Aspartame Sunshine
Austi Stenson and Emily Erekson, with frequent appearances from Just J (beat box), comprise the band known as Aspartame Sunshine. The band formed in 2015 and has since released an EP featuring five original songs including “South Dakota,” “Smooth,” and “Fire.” These songs can be listened to on their SoundCloud page. A digital copy of the EP can be purchased here.
Most of Aspartame Sunshine’s lyrics and melodies are written by Austi with accompaniment and harmonies by Emily. Their style of music doesn’t “fall squarely into one genre” but rather they “are interested in anything that is beautiful yet unexpected.” A few of the artists that they like include Ingrid Michaelson, Bjork, Bach, and The Shins.
Emily received her Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance at Brigham Young University (BYU), and her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Piano Performance at Southern Utah University. She has taught piano, sight singing, and private piano. She has also performed in the Czech Republic with the International Music Academy, in Paris, France, with the European American Music Alliance, and at the Julliard Jazz Festival at Snow College.
Austi grew up in a musical home with a songbird of a mother, however, she has little to no formal training. She studied business and communication at Utah Valley University. In 2008, she discovered the art of singing and songwriting and has been writing her life’s experiences into music ever since.
Austi and Emily recently performed “Our Savior’s Love” and “South Dakota” on an episode of Mormon Channel Studio hosted by Nik Day. They hope their music is not only appreciated for its unique sound, but for the sincerity with which each lyric is delivered.
Follow Aspartame Sunshine
Recent Posts
Jenny Oaks Baker & Family Four to Perform at 2022 North Star Conference
Jenny Oaks Baker, her husband Matthew, and their four children (Family Four), are from Salt Lake City, Utah. Dubbed America’s Violinist, Jenny is a Grammy Nominated, Billboard No. 1 performer and recording artist. She has released 19 studio albums which have sold...
Latter-day Saint Composer Richard Williams is Creating His Dream Christmas Album
The name Richard Williams may be familiar to some people. He is originally from Salinas, California, but currently resides in South Provo, Utah. Richard is a composer and has almost always been involved with music since first learning to play the piano in the...
Mat and Savanna Shaw Will be Part of the Main Lineup of Artists Performing at the LoveLoud Festival 2022
After being put on pause for the past two summers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dan Reynolds’ LoveLoud festival, celebrating LGBTQ+ youth and their allies, returns to Utah in 2022. The festival is designed to “ignite the vital conversation about what it means to...
Ukranian-born Violin Prodigy Karolina Protsenko Meets and Performs with World-Renown Violinist Lindsey Stirling
If you have never heard the name Karolina Protsenko, you are in for a treat when you check out her YouTube channel where she plays violin covers of popular songs. Karolina is a 13-year-old performing violinist. She was born in Ukraine on 3 October 2008, to musical...
“Let Me In” – Yesteryear Memories of The Osmonds Still Live in the Hearts of Their Fans
It all began with four brothers — Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay — who are all devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and originally from Ogden, Utah. They are the progeny of the late George Virl Osmond, Sr. and the late Olive May Davis...
David Archuleta Forced to Cancel Tour Due to Vocal Issues
World renown singer-songwriter David Archuleta had already canceled his ‘OK, All Right’ tour twice due to the worldwide pandemic. Nevertheless, he had high hopes that attempting to go on tour a third time would be the charm. Unfortunately, all his plans were brought...