Steff Neff

Authentic, striking, and talented twenty-one years old, Houston-based singer Steff Neff is ready to take the world by storm. Neff’s music is strongly rooted in dark pop, with candy-coated pop melodies and emotive lyrics. A seasoned lyricist and sophisticated musician, Neff has signed with Strega Entertainment Group and is looking forward to her next move.
Neff has already received accolades from professionals in the music industry. Taylor Swift’s former manager, Rick Barker, and Tom Mckinney, former voice teacher of Beyonce and Demi Lovato, both have recognized and boasted about her voice, determination, and incredible talent. Neff was one of 27 applicants chosen internationally to participate in the “It All Starts with A Song” songwriting retreat hosted by the former VP of Warner Chappell Music Group, Judy Stakee in 2017. Neff has an impressive performance background as well. She has played at many events/venues including Springboard Music Festival and The House of Blues.
“Mine”, her latest song, is an empowering, sincere and liberating anthem. The music video shows a brand-new sunny day signifying a fresh start without the burden of the past. Neff holds a power stance throughout the video; she will not back down. She sings her heart out on the roof of a building in the middle of the city, ready to conquer the world – as declared in her Twitter bio, “Just a girl, her piano, and a plan to take over the world nbd.” The lyrics to “Mine” make it known that she won’t give away any piece of herself; not her heart, soul or dignity. Neff knows her self-worth and will walk away confident, dignified and independent. - Vents Magazine

Houston-based singer Steff Neff premieres the music video for “Mine” on CelebMix, a song about not compromising or giving away any part of herself – her heart, her soul, or her dignity.

While by no means a punk rock riot grrrl, Neff certainly exudes a similar confident independent attitude, making it clear who she is on her Twitter bio: “Just a girl, her piano, and a plan to take over the world nbd.”

At only twenty-one years of age, Neff’s sound embraces dark pop, utilizing sugary pop elements along with affecting lyricism. Her sound has already won a bevy of admirers, including Rick Barker, former manager of Taylor Swift, and Tom McKinney, who polished the voices of Beyonce and Demi Lovato. Invited to take part in Judy Stakee’s “It All Starts with A Song” songwriting retreat, Neff has performed at the Springboard Music Festival and The House of Blues.

A classically trained musician, Neff recently signed with Strega Entertainment, whose roll call of artists includes the crème de la crème.

“Mine” begins with a gorgeous piano, elegant and eloquent, followed by the entry of Neff’s crystalline, potent voice. Replete with dark underlying harmonics, the alt-pop melody pulses with surging energy. The rhythmic throb encompasses reverberating deep tones and syncopated percussion. Flowing harmonics, accented by gloriously radiant strings, infuse the music with imposing textures, as luminous, echoing background harmonies add complex sonic flavors.

Neff’s voice, an instrument of sublime expression, is reminiscent of Adele, but enfolds more projection, clarity, and sonic pressure. This is a diva’s voice. Once you’ve heard it, you won’t forget it because of its electrifying timbres and mounting tones.

The lyrics pour out raw emotion and resolute determination.

“Tell me are you happy now / That you’ve left me lying here on the ground / With thorns in my heart and a dagger in my back / And somehow you got away without a scratch / But you won’t have my heart / You won’t have my soul / That’s mine / You won’t have my dignity / Not a single piece of me / Not my mind / That’s mine.” - Celebmix

KATY (Covering Katy News)—The songs in Katy musician Steff Neff’s new EP, Mine, can relate to those who have overcome rough patches in their lives.

“It kind of tells the story of a girl in a bad relationship and then finding herself, and realizing what’s important,” Neff said. “If you’re going to take care of yourself, you have to stand up for yourself.”

To be sure, Neff is doing fine. Yet she describes her new, five-song EP as a change from what she’s done in the past. So much so that she’s removed her previous music from her web site. The focus is in the present, looking forward.

“I’ve kind of rebranded since then, just because I’ve gone in a new direction with my sound, and didn’t want to confuse my audience with something that was so different from what I’ve done;” Neff said. “I really feel like this is my debut. What’s gone before was a great learning experience, and I found great people I still work with today. This really represents who I am right now and that’s really cool. I really show different sides of myself in my album. This is just the start of my career.”

The first song, “Forget You,” is an emotional song, “talking about not being able to get over this guy,” Neff said, adding that by song’s end the tone changes. It’s the beginning, not the end, of the story.

The second song, “Fall in Love,” was inspired by a former University of Kansas classmate for which she had an infatuation, but the relationship instead turned a warm friendship.

“He’s one of my best friends,” Neff said. “We’re really close. He’s actually a roommate of one of my other friends.”

As for her education, Neff, 21, is pursuing a marketing degree online at Penn State University. Taking classes online is more conducive to her music activities and schedule, she said.

Neff described the third song, “Escape,” as one of the darker songs on the EP. She said she wrote it while a senior in high school. She wrote the song, she thought, as a way of dealing with those issues. But since then, she realized the song talks about living in what she described as a cage of mistakes.

“I realized it was more of an introspective thing,” she said. “I’m really hard on myself and I keep myself in that cage of mistakes sometimes. It’s a really cool concept to explore. It’s a good story.”

Neff described “Mine,” the title track, as her father’s favorite song on the EP, and it’s becoming her favorite as well. She said she wrote the song about the music industry. She wrote it while attending a music festival and was feeling beat down and overwhelmed at that event. People seemed to want a piece of her while not believing in her, she said. Her response was that they couldn’t have her heart, soul, or dignity.

“It’s what makes me, me, and I’m not willing to give that away,” Neff said. “I wanted to put that into a song. It’s a power anthem. I turned it into this message about overcoming any adversity by believing in yourself. It’s perfect for the title track. It captures what I’m trying to say in the album.”

Neff wrote the fifth song, “Just a Start,” while in high school. “It’s a very positive message,” Neff said. “It’s kind of echoing off of mine, but adding to it, saying that I’ve overcome adversity, this is just the beginning of my story.”

To hear clips of Neff’s music or learn about her upcoming performance schedule, visit her website at steffneff.com. - Covering Katy News