Sparkbird is the stage name of Stephan Nance, a Portland, Oregon-based singer-songwriter specializing in poetic piano pop-rock. In 2012, following a modest tour of vegan-friendly frozen yogurt shops, they released their debut album, A Troubled Piece of Fruit. The album enjoyed favorable reviews, and the song “Japanese Garden” earned a nomination in the 2012 OUTMusic Awards.

This marginal success was followed by a prolonged interval of trauma-induced creative block, which lasted from 2013 until 2016.