We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sophie Seng a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sophie, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
What I’m working on right now is leaving space for my creativity. I’m coming off of this very busy season of releasing an EP and going on my first tour, so now I am trying to make time to reconnect with my creativity. And I’m approaching that with and away from my instruments – sometimes my best most creative ideas come up when I’m walking my dog or cooking a loaf of bread, so I’m leaning into that – trying to stay present, and trusting that the musical creativity will follow. In the past that is what has worked for me – a combination of presence in my daily live as well as a consistent routine of practicing and writing music.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a singer-songwriter and saxophone player based in Austin, TX. My music is honest and heartfelt, and the thing that brings me the most joy is when someone is able to deeply resonate with one of my songs; either at a live show or from a recording. I enjoy making music that is genre-fluid, so my songs span many styles like jazz, rock, folk, classical, alternative, experimental… whatever I feel like the best vibe for the song is.
My latest project is called “Precipice,” released on November 3, 2023. This four-track EP is sentimental, nostalgic, and deeply personal to me. I had been sitting on some of these songs for a few years until the vision for the EP finally came together this year.
The first two songs of the EP, “Precipice” and “Your Story,” are piano-driven songs that I embellished with string arrangements. I love working with strings and had such a fun time writing and recording these parts, plus I got to work with such wonderful players! The strings are really what brought these songs to life for me. “Fake,” the third track, is what inspired a new merch item of mine – a little pin that says “I cried at a Sophie Seng show.” People usually shed a tear or two while I play this, and while I do feel bad about that I also feel so proud and honored that people would resonate so deeply with one of my most vulnerable and personal songs. The last track, “Time Keeper,” is a nostalgic one about growing up too fast – plus it features a little saxophone solo at the end played by me.
This was such a fun project to make, and I hope people continue to enjoy listening to it – I am so so appreciative of the kind words and support I have received so far. I have a music video in the works for one of the songs slated to come out early next year, so stay tuned for that!!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Balance, perseverance, and integrity, if I had to boil it down.
Balance is one I constantly struggle with, but is crucial to have when embarking on a music career. Being self-employed makes it challenging to leave time to take care of yourself during busy seasons, or challenging to motivate yourself during slow seasons. Things will naturally ebb and flow, but I think balance is the key to sustainability while being a musician.
Which brings me to my next one, perseverance. I think today most of us have this idea that you’ll just ‘pop off’ one day, but in reality that is super rare. Most of the time, all you need to build a career in music is patience. Each show, each release, each fan, each new connection is a step towards your goals, and if you stick with it long enough you’ll reach them eventually.
Integrity is another important one. Especially when you so badly want to ‘make it,’ it can be tempting to let that desire muddy up your creative process. Write songs that you feel connected to, and perform in ways that feel genuine to you. That’s what people actually resonate with, not songs that are written to be hits, or fake personalties for the stage. That’s what I believe anyways – I’m still very much in the early days of my music career but so far I have found much more fulfillment while remaining true to myself.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
This last year I have finally truly started believing in myself. I have proven that if I set my sights on something and work really hard towards it, I can achieve it. When I think about where I was at music-wise last year, I truly can’t believe the difference from then and now. Last year I had just played my first gig in Austin, had no plan to release music, and was still finding my footing. Now, 4o shows and one release later, I am starting to see a path forward with my music career. This year taught me that hard work and passion actually do pay off, and the new connections, music, fans, and opportunities this year have been so worth the effort. I don’t know what next year will bring, but I am super excited to find out.
Contact Info:
- Website: sophieseng.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophie_seng/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGaVFkL_POEo4f_gONSS5tg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sophie-seng/sets/precipice
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/7765SCxs2nc9dGY2kn0E1y?si=D0i3sYm0QOC1Y9uCE-_hNA&nd=1&dlsi=423efec5db384d69
Image Credits
pastel portrait edit by Nathan Puckett and Local Offices couch & blue curtain portraits by Lucie Beatrix Open Folk headshot by @annacaterinaphoto live singing shot by @them3market live sax shot by @eyalamsellem_gallery outdoor shot by Nathan Puckett
