Introducing South London’s New Rising Talent… Sophie May

If you’re looking for a new emerging artist that delivers warm and heartfelt music, then singer-songwriter Sophie May is for you. Hailing from South London, the young talent first fell in love with music by listening to the soulful sounds of Amy Winehouse. As she grew older, Sophie began to explore her own musical talent – which resulted in her posting original songs on TikTok. Since uploading her first video on the social media platform, the rising artist has gone on to earn over 200k followers and praise from some of the industry’s biggest artists like Billie Eilish and Celeste. With her new singles ‘Bad Man and ‘High Life’ currently making the rounds, Sophie May is getting ready to make her lasting mark in the music sphere. We were able to chat with the talented singer-songwriter about her TikTok musical beginnings, creative process and plans for the rest of 2022. Read the full interview below.

Heya, Sophie! Thanks for chatting with us today. How’s everything going? 

Good, thank you, just gearing up for my next release, which I’m really looking forward to.

Can you believe summer is right around the corner? Do you have any major plans?

No major plan this summer, just ready for the warm weather to arrive.

Let’s take it back to the beginning. What is your earliest memory of music and falling in love with it? 

One of the earliest memories I have is listening to Amy Winehouse’s ‘Tears Dry On Their Own’ on a car journey and finding it really moving. As well as confusing because I couldn’t wrap my head around the metaphor and took it all quite literally.

What album or artist(s) did you gravitate to whilst growing up? Any guilty pleasures that still reflect on and play as an adult?

I loved the soundtrack to Submarine by Alec Turner. Those songs opened my eyes to the way lyrics could be written. Without rules, I guess. I still love that soundtrack.

How did you fall into the music industry and become a recording artist?

I started posting clips of my songs on TikTok at the beginning of 2021. One seemed to connect, and I gained a wave of followers overnight. That encouraged me to write/post more. Seeing as it was still lockdown, I had a lot of free time on my hands which meant I could solely focus on that. Since then, I’ve been introduced to sessions and collaborating with other people. It was a great year of learning and writing.

How would you describe your sound in 5 words or less?

Nostalgic, romantic, moody, melodic?? with comedic moments (i like to think).

We need to chat about your debut single, ‘With The Band’– it’s absolutely fantastic! Can you take us through the creative process for the record? 

I started writing ‘With The Band’ after talking to my friends that had been reminiscing on our lives back when we were 18/19. They kept saying how fun it was, but I kept thinking the opposite. We would date these awful guys in bands, and it inspired the theme of the song. I started recording a demo in my old bedroom using a podcast microphone that my brother had given me.

You also released a video for the record? What theme or message did you want to explore with this visual?

For my music video, I wanted to show how it feels to be trapped in one of your first relationships. Specifically around the late teens/early twenties. I often felt helpless, grasping at straws and waiting around for these guys that didn’t care about me. Keeping it confined to the bedroom gave it that claustrophobic/angsty feel I was going for.

Alongside your immersive single ‘With The Band’, you dropped ‘Bruises & Scratches’? What inspired you to release these two tracks together? 

For me, the two singles felt like they existed in the same world. Bruises And Scratches seemed to be a real favourite when I first posted it on TikTok, so it felt right to release them at the same time. Especially after people had been waiting so patiently.

With four singles making the rounds, when can fans expect a longer project like an EP or album?

That’s what I’m working on currently, releasing more singles to create an eventual EP.

We hear that Billie Eilish and Celeste are big fans. How does it feel to be supported by some of the industry’s biggest artists? 

It feels extremely gratifying to have an artist I look up to and respect pay any kind of notice to me. Slightly surreal, but lovely.

What else can fans expect from Sophie May in 2022? 

More songs!!! Done the hard part of doing that first release, but now I feel like I’m on a roll and can’t wait to release more. As well as some possible sneaky live performances.

Lastly, what type of overall impact do you want your music to have on fans and the industry?

If people find some kind of enjoyment from my songs, that’s all you can really hope for.

Make sure to listen to Sophie May’s two new tracks, ‘Bad Man’ and ‘High Life’ here or below.