This year taught me that I am more than just a singer – I am an artist. My recent ventures in acting and dance have shown me that. I am a multidisciplinary artist, weaving singing, songwriting, acting, dance and visual art into my creative life. Because of that, my songs feel fuller and more true to who I am. I can’t wait to share this next chapter of music with you!
Steph formed her band, STEPH, in the DMV area while the final song of her debut EP Round and Round was being produced. Inspired by 2000s pop-rock icons like Paramore, Muse, and Coldplay, the band played across the DMV for two years, performing at renowned venues such as Pearl Street Warehouse, Jammin’ Java, and Songbyrd Music House. With rotating members, the group became part of the local music community before parting ways in late 2024 due to different musical directions and Steph’s desire to pursue a solo career that reflected her true artistry. Together, they wrote two original songs: Can’t Tell You and Dry Like Cinnamon.
Steph, formerly known as Stephania Natasha, began her solo journey experimenting with songwriting, making homemade videos, and recording her own music with minimal instrumentation and drum kits on her keyboard, uploading her work to SoundCloud. She later recorded her first solo single, What I Was Looking For, with several musicians she connected with on Fiverr, and had the tracks mixed and mastered in a studio in Bethesda, Maryland. From there, she continued writing and released a few more singles with the help of producers on Fiverr and local Virginia producer John Brooks, who later collaborated with her to produce her first EP, STEPH. These early explorations became the foundation of Steph’s artistry today—teaching her how to craft songs independently, collaborate across different styles, and ultimately step into the fully realized creative voice she now carries into her current work.
Steph’s first artistic spark showed up in middle school, sketching anime figures in her drawing class and crafting t-shirts and friendship jewelry. Around the same time, she joined choir, where singing quickly became her favorite form of expression. Her first stage role was Jan in Grease, and from there she stayed active in choir and a cappella groups throughout high school, performing at talent shows and starting to explore piano and guitar. She even challenged herself with AP Music Theory before graduating college with a BA in Fine Arts (and a side detour into Political Science). Though she’d been singing for as long as she could remember simply because it felt natural, she didn’t write her first original song—Here I Go Again—until age 26, during a sleepless night in her New York City apartment. That song became the doorway into her deeper journey as a songwriter.
