Two sounds together

Casii Stephan and Faye Moffett on bridging the gaps between genres

Casii Stephan and Faye Moffett are singers who have had vastly different musical journeys, but ones that ultimately led them both to perform and create in Tulsa. They’ve become leading voices in the city’s music community over the past few years. Moffett fronts her own project and collaborates with Verse and the Vapors and Henna Rosso—a group that’s also a nonprofit dedicated to fighting food insecurity in Oklahoma. Stephan produces her own music, as well, and in 2017 helped found MisFEST, a local multi-genre female music festival. Moffett writes soaring melodies of personal but anthemic neo-soul and rhythm and blues, while Stephan’s voice is more reminiscent of modern, luminous, female rock-crooners like Florence and the Machine or St. Vincent. On February 24, the two singers will share their unique voices at an intimate event at The Colony.

Damion Shade: How did you two meet?

Casii Stephan: I think we actually met in the bathroom … at the artist tent at MisFEST. Branjae was with us getting ready, and I think she introduced us. I’d heard lots of things about Faye. People had been telling me, “You’ve got to listen to this girl. She’s amazing.”

Faye Moffett: Yeah. I’d just gone into the artist tent to grab some snacks with Branjae, and she couldn’t believe that we didn’t know each other. I think that was the first time I ever saw Casii play, too. Her band was playing on the main stage when I walked up.

Shade: Your styles are so different. What brought you two together?

Moffett: We’re definitely bringing our own individual sounds and styles, but I’ve heard about [Casii] a lot, too. I never thought we’d be performing together, but it’s nice to just experiment, bringing our two sounds together. The crowd I bring has probably never heard Casii live and vice versa. People get accustomed to what they’re used to, and a lot of people don’t want to step out of the box to give something different a chance. Fortunately, I think a lot of people are finally branching out in Tulsa.

Stephan: I think it’s part of doing MisFEST and wanting to bridge gaps between genres. Not having just genre-specific shows. Sometimes it can feel really closed. In music, people love all different genres—especially today when you can have a playlist that goes from pop to rap to rock. Our shows should start reflecting that more and be inclusive. I think it’s fun for our fans to hear different types of music happening here.

Shade: Faye’s been in Tulsa for some time now, but you moved here more recently, right, Casii?

Stephan: Yeah. I’ve only been here for three years. I’m from Minnesota. I’m still in the process of getting to know people. But the true story of how I ended up here is that my cousins joked that they could get me married in six months. Seriously. That’s what they said. We can get you married in six months. I was like, “That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to move to Tulsa.” “We’ll get you married. It’ll be great.” I was like, yeah, no. But I thought it might be fun to move just for a change. I wasn’t playing music in Minnesota nearly to the extent that I am in Tulsa.

Shade: What made you stay?

Stephan: I had opportunities, job and music opportunities. It kind of snowballed. One door opens and then another, and you’re like, why would I move back? It’s not like the Twin Cities have a horrible music scene, you know? It was one of those things nobody would expect, that if you want to pursue music more that you should move from the Twin Cities to Tulsa, but that’s what happened.

Shade: It feels like a lot more collaboration is happening in Tulsa right now. What’s changed?

Moffett: You really get to know people chasing opportunity, and then you kind of fall in love with them and become lifelong friends. That’s just the truth of it. I’ve collaborated with Verse and the Vapors. Me and Branjae have collaborated. We both have our own ventures. Same thing with Tea Rush. She’s been helping me tremendously with background vocals. Last night we sat down at my house and came up with all the background vocal parts. Now we’re getting into the writing and co-writing area. I used to be scared to ask people to sing background vocals with me. It felt everybody was on their high horse, not wanting to do background. It’s fun to play with Henna Rosso and Verse and the Vapors. It spreads and keeps growing. Then you have this big family of music junkies.

Shade: What does Tulsa need to do better to keep the music scene growing?

Stephan: Tulsa needs more connections to the national scene. You go to Nashville, you know to go to the Bluebird Cafe, right? Because you could possibly get discovered. You go to LA and you know the Hotel Cafe is a great place for people to come listen to your music. The Colony has that to some extent, but it’s so much smaller. There needs to be some connection where somebody whispers to someone important, “You need to check out this band’s new album.”  That said, there’s a lot of work already happening. Downtown Tulsa, especially the Tulsa Arts District, is becoming a hotspot. I talk to Abby Kurin about that all the time. The South by Southwest Tulsa showcase— they’re working hard to get headlines for that … I think they are making that effort. It just takes time, like it took us time to get to this place.

Moffett: Where are the people going from the BOK after they’re done with their show? Are they just going back to their room, or are they getting back in their plane and going back home? Where do we find these people? We have some good acts that are coming down to the BOK, and I want to know where they’re gonna be. Because hopefully Bruno Mars is not boujee and he will come down here and try and see the city and we can bump into him.

There’s just so much talent here. That’s the thing that makes me love Tulsa so much. I kind of grew up in the music scene here. That’s what’s made it worthwhile. I like nothing here besides the music sometimes. Then I see all these people popping out of nowhere, and it’s like, when did Tulsa become this? But I look back over the last few years and realize it’s been happening all the time.

Casii Stephan and Faye Moffett with special guest poet Deena Burks
Feb. 24, 10 p.m. | The Colony
2809 S. Harvard Ave. | $5 at the door