Stephen Wilson Jr

Stephen Wilson Jr. opens every one of his performances the exact same way, by walking to the microphone
and introducing himself to the crowd: “I’m Stephen Wilson Jr. — I am my father’s son.” The Nashville-by-
way-of-Indiana singer followed his father into the boxing ring as a child, before diverging from his dad’s path
to become a scientist and, eventually, a songwriter. “My first stage wasn’t a stage at all, it was a boxing ring,”
says Wilson, who pays tribute to his father and processes his unexpected death on his debut album
"søn of dad".

“Writing and making this album has been very therapeutic for me to learn who I am and what my
existence looks like after my father,” he says. “Because life has to go on.”

Wilson’s creative life began in earnest upon moving to Nashville, where he signed a publishing deal and had
his songs recorded by stars like Brothers Osborne and Caitlyn Smith (in a collab with Old Dominion). Now
signed to Big Loud Records, he’s telling his own story on "søn of dad" through songs like “Grief Is Only
Love,” “Hang in There,” and the autobiographical centerpiece “Father’s Son.” He’s also performing to
audiences around the world: Wilson has played festivals everywhere from CMA Fest in Nashville to the
Black Deer Festival in the U.K., and toured with artists like Midland, Hailey Whitters, Larry Fleet, Charley Crockett, The Lone Bellow and more. All of this led Rolling Stone to name him “one of the most interesting artists to watch this year, a true original."

Through it all, he remains a man of juxtapositions — a scientist and a believer, a peaceful soul and a
confident boxer, an introverted songwriter and a gregarious performer. And, most importantly, his father’s
son.

“You don't have to put Jr. after your name. It’s an optional suffix,” Wilson says. “But it says you’re extension
of your father. It’s very powerful.”