At just seventeen years old, Indiana-based singer/songwriter Sophia Stephens is already beginning to make a real name for herself. She’s already penned over 300 songs and is planning the release of her debut full-length album sometime this summer. Her latest single ‘Fervor’ was a tune that I absolutely fell in love with, and still listen to daily.
Desperate to know more about the gifted young artist, I was extremely grateful when she agreed to an interview! Chatting with us about some of her earliest musical memories, how it feels to know that so many people are listening to her music, and what her goals are for the rest of the year, please give a warm welcome to our new friend Sophia Stephens!
Hello and welcome Sophia! I’m super excited to introduce you to our audience! For those who haven’t discovered your musical prowess just yet, who is Sophia Stephens and when did your love affair with music begin?
Hi, my name is Sophia Stephens and I’m a seventeen-year-old singer/songwriter! Music has always been such an important part of my life, some of my earliest memories are of sitting in the car listening to the radio. I’ve always been writing music, as long as I’ve been able to think. I remember I would sit on the kindergarten playground and hum songs to myself while I played with other kids. However, I got really serious about writing and creating music when I entered high school and COVID hit. With all that free time I was able to throw a lot of energy into what I was creating.
I’ve fallen incredibly hard for your brand new single ‘Fervor’. It just has such an original and authentic sound! So refreshing! How proud are you of the tune and what do you want the world to know about it?
‘Fervor’ is such a fun song, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. I hope people can both resonate with the lyrics and dance to its catchiness like I know I have been throughout its writing and creative process. I wrote the song and came up with the chords in only 20 minutes and at the time I couldn’t imagine what it was about to become. This song is the perfect bridge between my last EP and my upcoming album, with many of the themes in ‘Fervor’ carrying over to my next songs.
Your song ‘Familiar’ has racked up over 10,000 plays on Spotify since its release last year. How on earth does it feel to know that so many people have heard and, more importantly, resonated with one of your songs?
I know it’s been a year, but honestly, I don’t think it’s really set in yet. I wrote it when I was in eighth grade and the fact that it’s reached so many people from across the world is insane. I’m incredibly grateful for having the opportunity to even be able to release music, and am even more so grateful that people listen.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences? And would you say that your tastes have changed over the years?
I try to listen to as many genres as I can, as there’s a lot you can learn just by listening to one song by another artist. When I first was getting serious about songwriting back in middle school and early high school I was listening to a lot of Lorde and Taylor Swift because of course. But now I would say my current favourite genre is more rock which is pretty evident when you listen to ‘Fervor’. However, my most streamed artists, who would obviously have effects on me are Florence and the Machine, Maggie Rogers, and Fleetwood Mac.
We’re always intrigued by the different approaches that bands and artists turn to in their creative process or processes. Can you tell our readers a bit about yours? How do you take an idea and turn it into a complete song?
It’s sort of weird to describe my creative process because most of the time the best way to put it is that I’ve been “possessed by the spirit of songwriting”. Basically, I don’t plan out my songs before I write, it just happens. For example, on a few occasions, I can sit down and sing for about 20 to 30 minutes nonstop and come out with about 5 or 6 new songs that are pretty decent. For ‘Fervor’, I just had the word fervor in my head and based the entire song on that. There’s usually not really an idea, the concept comes to me as I write and I fill in the blanks.
What do you love most about being a musician? And on the flip side, what are some of the biggest challenges that you’ve faced so far?
I love almost everything about being a musician. I love performing, practising, and writing. All of it is just fulfilling. However, I will say the most challenging part is promoting myself to people I already know. Talking to strangers about it, I have no problems! But if a classmate asks about my music, oftentimes it’s mildly mortifying. Even though I have faith in my songs and voice, something about it is just really vulnerable.
What are your goals for the rest of this year? Is there anything you’d like to achieve as a musician or even on a personal level?
My goals for the rest of the year are to start promoting my upcoming album and finish my vocal recordings on it. I’ve been writing and preparing these songs for ages and I want them to showcase my talents and to have as many people as possible connect with them.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Sophia! I know that you’re planning on releasing your debut album sometime this summer. Do you have a specific date in mind? And, I guess in a broader sense though, what do you hope for in your musical future?
There’s no official date yet, however if you want to stay updated you can follow me on my social media! I’m hoping in my musical future that I can get even better at performing and writing my songs so that one day I can tour or sign with a company if I desire. Or just continue as I’m doing now, by playing gigs and promoting online but to larger and larger audiences. I haven’t attended college yet and I’m sure a lot of my plans will change or be altered. I do know that music will stay with me, and I will never stop creating.
