Musician Sufjan Stevens has publicly acknowledged his sexuality for the first time with a heartbreaking social media post dedicating his latest album to his former partner Evans Richardson who passed away in April.
Javelin is the tenth album from the American multi-instrumentalist. He’s also recorded several collaborative albums with other artists and made soundtracks for films and scores for ballets, and a hell of a lot of Christmas songs.
In his Instagram post Stevens wrote, “This album is dedicated to the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend Evans Richardson…. He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity, and joy. He was one of those rare and beautiful ones you find only once in a lifetime — precious, impeccable, and absolutely exceptional in every way.”
“I know relationships can be very difficult sometimes,” Stevens continued, “but it’s always worth it to put in the hard work and care for the ones you love, especially the beautiful ones, who are few and far between. If you happen to find that kind of love, hold it close, hold it tight, savor it, tend to it, and give it everything you’ve got, especially in times of trouble.
“Be kind, be strong, be patient, be forgiving, be vigorous, be wise, and be yourself. Live every day as if it is your last, with fullness and grace, with reverence and love, with gratitude and joy. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
The artist has never publicly commented on his sexuality before, but he’s always attracted a lot of queer fans with gender ambiguous lyrics. His 2017 song The Mystery of Love was used prominently in the film Call Me By Your Name.
Stevens last solo album was 2021’s Convocations which was a 5-disc epic of instrumental tunes that contained 49 tracks in response to the death of his father. The album was a mix of space-jazz, ambient and shoe-gaze sounds.
Javelin sees the musician returning to more traditional songwriting with nine new songs, and a cover of a Neil Young song.
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OIP Staff
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