On Production, Fashion, and Her Upcoming Single “2AM (And I Did It Again)”: An Interview With Sophia Bel
Montreal-based singer-producer Sophie Bel has been in the game since releasing her debut single “Goodbyes” in 2016, but her attachment to music formed much sooner, from laying on the floor and singing along to Britney Spears at five, to putting her lyrics to music at fifteen. With her new single “2AM (And I Did It Again)” releasing November 10th and debut LP Anxious Avoidant out next spring 2022, she’s now embracing a new emo-pop, angsty, Avril Lavigne-reminiscent sound with unparalleled wit, authenticity, and honesty.
Over a Zoom call linking us between Montreal and Los Angeles, we chatted about her early love for music, how she’s overcoming her insecurities and vulnerabilities in her lyricism, and what she’s excited for fans to hear in the coming year.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What do you love about making music?
[SOPHIA BEL]: It’s always been a way to channel my emotions, a form of therapy for me, especially when I was younger. As a child and teen, music was a way for me to express what I wanted to say that I wasn’t able to and to soothe that fear of communication that I had. Now I’m learning how to affirm myself, be in the present moment, and communicate better.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How do you normally approach the process, or does it change from song to song?
[SOPHIA BEL]: You can’t plan when you have ideas. Sometimes, I have an idea for a lyric or a theme I want to write about or a fraction of a song that I write down or record on my phone. Other times, it’s the sounds. I’ll have a feeling that I’m processing and will want to write about but it’s not coming to me clearly, so experimenting with sounds will help those ideas come through. There’s no clear recipe.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I understand you produce all of your own work. What do you love about the production process?
[SOPHIA BEL]: I’m a control freak! I enjoy having control over what I’m doing and being able to make what I’m thinking in my head. To do it myself is very satisfying. For me, it’s harder to trust that I can rely on people for help. I had to learn how to delegate so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed and how to open myself up to other people’s perspectives and approaches creatively.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How has your process changed from when you were younger?
[SOPHIA BEL]: This year, I picked up my guitar again and I hadn’t done that in almost a decade, back when I started putting my words to music at fifteen. It felt like I’d learned so many new ways to create and that it had gone full circle. It brought back a lot of memories and nostalgia because I was writing and singing at a young age. When I was six, I would draw and write cringy poems in diaries, and I knew all the Britney Spears songs when I was five, then it was Avril Lavigne when I was nine. I would lay on the floor, look at the ceiling, and sing. And I remember thinking, “One day, I want to write songs like that.” Then at fifteen, the writing and singing came together.
[UNPUBLISHED]: So you’ve been making music for several years now! You released your first ever single “Goodbyes” back in December of 2016. How would you say it differs from the music you’re writing and making now? How do you think you’ve grown as an artist?
[SOPHIA BEL]: Back then, I was worried about being cool. I always felt like I was so uncool. And in that stage of my life, I was in music school in the jazz program and it wasn’t cool to be writing acoustic pop songs. I was fishing for validation more and worried about what people would think. I felt like my music had to be something that people would listen to at a party or club but now I’ve come to not care about the purpose of my music. Music has so many different purposes for different people and I don’t have to be the kind of music that people twerk to. What’s important is being authentic to me and if that means writing sentimental pop ballads that people will listen to when they’re sad, that’s what I’m gonna do.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Now on the 10th, you have a brand-new single coming out “2AM (And I Did It Again)”. For you, what is the song about?
[SOPHIA BEL]: It’s about overthinking and the feeling of not being able to communicate something. In the song, I’m writing until there’s no more ink in my pen. It expresses the feeling of obsession, being unable to sleep, an anxious state of mind where you feel like you’re going to blow up because you’re holding it in rather than saying things.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What do you love about this new single?
[SOPHIA BEL]: I love how catchy it is, that it’s taking something that comes from a place of pain and anxiety and turning it into something with a lightweight, playful, mood-boosting energy. It’s not a sad song, it’s definitely angsty but with an uplifting feeling. I like turning pain into growth because it’s what we experience from our struggles and gives a purpose to the bad things we experience.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I absolutely loved the music video that accompanies it. It felt very carefree and fun, and you’re sporting all these incredible looks throughout while frolicking in the streets and countryside. What was it like filming it? Are you one to be shy or self-conscious when filming in public?
[SOPHIA BEL]: I definitely get self-conscious but I don’t let it dictate what I’m doing. If I’d been in Montreal around people that I knew, I would be but I was halfway across the world so that helped with not caring what people thought. What’s weird is that I don’t get a lot of anxiety or fear or stress when there’s a camera. If it’s a live show, I’ll be much more reserved but the more I perform, the more I break out of my shell.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You also changed your look frequently throughout the video! Who would you name or cite as fashion influences?
[SOPHIA BEL]: I love making mood boards on Pinterest. Japanese street style is very inspiring to me, especially from FRUiTS, a Japanese magazine. The silhouettes, the funkiness, it’s all fun and colorful. And lately, I’ve been into layering long skirts, which you see in Japanese street style.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Did you use your own clothes during the shoot?
[SOPHIA BEL]: Yes, the styling in that video was mostly me but the director Leah also helped out. There were a few items that she brought, like there’s one outfit with a red skirt. I had prepared a bunch of looks because I do a lot of altering and making my own outfits from scratch. Most of the outfits in the video are stuff I’ve thrifted, modified, customized.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Looking forward to next year, I know that you have a debut album releasing early 2022. What are you most excited for fans to hear?
[SOPHIA BEL]: I’m excited but also terrified! It’s the most vulnerable I’ve ever been in my music. When writing these songs, I was deliberately not limiting myself in what I said even if things were too intense. I’m expressing what I don’t necessarily like about myself, like feeling clingy and anxious. In one sense, the world will know how crazy I am but I also need to be kinder to myself and not be in that mindset. They’re feelings that so many people go through, so it will be pretty relatable for a lot of people. I just have to be proud of my flaws and not let them dictate my happiness.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Assuming you’ll be able to go on tour following the album release, where would you love to travel to?
[SOPHIA BEL]: I’m honestly not much of a traveler, I like staying in my cozy little nest. But maybe warm tropical places that have palm trees and beaches because in Canada, we don’t get much of that. I’d love to go to Chicago because I have family there and they could come see me. I’d like to play in France and the UK, too.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What are you looking forward to as your career progresses?
[SOPHIA BEL]: I’m looking forward to writing better songs. As I make more music, I see a progression and get excited about what I’m going to do next, what I want to improve. That’s what motivates me.
