Q&a
With Sofia Garcia
Q: Your lyrics feel like they’re pulled straight from a personal diary, raw and unfiltered. Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to be that vulnerable in your songwriting, or has it always been second nature for you?
A: I honestly wish there was a moment that I could run away from being so confessional in my writing! When I was in high school and I first took a stab at songwriting, I would at times overload my lyrics with more abstract words and took creative decisions that would hopefully mask what I was really feeling-- this was short lived, though, because it never felt truly like me. I now found that I take a lot of pride in being an emotional and reflective person! I want others to shed those fears of saying what weighs on them with those they love! I want to do the same and I realized that vulnerability, no matter how seemingly embarrassing and intimate, is very much a part of the sensitive brilliant world I want to live in. Musically where I am at is that I want someone to hear my song and see themselves reflected in my worlds, knowing then that they’re not the only one experiencing what they are experiencing (for the good or the bad).
Q: Listening to your four tracks, there’s this unique blend of folk, jazz and pop. If we were to trace that sound back to its roots, what artists or moments in your life do you think planted those musical seeds?
A: Oh man, there are so many artists that I treasure! I kinda love that those are the genres you picked up on! Over the past few years I’ve really gone on an indie bender mixed with americana or early 2000s country bangers, hah! Before this though, I grew up as the youngest of 6 children in a Colombian-American home-- anything my siblings would bring home, (Shania Twain, Blink 182, Mariah Carey, Imogen Heap, Jason Mraz), music my mother discovered or adored her whole life (Djavan, Silvio Rodriguez, The Beatles), or anything that was on the TV or Radio (insert every early 2000s banger pop star and ofc tswift) were all kinda embedded into my lil songwriter heart.
Q: Your music feels like it captures a specific moment in time, almost like a snapshot of an emotion. When you’re writing, are you trying to process your own experiences, or are you more focused on creating a space for listeners to find their own stories in your words?
A: For me it’s very much tied to what I am living when I am writing. I at times write for other folks and can tap into other mindsets and intentions, but for my solo project, I really am enamored with that humbling vulnerability of when I am unbearably sad, knowing that I am one of many, yet a lot of folks don’t feel it that way. With so much lonliness in the world, I want my songs as an artist to look into others hearts and say, hey! Im here too and life is all these things but within it all there is connection and beauty that is worth writing and sharing about... Of course my music too is an opportunity to take my sentiments and make a soundtrack to my life and really capture that essence which as a listener, has gotten me through life with the music of others <3
Q: Every artist has that ‘holy sh*t’ moment when they realize music is what they’re meant to do. What was yours?
A: I think I had an understanding that music would be in my life my whole life but it wasn’t until after high school during my 2 year sabbatical in Bogota, Colombia where I dedicated my time to songwriting everyday and I saw myself dreaming of a future of actually sharing these songs that I felt my vulnerability and strength in my future as an artist. I felt that with something to say and share, there would always be someone that needed to hear it. I also kind of have these moments every time I feel that life is perfect: I worked on a yacht for the past 3 summers and every time the sky was blue and I had a moment to play and write while on the water, or alternatively when I’m in NYC, every time that I make my train with perfect timing, I feel the rhythm of my steps and I know I want to keep on doing what I have set out to do and know that there is great value in this!
Q: If we pulled up your voice memos or notes app, what’s the weirdest or most random lyric idea you’ve saved that hasn’t made it into a song yet?
A: Ohhhh my. My notes app and voice memos truly are an inspired place haha. I will say the lyrical content doesnt weird me out as much as the heavy breathing or the context behind it! I think one of my favorites was when I was with my dear friend in the plains of colombia in 2018 and Mateo, a little boy who lived in ¨La Aurora¨, the natural reserve that we were staying on, came up to me after I had written a small song about our time there. The region is known to house a rare species of black jaguar and Mateo mimicked the sound of the jungle cat a little too well, scared me and that was the mark of the beginning of the voice memo. Super random but it takes me straight there, and for the record, a super impressive jungle cat growl hahah
Q: Let’s say your next single is getting a dream remix—any artist, any genre, no limits. Who’s your ideal collaborator, and why?
A: Oh man, in general my superbowl remix would be Imogen heap, Shakira, Charli XCX, Taylor Swift and dare I say... TPain? I know I have to pick but its like a glorious collage in my head of these creative superstars. As for my next release, its a song that is so immensely personal for me and emotionally charged with delicacy! I think all of these artists would do but if I had to pick, Imogen Heap is such a sonic mastermind and brilliant artist that I think I would die on site of collaborating and hearing her on a track of mine.
Q: You’ve got an unlimited budget to make a music video for one of your songs. What’s the most over-the-top, ridiculous concept you’d go for?
A: I’ve kind of been in the dreamscape of over-the-top stunts and production. My budget doesnt reflect that but some of my songs make me want to run for the hills with the feeling they carry and I would for sure want horses, helicopters, zero gravity, glorious beautiful dresses.
Q: Every musician has at least one song from their past that they have a love/hate relationship with. Is there one in your catalog that feels totally different to you now than when you wrote it?
A: Jesus, yes. Higher Than High my first release! I was talking about this with my artistic partner in crime and how we were very deliberate in the visualization and execution of the whole song´s universe. the sentiment, the color scheme, the synth references that literally came to my best friend in a dream (shout out a 1D song!), the marketing, the brightness of the track! We were so sure of every decision. I feel like I shedded that skin years ago but I know some folks really treasure that song that I almost feel guilty taking it down. It also reminds me of how I get sick of physical clothes and I purge my closet as often as I can to make space for new energy! I should host a funeral for it but everytime I try to retire her from the live setlist, someone protests and we bring it back! one day though! We’ll be ready for it :)