Steven Halpern
Steven Halpern is an American new-age musician and Grammy nominee who is often seen as a founding figure of the genre. He started out in New York playing trumpet and guitar, then moved to California in the late 1960s to create music focused on relaxation. He called his style “anti-frantic” and made minimalist, ambient pieces with non-traditional Western tones and Eastern influences. Halpern believes music can heal, and MTV once called him “the original new age artist” as he began performing in 1969.
His first album, Spectrum Suite (1976), is regarded as one of the first true new-age albums. He marketed his music independently, selling at health-food stores, yoga events, and other alternative retailers, which helped him build a dedicated audience. By the mid-1990s he had sold millions of copies. He released more than 50 albums; Deja-Blues (2000) was his biggest chart success, reaching #18 on the Billboard Top New Age Albums chart. Halpern helped shape the philosophy of new-age music, aiming to balance listeners’ chakras and reduce stress. He wrote two books, Tuning the Human Instrument and Sound Health, and has given readings and lectures with his performances.
He has been involved in self-help recordings using hypnosis and subliminal cues and has worked on long-duration tracks for medical distress. His work has been linked to John Bradshaw’s programs in the self-help field. He received the Crystal Award in 1989 and a Grammy nomination in 2013 for Deep Alpha. In 2014 he appeared in the documentary The Business of Disease, where he spoke about the healing power of sound.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:24 (CET).