by Gillian Ching (
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I'm a freelance writer living in Brisbane who loves exploring quirky places with my dog. Join me on my quest to find, experience, and share fun things to do and interesting places to go.Please like, share and subscribe if you enjoy the articles.
Experience the sweet sounds of Brisbane Indie pop rock singer, Sophia Scott as she launches and showcases her new single "Damn Fool" at two special performances at Ashgrove's The Junk Bar, from 26 to 27 May 2023..
Following her recent previous releases,
Pity Party, We Were Almost and Fled The Alter, Sophia will treat audiences with a set featuring her new material. The shows come on the back of Sophia being selected to take part in the Brisbane City Council's
The QUBE Effect which provides 23 musical acts with the opportunity to be part of a nine-month music development program.
It is importantly a chance to network with and be mentored by some of Australia's most influential music industry experts. Artists can develop their skills, have live performance opportunities, make important industry connections and have their own music videos filmed for thousands of people to watch and vote for in the People's Choice Award.
In the lead-up to the new single launch, I asked Sophia about the song, her career to date and her hopes for the future.
What has influenced you (artistically and otherwise) in creating your new material?
With my new music, I've been heavily focusing on a full, wall-of-sound production style. I've been in the studio a lot over the past few months working on a few new songs, one, of course, being my newest single, 'Damn Fool' (out May 19th).
As my listeners may have a sense from my last release, Fled The Altar, my sound is veering into a more angsty, rock-pop soundscape. By no means are the days of my sombre ballads behind me, I've just really honed in on that 'full band' sound. For instance, every instrument you hear in the track has been played and recorded live in the studio. Even the claps which we've subtly incorporated into the outdo of 'Damn Fool' we recorded, instead of loading a sound up from a library.
I would say this is influenced heavily by my favourite bands. Like many, I'm a huge fan of Queen, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, The Stones (the list goes on) and I do carry elements of their music over into my own, while also loving modern acts like Gracie Abrams, Lana Del Rey and (my favourite contemporary band) Flyte.
Evidently, I find inspiration for my music within a range of genres, artists and eras and I feel like that naturally translates to my sound. If you were to stir pop, rock, country and folk in a mixing pot, I feel like my genre would be the result.
When it comes to lyrical inspiration, I don't have to look much further than my own life for that. Whether the lyrics are autobiographical, inspired by the experiences of people I know, or simply concepts that pop into my head, my mind is always buzzing with ideas from experiences I live, observe or imagine. 'Damn Fool' has more of a narrative writing style than my previous songs. I really enjoyed incorporating elements of specificity while also leaving room for interpretation and imagination.
Your musical career has taken some big steps forward in the last 18 months. What have been your favourite highlights?
To think that 18 months ago I had only released my first song and performed my first gig with my band, really puts into perspective for me how much has changed since then.
I now have four releases, with my next single out this May 19th, and two more in the works. I also just announced my first-ever headline show at The Junk Bar, which is definitely a nerve-racking thing to do. We have since added a second show, the following afternoon (May 27th), after the first one excitingly sold out in one day.
This year I was lucky enough to have been one of the 23 selected musical acts taking part in the Brisbane City Council's Qube Effect program for 2023, a nine-month music development program. Just a few weeks ago I played the showcase at The Triffid and watched all of the other acts as well, so far the whole program has been really great.
What can audiences expect at your upcoming show at The Junk Bar?
I'll be performing back-to-back gigs at The Junk Bar on Friday the 26th (sold out) and Saturday the 27th of May (tickets on sale) to launch my newest single, 'Damn Fool', and I won't be replicating the same show twice. Friday night will be a full band shindig, I'll be performing songs I've written alongside my brilliant band (Juliano Sabbadin, Elliot Cox and Gabriella Sabbadin). I'm thrilled to have the electric Mondeo supporting on Friday and the ethereal Emily Rink, who will be supporting both shows.
Saturday is a Matinee show, so it'll be a late afternoon gig, starting at 3:30pm. I'm really excited to show some versatility and strip back my set. We'll be trading the drums in for acoustic guitars and it will show a more tender side of my songwriting. I love how drums drive the frantic and fun atmosphere at a late-night gig, but there's something special about a stripped-back show when the audience can really listen to the voice and lyrics, AND I'll be finished by 6pm, so your Saturday night will remain young.
What is next for Sophia Scott?
This year I am really prioritising studio time and pumping out more music for my audience to enjoy. I have more songs under my sleeve and ready to go. The release process is quite long and can be rather gruelling, especially when you are independent and self-managed as I am, but I have my foot on the pedal and this year will be my biggest year yet for releasing music. I'm beyond exhilarated to play my debut headline shows this May and look forward to announcing more soon.
As someone who grew up in Ashgrove, The Junk Bar seems the perfect location for Sophia to launch her new single. The Junk Bar is located at Waterworks Road, Ashgrove.
To hear Sophia's music for yourself, be sure to grab your tickets
here Costs are $18.40 plus booking fee. (Note this is an 18 venue). The show on 26 May has sold out but you can still snap up tickets for the afternoon show on 27 May which starts at 3:30 pm.
In the meantime, you can check out more of Sophia's music on Spotify and on her social links
here.
