A Different Kind of Holiday Spirit: Sufjan Stevens Brings Queer Fans Together in Communal Song Across Michigan and Beyond
Fans of the 'Michigan' singer gather to find hope in dark times
If your favorite holiday song has a title like "Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It)" or "Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!" you're probably a Sufjan Stevens fan. And even if you're not, you're welcome at a "Sufmas" singalong.
Detroit-born singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens has earned a devoted fanbase over his nearly 30-year career. He first gained fame for his pair of albums about Midwestern states, “Michigan” (2003) and “Illinois” (2005), but his discography is widespread and eclectic, from the experimental, electronica-influenced “Age of Adz” (2010), to the deeply personal outpouring of grief on “Carrie and Lowell” (2015), to the romantic and orchestral soundtrack to “Call Me By Your Name” (2017). His most recent release, “Javelin” (2023), is an exploration of love and loss dedicated to his late partner, Evans Richardson.
And then, of course, there are the Christmas albums. Between December 2000 and December 2010, Stevens released over 100 Christmas songs over a series of 10 EPs, which were eventually gathered into two compilation albums: “Songs for Christmas” (2006) and “Silver and Gold” (2012). Every December for many years — no one can confirm exactly how many — fans have organically gathered to sing their favorite songs from the compilations, in events affectionately nicknamed "Sufmas." This year, Stevens' label, Asthmatic Kitty, helped spread the word about the singalongs and created a website for fans to RSVP, which spurred even more people to organize events of their own.
"When I was a kid, before I even knew that he was queer or that I was queer, I would listen to him and I just felt a lot of commonality."
Charis Armstrong, a Hamtramck-based Sufjan Stevens fan
For many, the opportunity couldn't have come at a more appropriate time.
A few days after the presidential election, singer-songwriter Sara Azriel made the decision to host her forthcoming Dec. 21 concert, "One World: Songs of Healing in Peace,” in her hometown of Muskegon — her first live performance since the coronavirus pandemic.
"I felt very called," Azriel tells Pride Source. "Like, now is the time for music." Along with her original songs, the event will feature a singalong inspired by Sufjan Stevens's 2012 Christmas tour, which Azriel attended.
"It was just absolutely a profound experience; honestly one of the most profound shows I've ever been to," she says. "It really stuck with me because I'm a singer-songwriter, but I've also directed choirs, and I'm a music educator. I've always had a passion for communal singing and how powerful and magical and healing and connective it is."
For Wei Zhou, a political organizer who lives in Chicago, hosting a Sufmas singalong was a welcome distraction in the wake of the election. "This is kind of my way of having a little passion project," they tell Pride Source. "Like, I'm throwing this event to distract me from my very emotionally draining job."
Unlike, say, Mariah Carey's magnum opus "All I Want for Christmas Is You," Stevens' depiction of Christmas is one that encompasses both the joy and the sorrow of the season, says Matt Thompson, who has organized Sufmas singalongs in Ontario since 2018. Stevens' Christmas albums are "about how beautiful Christmas is and how weird Christmas is and how shitty things can be, and it's all that at once. Not many artists can do that," he says. And during the singalongs, "there is a sense of relief that comes from being in a room for two hours with a bunch of people, singing about how beautiful life is and how awful life is."
Although Stevens has never discussed his sexuality in interviews — the dedication of “Javelin” was the first time he publicly named a partner — the depiction of queer love and longing in his lyrics has earned him a devoted LGBTQ+ fanbase since the early days of his career. And queer community is very much a part of these holiday singalongs.
"When I was a kid, before I even knew that he was queer or that I was queer, I would listen to him and I just felt a lot of commonality," says Charis Armstrong, a teacher who organized a singalong in Hamtramck. "There's something beautiful and creative in his music and a spark that he has that kind of draws out the tender parts of us that we hide. Maybe we're drawn to his whimsy and also his despair."
The inclusivity at the core of Sufmas celebrations extends to vocal talent, too — and the lack thereof. In Chicago, Zhou brought a karaoke machine to "encourage a community and energy of imperfection." Armstrong was initially hesitant to host a Sufmas event, but after playing through some of the songs with a friend, they realized that "singalongs and Christmas carols are just giant jam sessions. It doesn't have to be perfect."
Azriel tells me, "I strongly believe that everyone’s voice has value, and wish for anyone who thinks they have a 'bad voice' that they can find freedom and pleasure in the act of singing, simply for the love of it."
In other words, you don't have to sound like Sufjan Stevens to sing "Christmas Unicorn."
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