Stephen Spencer’s songs are born inside the imagination of his 3-year-old daughter. Thanks to Spencer, who is a music lecturer at Hunter College in New York City, songs like "Purple Bear Princess" are enjoying long life on social media, becoming viral sensations when he transforms his daughter’s musings into full-blown melodies. “I’m always inspired by the strange and beautiful things my 3-year-old daughter comes up with,” he said. The collaboration began soon after his daughter could talk. Spencer would express his musical whimsy by singing things back to her, making impromptu songs about whatever she just said. Eventually, he turned these musical moments into real songs, sitting at his piano to mix his daughter’s words with notes and chords and catchy beats. Spencer’s social media followers surged from 34 to 340,000, with more than 30 million people playing his songs. A lot of fans have asked Spencer to make an album, but his response is: “For now, I’m just enjoying sharing the joy that comes with making music together.”
