[quote author=”Sofia Donovan” source=””]“…The singers that have inspired me have always had a certain melancholic and mysterious tone to their voices so I think I definitely had an effect on my own voice…”[/quote]
How did it feel to work on you EP Square one?
- Square One was really the first time I had stepped into a studio and had the opportunity to record my own songs. It was completely magical to see how my producer Steve Sale was able to bring my songs to life. It was an overall great first experience!
Living in England, a land of great musicians, how did that influence you?
- Living in London gave me an appreciation for raw organic talent. Nowadays artists can sometimes be produced to the point where when they perform live they are almost unrecognizable. However, I feel like most of the talent that has come out of England is excellent live.
What are your top three musicians/bands?
- Musicians like Adele, James Bay and Ellie Goulding can blow your mind both in a recording and in a low key acoustic performance. That versatility is something that value immensely.
What inspired square one?
- Square One was inspired by a combination of things since it was an accumulation of songs I had written before the age of 16. I’d say it’s a mix of looking back on my first relationship, navigating growing up and beginning to explore the world of storytelling.
“…That versatility is something that value immensely.”
There is a certain maturity, an old soul feeling behind your voice, why’d you think that’s the case?
- Thank you! I grew up listening to musicians from the 70s, like Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan as that is what my parents loved. I think that growing up listening to musicians much older than me may have affected the way I sing my songs. The singers that have inspired me have always had a certain melancholic and mysterious tone to their voices so I think I definitely had an effect on my own voice.
What is music to you? How would you describe your music and where do you think it will take you?
- Music to me is a form of therapy. I am a strange combination of a crazy creative and emotional yet analytical person which you could imagine sometimes causes for some mixed and confusing feelings. Yet it’s always been that for the few minutes I am listening to a great song, or working on a new song everything makes sense. Mixing words and melodies is the only way I can truly express and deal with how I am feeling sometimes. When I am writing or singing I am 100% honest with myself and the audience, I hold nothing back. Music is a way to be completely free to express how you feel.
Why name your second EP left to the clouds?
- ‘Left To the Clouds’ kind of follows this idea of being free. The song itself deals with the idea of the pressure to be perfect, whether it be in a relationship, in the physical sense or in your life. Left To the Clouds is about the moment you realize you can’t control everything and you start embracing imperfections. This statement kind of summed up what I was going through while writing this EP and ultimately at the heart of every song on the EP is the message of self-acceptance and honestly just learning to cut yourself some slack. This is why I named the EP after the song.
If you had to pick one song that you feel you connect the most, which one would it be?
- It changes every day! But right now I’d say Note To Tennessee. This is because it’s a song about what it’s like to try and ‘make it’ in the music business. The line ‘even if you want someone ’till the point you’re done, doesn’t mean you’ll be enough.’ is directly about how unpredictable the music business is. You can never expect that wanting it will be enough, you have to have drive and you have to be very focused on certain goals to build up your audience. This is something that is sometimes hard to do so this song is a way to always remind myself to keep going and to rely on myself.
What’s your opinion of music and fashion mixing together? (I ask because you are really stylish)
- Thank you! I have always loved fashion and now I have begun to see it as a tool that you can use as a musician to build off your sound or your story. When I play a show I really want to create a certain atmosphere even before I start singing, for me fashion is a way to do this.
One word to describe each EP?
- Square One would be ‘Growing Up’ (technically 2 words haha) Left To the Clouds would be ‘Freedom’
“Square One would be ‘Growing Up’ (technically 2 words haha) Left To the Clouds would be ‘Freedom’…”
For more of Sofia Donovan
