making an album at first—I just needed to work through what was happening in my life, and the simplest way to do that was to turn it into music,” she says. “There have been times when I’ve asked myself, ‘Is this too much?’, but I always come back to the hope that it might end up helping people. If someone could hear these songs and come away feeling like they understand their own experience in a new way, that would mean a lot to me.”

About Becca Stevens

2X GRAMMY-nominated, North Carolina-raised singer-songwriter Becca Stevens has toured internationally as the bandleader of the Becca Stevens Band since its inception in 2006. Along with her solo output, Becca is a highly respected collaborator who has written and toured extensively with the likes of David Crosby as an active member of his Lighthouse Band, Jacob Collier, Michael League of Snarky Puppy, Taylor Eigsti and more.

Becca has released collaborative records with The Secret Trio and the Attacca Quartet (with whom she was co-nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals with violist Nathan Schram).

Her most recent album 2020’s Wonderbloom featured over 40 guest musicians and received overwhelming critical acclaim: Jazz Magazine described the record as “sophisticated and sensual pop” while The Mail on Sunday praised its “Glamorous…semi-electric pop Prince might approve of.” The track “Slow Burn” from Wonderbloom was nominated for a 2020 GRAMMY for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals.

Stevens recently starred in Broadway’s ‘Illinoise’, which won Best Choreography at the 2024 Tony Awards and was nominated for three others including Best Musical. Illinoise features music and lyrics from Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 concept album, Illinois. Stevens’ beloved cult classic “springs to epic life on stage (Washington Post)” with live music and vocals, choreography, and narratives centering on self-exploration and community, with direction, choreography and a book by Tony Award-winning director-choreographer Justin Peck (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, Carousel) and co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury (Fairview, Marys Seacole). Stevens played Barsine, the role initially held by Shara Nova, who performed on Sufjan’s original album. Stevens’ run began on June 17 and ran through the limited engagement’s final performance on August 10.

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

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