FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 25, 2022 — Capitol CMG artist Stephen Stanley is offering hope and grounding to his younger self with the song “Note to Self,” available on all major platforms March 25.
“Note to Self” was cowritten with Mitch Parks (Matt Maher), Paul Duncan (Lauren Daigle) and Tedd T (for KING & COUNTRY), who also produced the song. The song came about during a writing session, in a sudden flash of inspiration. Stephen and Tedd had already written a few other songs in the day when Tedd asked a simple question: what would you say to your younger self?
“It’s not just directed to the kid version of me,” Stephen explains. “It’s also to me a year ago, or a month ago, or yesterday. These values and lessons last forever: cherish your faith, family and love. Everything’s going to be OK.”
Once those ideas landed, the initial draft of the song was written in just 30 minutes.
“Note to Self” capped off a prolific few years of writing for Stephen Stanley, who is looking towards releasing a follow-up project in the future. This era of writing has required the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist to fight through a lot of self-doubt and fear of failing. “Fear let to anxiety which led to depression. I got to a really low point in my life. I don’t think I’d ever been in such a dark place before, mentally,” Stephen reveals.
Ultimately, that served as the starting place for writing songs that provided crucial room to process: “Songwriting is a God-given coping mechanism. Sometimes we have to get really into our emotions, and sometimes that can lead to scary places. ‘Note to Self’ fits into that writing process through retrospect. I’m looking back on this journey, and I’m finding out what are the important things? What can I tell my future self to hold onto? That’s ultimately God first, and family and love second.”
The single release precedes Mental Health Awareness month, extending solace to anyone who is also struggling with anxiety and depression.
In addition to cowriting and singing the song, Stephen Stanley also played every instrument while tracking “Note to Self” in the studio. The sound he created is comforting and poignant, marked by simple guitar tones and the rasp of authentic vocals as Stephen sings “Hey there lonely boy / Don’t you worry about the future / Lord knows you’re gonna get there / Just keep taking it day by day.”
It’s a message that Stephen hopes can transcend his own life. He says, “Maybe people will think about what they would say to their younger self— how they’d encourage them, what they would tell them. I hope they can see themselves in the song.”
Stephen Stanley has spent 10 years honing a distinct and dynamic voice as a musician. His calling was born when an accident at age 9 left him deaf in his left ear, after which his mom taught him music as an outlet during the recovery process. Early piano and guitar lessons ultimately expanded to Stephen also playing drums and leading worship in his Georgia hometown, ultimately equipping him to join Capitol CMG’s roster in 2020. You can learn more about Stephen by visiting
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, where he has amassed the largest audience in Christian music with over 800,000 people following his stand-out covers.
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