Search

Los Angeles native releases hypnotic debut at the ripe old age of 20.

Sophia Black was signed to Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records when she was 13. (The producer reached out to Black via YouTube!) Now, at the ripe old age of 20, she’s finally released her eponymous debut. It’s a five-song collection of stories-as-songs, told in sophisticated R&B beats, smart lyrics and and unconventional melodies. The stories of love and loss were influenced by everyone from ‘90s R&B girls groups such as Destiny’s Child and Aaliyah, geniuses such as Stevie Wonder, female powerhouses like Bjork, and techno impresarios such as Kraftwerk.

“I just wrote what was on my heart and my mind,” she says. “I followed the story as it was happening in my life.” And the album release was her big summer event. Black says, “It’s really awesome to see that all this music I’ve kept hostage is finally free!”

Hometown and homebase: I was born and raised in Los Angeles! I’m still thriving in the city of angels.

Why is your EP self-titled?

The EP is self-titled because I was inspired by the events in my life that were occurring at the time and lessons that were learned during the process of writing the EP, so I thought it would be appropriate to have it self-titled.

I read that you were raised in a musical family. What things did you do growing up that fed your creativity?

I was constantly surrounded by music growing up. My mom is movie orchestrator / musical genius, and my dad is what I like to call a "working musician" - he produces, plays, engineers, and pretty much does everything. Growing up my parents and I would always sing out every action we did. Whether it was washing the dishes or doing the laundry, we would always put those actions into a melody. My childhood was basically a broadway musical.

Talk about the first time you realized you wanted to sing and perform for others.

I always knew I loved entertaining people and making them smile. I loved the way I could instantly cheer someone up by dancing, singing, or even simply being goofy. I don’t think there was a defining moment where I realized I wanted to sing and perform for others, it was just something that was obvious to me.

Do you remember the first song you ever wrote? What was it about?

(Laughs.) Oh goodness … I think the first song I ever wrote and recorded was this song called “Vibrate.” I was about 5 or 6 years old and I wanted to make a song, so my dad made a quick little beat for me in Logic, handed me the mic, and let me freestyle. Now that I listen to it, it’s a pretty inappropriate song for a 6-year-old to sing but my dad was trying to explain what reverb was and described it as a “vibration,” so in my mind I was singing about reverb the whole time but the lyrics to the song was “we do vibrate” and then a location. Coincidentally, my first single was a song called “Vibration.”

Who are your musical heroes and why do they inspire you?

I would have to say my musical heroes are Stevie Wonder, Bjork, and Frank Ocean. Stevie has an incredible amount of soul and emotion to his voice that I admire so much. I’ve been to his concerts three times and have cried at every one! (Laughs.)

Bjork is a badass, not only does she produce a lot of her music but her range and tone is incredible. Every album of hers is so well-produced and arranged. Though we haven’t heard from Frank in a while, he’s undoubtedly one of the best lyricists of our time. He’s a lyrical ninja that will surprise you by the depth in his words every time you listen to his song. Whenever I find myself going through a writer’s block, I’ll listen to Frank’s mixtapes and albums to unclog the block.

Did getting discovered at 13 make you feel like you matured faster than other kids?

I wouldn’t say that getting discovered at a young age made me feel like I matured any faster, but I definitely think that everyone has their own timing when it comes to self-growth. Since I was young, I had friends that were older than me and I think that helped me view things a little differently or “faster” if you would like to call it.

Would you have changed anything about getting a record deal at such a young age?

I try to live a life of no regrets. Sure I would handle a few things differently, but without making those mistakes or going through those events in the past I wouldn’t have been able to be where I’m at right now.

What's the best thing about growing up in SoCal? How does it help your music?

The best thing about growing up in LA is all the culture that’s action packed into this small city. I feel like everyone moves here from somewhere so there’s a lot of different faces, foods, languages, etc… I definitely implement that into my music.

What was your first instrument?

Though my mom is a piano mastermind and my dad is a guitar genius, I’ve never learned how to play an instrument properly. I’ve self-taught myself the ukulele and I can play piano by ear, but can’t really play. (Laughs.)

You said your EP followed the story of what was happening in your life. Is love and heartbreak the main fodder for you music right now?

I just like to write what I feel or events that are happening in my life. I wouldn’t say that I solely write about love and heartbreak, but those are things that are part of life. I also love to write about self-empowerment and being happy…

What's your songwriting process like?

I say that the process always depends on who I work with that day, the vibes have to be good. If you connect with your fellow producer or songwriter, then chances are your songs are going to be good. As far as writing lyrics go, one time someone told me that I write in pictures and to me it really fit the description of my writing process. I love to read books, and when I do, it’s as if I have a little tv in my mind and I can perfectly see what the author is writing or feel what the character is feeling. With that in mind, I applied it to my songwriting process. If I wrote lyrics as if I was writing a story, I’ll be able to project this crystal clear image into the listener’s mind. I wanted to create a different experience to listening to music, and I think this way it makes that process a lot more intimate.

What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done for you?

Nothing crazy so far, but it’s pretty crazy to imagine that there are people out there listening to my music and memorizing the lyrics… I almost died on staged when I saw someone mouthing the words to "OVR AGN."

Who’s your biggest songwriting influence right now?

Right now I’m listening to a lot of Hiatus Kaiyote, the quality in their music is absolutely phenomenal. I also love digging deep into the pits of soundcloud for obscure trap-jazz.

How do you describe your music to people who haven't heard it before?

I never know what to describe my music as, but I guess it’s a good thing. Some people call it “blog-pop” and some have called it “experimental r&b-pop.” People are getting pretty creative with the genre names!

Close

Press esc to close.
Close
Press esc to close.
Close

Connecting to your webcam.

You may be prompted by your browser for permission.