Stephen Lewis Jerzak (born May 5, 1992) is an American alternative-pop musician, singer, and songwriter from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Some of his notable singles include "Cute" which gained popularity on social media networks in his early career, and "She Said",[1] a record label release of a song that was done collaboratively with American actress and singer Leighton Meester.
Biography
2004–07: Early Career
Growing up in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Jerzak began playing music as a preteen, teaching himself several instruments in his father's home studio. He joined his first band as lead singer and guitarist at age 12. The band "Under Age" consisted of classmates including his friend and now producer, Joel Tock. At age 14, he wrote and professionally recorded his first full-length album titled "Two Years Broken[2] ", in which he released only a minimal number of physical copies and were mainly sold through his local record shops to his hometown following.
2008–09: EP Releases, Nationwide Touring
Stephen joined MySpace in November 2008 at age 16. He started uploading cover songs and quickly became one of the website's most popular newcomers. With a steadily growing fan base, Stephen released his debut EP called "The Sky High EP" in January 2009. His second EP, "Peace.Love.Truth" followed in May 2009 consisting of his hugely popular song "Cute". Later that year, "Smile, Happy Looks Good on You" was released in November and "Snow Looks Good on You" was released in December giving the fans exactly what they wanted with more songs they could relate to; Most notably, "King" and "Party Girl". By the end of 2009 he had already amassed well over 10 million song plays on his MySpace music player and ultimately became the site's Number #1 Unsigned Artist. With an artist management deal already in place and his first major record label offer on the table, Stephen had already turned his attention to touring. Starting in the summer of 2009, Stephen co-headlined the "Bromance Tour"[3] which took him on the road to meet his fans for the first time. On that tour he performed in 23 cites across the United States, including dates in New York, Florida, and Texas. Stephen participated in three additional tours in 2009, including an opening slot on the "EZBronz Tour" with Breathe Carolina. By the end of 2009, Stephen participated in a total of four tours which he traveled over 22,000 miles and played 70 shows from coast to coast, including his first concert appearance at the Unsilent Night 3 Festival at the Dr. Pepper Star Center in Frisco, Tx. on December 27, 2009.
2010: Record Label Signing, High Profile Touring
At age 17, and after several major record label offers considered, Stephen signed to Universal/Republic Records in January 2010. Afterwards, he immediately moved to Los Angeles, CA to start writing his first full length Album. He began working with high-profile producers such as DJ Swivel, Mark Maxwell, Matt Squire and John Fields.[4] After the first three months in LA, and with some tracks recorded, he hit the road again to play SXSW[5] in March 2010 and also, continued on "The Class of 2010 Tour"[6] with Stereo Skyline and The Downtown Fiction which took him from Texas all the way to New York. On May 1, 2010 Stephen played The Bamboozle[7][8] music festival in New Jersey just before moving back out to LA to continue writing and tracking songs for his highly anticipated debut album release on a major record label. While finishing up his record, Stephen was notified that he was slated for a direct support spot on "The Up in the Air Tour"[9] with Mike Posner, a national recording artist, that would begin in September 2010. Other performing acts on the high-profile tour included Far East Movement, 2AM Club, and Bad Rabbits. This would be followed by another tour in late 2010 called " The Suddenly Yours Tour"[10] with Allstar Weekend, a band who gained its popularity from the Disney Channel television network. While anticipating these upcoming tours and also, a tour he would begin in August 2010 called "Hot Over Summer". Stephen's lead off single from his debut album, featuring Leighton Meester "She Said[1] was released on July 13, 2010. This high energy, club-friendly song would ultimately define Stephen's new musical direction with the upcoming release of "Miles and Miles"[11] in 2011. Due to Stephen's heavy touring schedule and facing the reality that "Miles and Miles" would not be released in 2010, Universal Republic and Stephen agreed to release a full-length album from his current catalog on November 9, 2010 titled "My Uke Has A Crush on You", an album which featured mainly ukulele-based songs.
2011: Miles and Miles Album Release, Warped Tour
Fresh off tour in January 2011, Stephen began planning "The Peace Out Tour"[12] starting in March that would ultimately take him into Mission, Texas where he performed at the Never Say Never Festival[13] and then again in Houston, TX at SXSW[14] Festival. Coming off the road in April 2011, Stephen was confirmed to perform on the Skull Candy Stage on the entire 44 city 2011 Vans Warped Tour[15] which was set to kick off on June 24. Ten days prior, on June 14, 2011, Jerzak's album, "Miles and Miles"[11][16] was released unveiling his new full-fledged pop sound and new musical direction.
2012–13: Cassadee Pope Tour, Nashville, TN
In January 2012, Jerzak landed a spot with Cassadee Pope, formerly of Hey Monday on her "Solo Tour"[17] which began in Anaheim, California and ended in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Other participants on the 21 date tour included Darling Parade and Justin Young. In March 2012, Jerzak moved to Nashville, Tennessee to seek other musical opportunities. While there, he has since written and recorded five EPs with other artist as collaborations. "The Nashville Sessions" w/Jamestown Story was released in August 2012 and "Dance and Drive" w/Romance on a Rocketship was released in September 2012. "Taking on Eternity", a single off the Dance and Drive EP, was featured in Hollister Co. Stores[18]
across the country on the 2013 Spring Playlist. Other EP releases include 3 that were recorded with Dylan Lloyd, "What Could Be Better" released in September 2012, "This is Better" released in January 2013 and "Find A Way There" released in September 2013. Also, Jerzak released his first cover EP titled "Stephen Jerzak Covers, EP – Vol.1 in March 2013.
2022: Mixed Emotion
Jerzak returns with a brand-new album titled "Mixed Emotion" that released on February 22, 2022. Taking elements from his old pop/acoustic style mixed with modern pop songwriting and production, the 10 new songs are lyrically themed as an inside look into his lifestyle and headspace over the past decade. Acting as a follow-up to his debut album "Miles and Miles" released by Universal Republic Records, the upcoming sophomore album takes a matured direction both musically and lyrically, showing relatability to his fan base that have grown up with him over the years. The 10 songs will take fans through a journey of his life with songs such as "Midwest Emo Music" and "Faded" showing a more personal side of him, alongside songs like "Insomnia" and "Outerspace" portraying his battle with overcoming the feeling of loneliness. This highly anticipated album is filled with catchy melodies accompanied by acoustic and electric guitar driving every track that were 100% written by him. The album was produced by long time friend and drummer Joel Tock, who also produced his first 2 EPs "Sky High" and "Peace. Love. Truth.", and also his ukulele themed album "My Uke Has a Crush on You". This blend of signature sounds from Jerzak's music career makes for a fresh and exciting take on the current state of his talents.
