Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: To start from the beginning, my family has always loved music, which is why my brother took piano lessons and I was enrolled in vocal lessons from a really young age. My mother always sang to me as a little girl, and my cousin and I used to put on pretty elaborate “concerts” that we would perform for my grandparents, because we both just loved to sing. By doing this I became so in love with pop music and the way these pop artists performed on stage and how exciting it all was. I think this really impacted the way I write, I always try to create a song that my younger self would dance and sing to.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Chloe Sofia”?
A: I honestly just hope to gain fans by putting out relatable, catchy, and heart-felt songs. And although I enjoy posting on social media and hope to gain fans with some of that content, at the end of the day I just want dedicated fans that love my music. But as for a message I might like to deliver, I just want people to know that my music is meant to make people feel heard, as I write a lot about my life and I feel that a lot of my experiences are shared.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Currently, I think I’m finding a lot of my inspiration being drawn from Chapell Roan, not only her music but what she has to say as well. Though her vocal techniques have become apparent in my own voice, I was really inspired to continue my musical journey when I heard the speech she gave at the Grammys. She advocated for artists who are just starting out in the music business, which was obviously very close to home, and really made me feel like I could make a career for myself in the industry feeling well supported by my employer. In terms of general inspiration for my music, I honestly just do a lot of reading. From reading novels, it’s easy to find clever lines or interesting perspectives that are also usable for song concepts.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Pulse.”?
A: Before even writing the lyrics or coming up with a melody of any sort, I had actually thought of the song as a comic book story in my head. In this story, there’s a guy, who’s actually a robot that steals girls’ organs to replace his own with. But no one seems to suspect him for anything when they start to notice the missing girls, because his outward appearance leads people to believe that he would have never done anything. This is the message behind pulse, it’s basically saying that he’s so pretty on the outside, but hollow and heartless within (hence the lyric “keep pretending you got a pulse).
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: I think if I had to choose one word, it would have to be “clever”. I think of this for my lyrics of course, but also the track. I like to place synths in nice spots and add different riffs in the buildups/big parts of the song.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Pulse”?
A: The hardest part of the process was finishing the writing and arrangements. I had first come up with the story and the main hook sometime in August, but took a really long break before getting back to it and finishing in December. I had known what I wanted the message in the song to be and the story I was telling, but I found it hard to try and figure out how I was going to say it. And because I’m usually very intricate with lyrics as I try to make them clever but to the point. But it was very difficult to try and be clever when I had such a big story to try and paint out. And as for the arrangements, the chording wasn’t too difficult because I play the guitar, but writing the other parts was a big challenge and I felt a little in over my head trying to explain to drummers and bassists what I was hearing in my head. But after all that was finished, the recording and production was a peaceful process.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I think the message I’m trying to send people through my music is that I know how they feel. Whether it be through heartbreak, or jealousy, or joy, I try to capture my experiences and the way I feel through my songs, and I think that a lot of people often feel the same way as I do. As for my goals, I would say my short-term aspirations are to hit 10k streams, grow my following to 2k, do more media, and have another song out by the end of the year. But for long term goals, I hope to one day to tour with my songs, put out an album, and attend the Junos, which I realize is very ambitious but I believe If I put in the work, it might happen in time.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: I think my number one choice of artist to collaborate with would have to be Avril Lavigne. Of course there’s the reason that I’m Canadian and I’d love to work with an artist I grew up listening to, but I also love her edgy style and feel. It would contrast my calmer vibe really nicely. In a song with Avril Lavigne, I could imagine a nice, clean, calm start to the verse and then a buildup to a big punk-rock chorus.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: First and most importantly, I would strongly advise mastering (to some degree) your craft. If someone wanting to become a singer/songwriter and put out music came to me asking for advice, the first thing I would say is to make sure you are putting out a good product. Then, you need to find the right people to work with, whether it be a band, a producer, a manager, or anything in between. It’s important to work with people who get what you’re going for and support you. Finally, try to build up a following on social media to hype up your potential releases or push out your songs.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: As I’m fifteen at the moment, I hope that I will gain a lot more words of wisdom as I go through life. For the time being I’ll have to get back to you on this question in 3-4 business years!
