#IMMusicMonday: Getting To Know Sophie Griffiths
16 year old Essex based singer-songwriter Sophie Griffiths talks to IndustryMe about her musical influences, upcoming music and more.
What made you first want to get into music?
Well, I’ve always loved music all my life I come from quite a musical family but I’ve always sung in the bathroom. My music teacher at secondary school put me in for a music performance at school and it sounds silly now, but at the time, it felt like quite a big deal and it was the first time I sung in front of people. And then afterwards, I just loved the rush of performing. I’ve done it ever since then
How did your friends and family react when you told them you wanted to pursue music?
So my friends and family were really supportive, my mums a pianist so she shares my love for music as well. They’re just really supportive, my friends all come to my gigs.
Who would you say are your biggest musical inspirations?
I love Motown so I love Stevie Wonder but I also love up and coming artists like, you might not have heard them but people like Grace Carter, Charlotte James Smith. I really like the stripped back version of writing and stuff and stuff that is personal to me. I like songs with a lot of emotion in them so yeah just people around me really and how I react to that situation influences my writing.
Where did you get the inspiration for your single Beauty? What’s the story behind that?
So the overall message is I find myself comparing myself to people on social media and I think a lot of people do it in this era. So I realised beauty’s not all about the way you look I think it’s about personality as well. Beauty comes from within is a re-occurring lyric, it’s basically about if you’re beautiful inside then that’s all that really matters and people that can’t see that don’t really deserve you in a way.
What would you say is your process for writing new music?
So I always write when I’m going through something, an emotion, whether it is if I feel like I’m drifting with a friend I will write about that. So I will get an emotion, write some cords, so I play the piano and write some cords, the melody and lyrics sort of depends on the song really.
How would you describe your music and sound to someone who had never listened to you before?
I’d say its soulful pop I try to diversify from the usual sound, so I will try and create something that’s not been done before like the typical electro pop. I like quite an acoustic sound with like the lyrical content being quite poppy and stuff people are able to connect too and sing along with.
How did it feel when you were endorsed by the BBC music introducing page and shared on Instagram by Olivia Buckland?
It was amazing the boys that I busked with the drummer and guitarist didn’t actually know who she was and I was so excited I had to stop what I was doing and ring all my friends. The BBC Introducing was a massive achievement for me as well because I feel like its just recognition for something ive written and it’s amazing.
It must be crazy to get recognition from such big figures at such a young age.
oh yeah definitely, I never expect it. I just enjoy making music.
What can we expect to see from you in the future? Are you working on any exciting projects?
The last single from my EP, I’m doing a scatter release so I’m releasing them every other month as singles then that’s like the whole EP coming together in a few months. I’ve got a gig at the O2 Academy Islington in June where I will be promoting my EP and I’m currently writing my second EP. Hopefully I’m gonna be doing some festivals in the summer, but local ones.
How was the experience of going into a recording studio and recording your EP?
It’s been really good, I go in with two different producers and the first producer bettered my musical knowledge and my musicality. The other one I sometimes write with and co-write my songs with which has really helped as well with people you can bounce ideas off. The first EP mainly I wrote, it improves working with other musicians and just being a better artist I think.
If you could only listen to one musician forever, who would it be and why?
Stevie Wonder I’ve always listened to him since I was younger and I just love his voice. Like when you’re listening to him you know nothing is going to go wrong, I just love his voice. I think he sounds like no one else he’s a legend.
How would you say you’ve grown as an artist since you first started song writing?
I feel like I’ve found my sound now in comparison to when I started. I think one of the first times I wrote was with a friend at my secondary school, she’d written before so she kind of introduced me to it. But I had written a bit before that, so that was more guitar based but now I feel like I’m getting more into actual pop and sort of like testing my boundaries now. In my second EP it’s a bit more upbeat, as well as the solo ballads you will see on my first EP so I’m diversifying and being experimental.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Oh god, that’s a difficult one. I mean id love to grow the people that are listening to my music now and I’d love to have a bigger base of music who listen. Obviously that’s my main aim is to share music with the biggest amount of people that I can. I’d love to grow that and have a bigger fan base in five years. I’d love to co-write with other talented people too who are more well-known than I am, I’d love to do that.
Who would be your dream collaboration?
Em, I’d love with, this is really hard. There’s so many, maybe a Motown artist like Etta James because I mean she’d absolutely champ all over my vocals but I think she would just have been an amazing person to have worked with.
Do you have any final shout outs or plugs?
Just my social media’s, and my O2 Islington gig in June.