Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: Hey! I’m Sophia, I’m 19 years old and I’m from a tiny town called Everett in Ontario, Canada! I’ve been making music for as long as I can remember, my parents say I just about came out of the womb singing. I always knew that I wanted to pursue music in one form or another, but when I started songwriting, it was instant love. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I was actually vocally trained in the classical genre from when I was 5-16 years old. I competed in musical theatre and classical categories in local and provincial competitions, which I loved! There was definitely a lot of experience and technique learned through those days. I taught myself how to play piano by ear, and started songwriting when I was around 10 years old.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: I was very inspired at a young age by anyone who had a great story to tell. I loved -and still love- Sara Bareilles, Taylor Swift, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, such classic female songwriters.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Dance With Myself’. Is there a story behind it?
A: I wrote Dance With Myself at a time when I needed to claim back territory in my own life. There were pieces of myself that I felt like I’d lost while trying to please everyone and make everyone happy. My identity was far too tethered to my failures or successes, and how other people felt about them as well. Dance With Myself is the call back to myself that I had longed for, and a stake in the ground for my own freedom.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: I am currently working on the next project! This new music feels so special to me, and so authentic to who I want to be as an artist. I’m really excited for everyone to hear it!
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I am always very focused on making sure that the message I want to share is properly conveyed. I want the listener to be able to find solace in the words, whether it’s because they relate to it, or because it’s something they needed to hear. I would describe my sound as pop with some more raw/vintage elements within it.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I would say I derive the most fulfilment from the music reaching the person listening. Creating the track itself is an insanely cool experience, and creating the visuals and content that come with the track is beautiful and exciting, but once the song gets to belong to someone other than me, that’s when it feels the most special. I can’t expect anything more than that. It’s an awesome experience.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: I always want to write from a deep place of honesty. Usually I sit down to write with a particularly strong emotion, and that’s when the music flows the best. I write most of my music at the old piano that came with the house I live in! After writing, I usually bring it to my team and amazing producer, and we shape where the song goes from there. It always feels surreal watching it go from bare bones to the final product.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Overall, in every fire I’ve had to walk through in life, there has had to be an element of trust that things will work out the way they are supposed to. The music industry is always changing, and I’ve had moments in the past where the uncertainty hits harder than normal, and you feel a bit like a hamster on a wheel! Those are the moments where you have to remind yourself that your worth as a human being isn’t tied to your accomplishments or lack thereof, and whatever is meant to be will be.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I released my first 6 track EP last July, it’s called “Marathon”. That was a really beautiful and cathartic process. It’s my first baby and was like a live documentation of my life at that time & entrance into the music industry, and the start of finding out just how much I love this. I’m very proud of how it turned out, and the people it was able to reach.
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