EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sophia Scott Chats Backstage @ C2C Festival

This past weekend C2C Festival took over the O2 Arena in North Greenwich with the event running until Sunday. Music & Tour News were lucky enough to land media access for the three days and caught up with Sophia Scott backstage.

You released your debut album ‘Barstool Confessions’ last year, how did you find that process and the fan reaction to the record?

It’s been so great. It was a very cathartic therapeutic album to write, especially during the time I was going through last year. I told my publisher at Warner Chappell that I’ve never been so grateful for songwriting. I think a lot of people who are going through a break-up don’t necessarily have that emotional outlet. So to have that was really nice and then to share it with people who maybe don’t have that outlet was cool, and a beautiful way to connect.

Was there one song in particular that you found particularly difficult to write, but knew ultimately that it needed to be on the album?

Watering Roses, which was a last-minute addition to the album cos I wrote it at the tail-end of my own situation but I felt like it was perfect to have on there and talk about. Yeah, it’s interesting, when I first started playing it it was really hard to sing but now I feel it’s not as hard to sing so that feels like personal growth.

How have you found the fans’ reaction to those types of songs?

Really good! I was on tour at the end of December with Alana [Springsteen] and there were people that were going through divorces or like hard breakups and stuff and those conversations mean so much to me just to know like even if it touches one person it means the world to me and makes me feel like I’m not just singing into the void.

What was that tour like for you?

Oh so fun. She’s literally such an amazing salt-of-the-earth person she’s so nice. She’s incredibly professional, incredibly hard-working, she’s super fun. Her and her whole team were so kind and just so lovely. I couldn’t say enough nice things about them.

Do you feel like the London and Nashville audiences differ in the way they react to these songs?

Oh my God, well I’ve only played one show yet but it was really special. They were so engaged. I feel like people in Nashville hear live music and country artists all the time, all day every day so it takes a lot to keep their interest sometimes unless they’re like tourists but that (London show) was really special I felt like everyone was really engaged and really listening and singing the words. Some people came up to me after and this girl like ran after me and was crying and I was like “Oh my God”, and then I started crying it was so sweet. They feel very loyal.

What would you say has been your biggest lesson and learning curve from the process of making this album?

I mean it probably sounds cliche and I know that vulnerability is such a buzz word but I think that was the toughest part for me, like how do I be honest about what I’m going through and share it in my songwriting and then sing about it. My ex and I are still on really good terms and it was like his family is gonna hear this and my family are gonna hear this and our friends and I was worried about the people close to me judging me or being offended or hurt. But I think when I was able to step outside of that and recognize that this is my job. I’m a songwriter and this is what I do I have to talk about my emotions and there’s a classy way to do it, so I had to learn to walk that line and be vulnerable and not feel like I’m sharing anyone’s private life, that was probably the hardest part.

So, what piece of advice would you give to that person at the beginning of the process now that you’re out the other side?

I would say “just write the song cos starting by just writing it, you don’t have to release it you don’t have to do anything with it but I think it’ll open up a realm of opportunities. Just write the song, you don’t have to share it and then you might, once you have the song be really proud of it and then you can decide what you want to do with it. But don’t put walls up on your emotions because you’re afraid”. Cos for me it’s even scary to write it cos you think someone’s gonna hear this and they’re gonna do this but you don’t have to do anything with it. I think just starting the process of tapping into your emotions is just a good exercise as a songwriter, no matter what.

Do you have a favourite lyric from a song you’ve written recently?

I just played this one, it’s called Wildflowers and the lyric is “thank God for heartbreak showers cos now I’m growing wildflowers”. This is my healing era.

When can we expect new music from you?

Hopefully April or May. That song [Wildflowers] in particular.

What do you think the biggest inspiration will be from this UK trip that you’ll take back to Nashville?

Honestly, just soaking in the energy of the crowd. Just being on stage, seeing these fans that I’ve just been DM’ing for literally 10 years. Like this guy just came up to me and he was like I’ve been following you since ‘China’, which was my first single from like 2016 that was like a joke, I’m sorry and I’m pretty sure only played on YouTube. I was like “you have not been following me since then” and he was like “Seriously, yes”. So, to put a face to those names, like I said earlier it feels like they’re so loyal and special. Someone was saying earlier that they care about the deepcuts and that couldn’t mean more.

How would you sum up your sound to listeners?

Well, this new batch of music is going to be more like rootsy and soul-bluesy country with a lot of live instruments and a lot more choir background vocals. Barstool Confessions was more Shania, or Carrie Underwood inspired and this would be almost more old-school Bonnie Raitt inspired. So country-soul I guess.

What are you hoping to achieve in the next five years in your artist career?

I mean, I would love to make some money, haha, just kidding. There are some venues that I would love to play. I would love to headline my own tour and release quite a few more bodies of work. There’s a bunch of people I’d love to collaborate with, the list is high. I feel like it’s just gonna keep changing.

What would you say has been your biggest challenge as an artist?

I mean, being a female is tough as you know. That is hard, I think I’m kind of an outside or it felt like I was an outside coming into Nashville so that’s been kind of a tough hill to climb, still is but you gotta keep one foot in front of the other and keep going. I’ve been trying not to compare myself to other people and just be really supportive of other people. Comparison is the thief of joy as they say. So, I’m trying not to get too in my head about that.

How do you feel you have evolved as a person and artist since you began this journey?

Man! I feel like I’ve evolved more in the past year and a half than I have in like the 10 years prior to that, like any hard life situation will do that to you. But I feel like for the first time I’m just really discovering myself, it feels like it’s taken a long time to get here but it’s nice. I don’t know what I would do without music, it’s the only thing that doesn’t let me down. It’s always changing but there are so many different eras of me as a person and as an artist that go hand-in-hand.

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