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“It Helped Me Memorize Music”: Stephen Wilson Jr. Says He Sees Shapes & Colors While Playing Music
In a year full of breakouts across both the independent scene and the mainstream alike, ranging from the likes of Ella Langley and Zach Top to The Red Clay Strays and Treaty Oak Revival, Stephen Wilson Jr. undoubtedly experienced one of the biggest ones in 2025. Of course, fans of the independent scene have been quite familiar with him over the past few years. After delivering his stellar debut on his bon aqua EP, featuring the likes of “American Gothic” and “Year to Be Young 1994,” in June of 2023, Wilson Jr. made himself known in a big way just six months later with his mammoth, 22-track debut album, Søn of Dad.
Back in November, he put the entire public on notice of his talent when he was not only nominated for New Artist of the Year at the 59th CMA Awards but also took to the stage to deliver his stunning reimagining of Ben E. King’s 1961 classic, “Stand By Me.” Along with The Red Clay Strays, who also had a big night and introduced themselves to a wider audience with a killer performance of their current single, “People Hatin’,” it seemed like the “Cuckoo” singer had his “moment” at the CMAs.
It should go without saying that Wilson Jr. is one of the most fascinating artists in the genre right now. Beyond his wholly unique sound, which blends elements of country, grunge, gothic folk, rock and more, his life before his music career has become quite famous since his rise to fame. In addition to being a boxer in his youth, the Indiana native would graduate from Middle State Tennessee University with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology/Chemistry. Famously, Wilson Jr. would reveal on Theo Von’s podcast recently that he actually helped develop Dentastix, the popular dog treat, during his time as a product developer and food scientist at Mars.
All of that is to say, Wilson Jr. has proven he has one of the most fascinating minds in country music, and it’s not just limited to his career in microbiology and the music itself.
In a recent interview with Bobby Bones on The Bobbycast, the “I’m A Song” singer dove into his childhood growing up in southern Indiana, his bold decision to leave Mars without a publishing deal and more. Most fascinating, Wilson Jr. would reveal the incredibly unique way his brain processes music while performing.
Nearly unbelievably, the 46-year-old singer/songwriter would tell Bones that he ended up learning how to play guitar and music in general by assigning both shapes and colors to different chords and notes, noting how it worked much better since he’s a visual learner.
“I was more interested in the chemistry of songs, like the alchemy of [it], how they change emotions and the colors of chords. [I see colors] and shapes like a lot. I kind of piece them together in that way, like moving shapes.”
Bones would then ask Wilson Jr. if he would hit a G chord, what he would see, which prompted him to say he visualizes brown and a right triangle with the chord.
A bit taken aback, Bones would then ask him if he was being serious. Confirming that it’s simply how his brain works, the “Gary” singer would then go on to explain his thought process behind the admittedly strange train of thought.
“[I’m being] very serious. It’s your brain’s way of allowing you to remember things. I’ve always been pretty good at memorizing music, and I have a very visual memory. I’ve always had that ability to read things and memorize them fast. It helped me a lot through science, because science is a lot of memorization and regurgitation.
It helped me memorize music, because, sonically, I had a harder time at first. It was the shapes that helped me keep track of it all… I never tried to explain it, and I’ve never really explain it ever until now. I guess it’s just a way for my personal brain to synthesize it and compute it all. It makes no sense to anybody else.”
I’ve heard a plethora of different ways that artists have memorized music in my life, both learning music and as a writer covering the genre. I don’t think I’ve ever quite heard this explanation before, and it’s undoubtedly fascinating. I guess that’s what happens when you’re a microbiologist turned ACM-nominated artist, however.
“Gary”
Stephen Wilson Jr. Tour Dates
2/26 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center ^
2/27 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena ^
2/28 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ^
3/6 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! #
3/7 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe #
3/10 – Cleveland, OH – The Agora #
3/11 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore #
3/14 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY #
3/18 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues #
3/21 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount #
3/22 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre #
3/25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore #
3/28 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore #
4/11 – Bossier City, LA – The Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Bossier City #
4/15 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant #
4/17 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre #
4/18 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom #
4/22 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha #
4/24 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee #
4/25 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed #
6/6 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festival *
7/18 – Whitefish, MT – Under the Big Sky Festival *
* – Festival
# – Gary The Torch tour
^ – Supporting Eric ChurchThe post “It Helped Me Memorize Music”: Stephen Wilson Jr. Says He Sees Shapes & Colors While Playing Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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