Meet Sophia Center

We recently connected with Sophia Center and have shared our conversation below.

Sophia, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

Growing up, I was in one of those stereotypical middle school bands with my best friend. We started writing songs together, played at local coffee shops, and became the go-to entertainment at our school’s events. It was my first time writing with another person rather than just alone in my room, and I absolutely loved it. As an extremely introverted and insecure kid, though, I found the performing aspect to be a lot harder. Seeing this, my dad signed me up for a teen improv class at LPN Studios in hopes that it would break me out of my shell. The one thing he just happened to forget to mention until the drive over, of course, was that this specific class was full of insanely talented, working actors with years of experience under their belt. Up until the very second I grudgingly opened the car door, I was pulling out every ounce of the argument skills I learned from my couple weeks of debate camp to somehow get the car to turn around. Luckily, I was awful at debate. Thinking back to that first day, trembling as I walked into the black box theater and unable to speak, I had no idea that improv would be such a huge contributor to my gaining confidence and finding my voice. The great thing about improv is you can’t really mess up. Once I realized that improv is just a contained version of life put on a stage, my mindset about performing and even going about my day-to-day life became less about what others thought and more about having fun. I ended up spending 5 years in that class, 4 of which I would still get stomach aches beforehand because of the nerves. I still get stomach aches before going on stage, but by the end of the first song, I’m only having fun.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a singer-songwriter from Pasadena! I make indie-pop music about everything and anything that enters my mind as I go through the 20-something-year-old teenager experience. If you’re a Joni Mitchell, Gracie Abrams, or Pheobe Bridgers fan, I think you’ll like my vibe.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until the boredom of the 2020 pandemic got to me that I decided to release music. Since putting out my first song, the most special part has been hearing how people resonate with my music. I would be writing and singing even if no one heard, but the fact that people not only listen but connect with the lyrics is always an incredible feeling.

Right now, there’s a lot in the works! I’m releasing a new single July 10th and going on a short California tour at the end of July. I also just came back from New York where I was recording an EP with some really amazing musicians, Toldeo and Bloomsday, which is scheduled for release in the spring of next year. I’ve been playing around with a lot of different sounds for a while now, but this new era of music feels the most true to me, so I’m excited for everyone to hear it!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The first three things that immediately come to mind are nerve, openness, and networking. Being a young woman of color in a traditionally white and male-run industry can be quite a daunting experience. I am also, by nature, a very introverted person. So, as you can imagine, it wasn’t always easy for me to project my voice in spaces I should have or put myself and my songs in front of strangers. I would tell anyone starting out to have the nerve and be loud. The most rewarding experiences I’ve had so far have come from when I wasn’t worried about stepping on toes or embarrassing myself.

It’s also important to stay open. So many times, I was convinced I wouldn’t like something or was too scared to venture out of my comfort zone, and every time, I was proven wrong. Music, and honestly life in general, is all about experimenting and having fun. It’s within the misses that you find the gems, so stay open-minded and try everything once- it might surprise you what ends up working.

Knowing and utilizing the power of networking is probably the biggest lesson I had to learn and am still learning. Talent and work ethic are great, but at the end of the day people want to work with those who are enjoyable to be around. So be a good hang, collaborate as much as you can, stay kind, and maintain the relationships you make. The industry is small, so knowing even one person can lead to so many other amazing people and opportunities.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I started in music through writing and singing, so naturally, they are more of my strong suits. But, I’ve always admired the artists who are able to participate in all aspects of the creative process- knowing how to play an instrument, produce, or direct their own music videos. So, I’ve made an effort to learn how to play guitar, start finding my way around music production softwares, and study filmmaking. It’s important to me that everything I do stays authentic to who I am as a person and artist, and strengthening my knowledge in topics that are more foreign to me has made it easier to communicate my vision. I’ve also noticed that it makes collaborating with other musicians, producers, and filmmakers a lot more fun because we’re able to bounce ideas more naturally. And being the youngest in a lot of rooms, it’s cool to be able to prove I’m supposed to be there.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Grace Rynerson
Sophia Chew
Kaylee Scott

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