Sufjan Stevens releases two new songs for Pride month

Sufjan Stevens has released two new songs in honor of Pride month, the annual June celebration of the LGBTQ community.

Titled “Love Yourself” and “With My Whole Heart,” the new tracks will support two organizations that provide assistance to LGBTQ and homeless children: the Ali Forney Center in New York and the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit.

Stevens says he started working on “Love Yourself” 20 years ago. He released a 1996 demo of the song along with the finished version.

”With My Whole Heart” is a new composition. Stevens says he challenged himself to “write an upbeat and sincere love song without conflict, anxiety or self-deprecation.”

The new songs are Stevens’ first releases since his pair of “Tonya Harding” songs, dedicated to the controversial former figure skater, in December 2017, and the Christmas single ”Lonely Man of Winter” last year.

Read more at USA Today.