Stevens was born in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of nine, when his family moved to Petoskey, in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. He was raised by his father Rasjid and his stepmother Pat, only occasionally visiting his mother, Carrie, in Oregon after she married her second husband Lowell Brams. His mother is deceased. Brams later became the head of Stevens' record label Asthmatic Kitty.
Planetarium Project and Call Me by Your Name soundtrack
In 2011, Dutch concert hall Muziekgebouw Eindhoven commissioned composer Nico Muhly to write a piece. He collaborated with Stevens and Bryce Dessner (of The National) to write a piece about the Solar System, which was first performed in Amsterdam in April 2012. On March 28, 2017, NPR's All Songs Considered reported that Sufjan would team up with Muhly, Dessner, and James McAlister to produce a "Planetarium Project" album. The first single, "Saturn," was released in March 2017 around the announcement that a space-themed Planetarium album would be released June 9, 2017 on 4AD. NPR described the album as "collaboration between four brilliant musicians, with lyrics from Sufjan Stevens revolving around mythology, astrology, science, astronomy and the intricacies of human consciousness." The second single, "Mercury," was released on April 25, 2017.  In January 2017, it was announced that Stevens would feature original songs written and recorded by himself for the movie Call Me by Your Name, directed by Luca Guadagnino and based on Andre Aciman's novel of the same name. The film was released on November 24, 2017, by Sony Pictures Classics. The soundtrack to the film features two new songs by Stevens. In his review of the film, Consequence of Sound writer Dominick Suzanne-Mayer noted Stevens' score "adds to the sensation of the film as an isolated, specific capsule of an unforgettable encounter." One of the original songs is called "Visions of Gideon", and has been described as fluctuating between lush orchestrations, staccato-heavy piano refrains, and the lilting delivery of "I have loved you for the last time" in the composition. The trailer for the film features Stevens' song "Mystery of Love." Stevens has another track featured in the film: an "ethereal piano arrangement" of The Age of Adz track "Futile Devices." The film has received critical acclaim; on Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 97%, with an average rating of 8.8/10, based on 200 reviews.. In January 2018, Stevens's track "Mystery of Love" was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song.  On December 6, 2017, Stevens released a new song via Asthmatic Kitty Records' YouTube channel. The track, titled "Tonya Harding", plays along a clip of the eponymous skater performing at the 1991 World Figure Skating Championships. Two days later, the single was offered for digital download and streaming, to be followed later by a cassette and vinyl release, in two versions, the one featured in the video (subtitled "in D major") and a slower, piano-only arrangement ("in Eb major"); in a short essay, Stevens revealed his intention to write a song about Harding since 1991. The track was unrelated to the biographical film I, Tonya, which was released in the same period; nevertheless, Stevens offered it to the film's producers, but was rejected.

Q: What is the Planetarium Project?
A: NPR's All Songs Considered reported that Sufjan would team up with Muhly, Dessner, and James McAlister to produce a "Planetarium Project" album.

Q: Was the project successful?
A: unknown

Q: What is the Call Me by Your Name soundtrack?
A: Stevens would feature original songs written and recorded by himself for the movie Call Me by Your Name,
Was that a successful venture?
Stevens' score "adds to the sensation of the film as an isolated, specific capsule of an unforgettable encounter."
Stevens' score "adds to the sensation of the film as an isolated, specific capsule of an unforgettable encounter."