Q&A: Sophia James Finds Her Step on “The Wrong Shoe Theory”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY LAUREN SANTIA ☆
Sydney Michaelson
LA-based singer-songwriter Sophia James returns to the spotlight with a newfound sense of empowerment and creative freedom. In her latest EP “The Wrong Shoe Theory,” James builds a sound entirely of her own, blending powerpop, rock, folk and jazz elements.
Since her 2020 debut single titled “Somebody New”, James has amassed millions of streams and has even received praise from Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Laufey and more. Used to being vulnerable and soft in her work, “The Wrong Shoe Theory” stands out as James breaks past her comfort level and experiments with new, explosive emotions to create her most raw and genuine EP yet.
Keep reading for an in depth conversation with James to dive into her creative process, inspirations, the EP and more.
Stephanie Saias
LUNA: How would you describe your sound to those who may not be familiar with you as an artist yet?
SOPHIA: My sound has shifted and morphed throughout the years, but right now, it’s in a place of power pop meets indie meets alt-rock.
LUNA: Who are some inspirations who have inspired not only your latest EP, but also influenced you as an artist?
SOPHIA: It changes every day, but Billy Joel, Radiohead, and Carol King are some of my evergreen inspirations. For this project in particular, I was heavily influenced by the Pretenders, Alanis Morissette, The Beatles, and the Talking Heads. A lot of that 70s-90s powerpop/rock sound influenced my latest work.
LUNA: Could you take us into a deep-dive of your latest EP “The Wrong Shoe Theory” and how this is different from your past projects?
SOPHIA: I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot. While digging back into my old discography, I realized that I used to write strictly gut-wrenching heartbreak songs. I had this notion that a song had to be either heartbreaking or nothing at all. I was trying to restrict myself to softness and reflection. It ultimately restrained my emotions within my songwriting to this one path of tenderness and femininity. I think its what I felt was acceptable for a woman in the industry at the time. With this EP, however, the restriction made me snap. I was finally able to write about all of these buried, explosive and high-voltage emotions. It’s messier, explosive, and more raw than any of my previous work because I was allowing myself to feel all of those emotions for the first time and explore how expansive the emotional palette can be. There’s also so much joy about this EP. Every extreme emotion in the book was put into this EP versus just a singular restrained feeling.
LUNA: What was your favorite part about creating “The Wrong Shoe Theory?”
SOPHIA: I worked with a co-writer (Alex Bilowitz) for the first time on this EP. Previously, I've been kind of a lone wolf when creating music. I had worked with other producers in the past, but this was the first project I made bottom to top with another person. It was really liberating. There are some songs on this EP that I would’ve scrapped had I been working on this myself, but having a second opinion in the room to fight for things allowed me to see the songs in a different light. It also made the process a lot more fun. Working with a collaborator really opens up a playful new world lyrically and plyfully. It was nice to have a fun presence to be around and it allowed me to shift into something more absurd and lighthearted.
LUNA: Where do you see your path growing as an artist?
SOPHIA: I want a lifelong career of either being in the studio or being on tour performing my music to anyone who will listen. I want to do it for the rest of my life. I just want to be making and performing music that I write. I’m excited to see how my artistry shifts over time as well. If all of my wildest dreams could come true, you could point to any given day on the calendar, I would be in the studio writing and recording or on tour performing.
