Macie Stewart

𝙆𝙚𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙜𝙤 𝙟𝙖𝙯𝙯 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙄𝘼 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙤, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨 - 𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 ’𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡’, 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙭𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙚𝙮𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 ‘𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙐𝙥…’, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙛 ‘𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣’.

"When the Distance is Blue is Macie Stewart’s International Anthem debut. The Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser describes the collection as “a love letter to the moments we spend in-between”—a letter realized via an intentional return to piano, her first instrument and the origin of her creative expression. Here Stewart creates a striking and cinematic work through collages of prepared piano, field recordings, and string quartet compositions, one that gives shape to a transient universe all its own while tracing the line of her musical past, full circle.

Long-heralded in musician circles for her versatility, Stewart stands as a distinguished, go-to collaborator across genre and style, with a collaborative CV that reads like a dream year-end list—performing strings for Makaya McCraven or Japanese Breakfast; singing harmonies with Tweedy; arranging for Alabaster DePlume, Resavoir, Mannequin Pussy, or SZA; co-leading the jagged art-rock experimentation of Finom, her duo with songwriter Sima Cunningham. This varied-yet-distinct sound has led to a name recognition that goes beyond the devoted liner note enthusiast."