With a deep voice and lyrical mastery, Indiana-based singer/songwriter Sophia Stephens is entering the scene in full force with her latest release, an electrifying album, titled “Love & Grief”. Ever since she could figure out how to use a pencil, Stephens has been journaling music and she has since impressively completed around 500 songs.
“From a very young age I have always loved performances and singing,” shared Stephens. “My family can tell many stories about how I would sing and dance for them, and once even reenacted the entire Disney Frozen movie. However, until I was a fifth grader and auditioned for my school’s musical, no one knew that I could give a real performance. During my first audition, I managed to get the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast and, soon after, I fell in love with the stage.
Tracklist:
- Muscle Memory
- Get Go
- Up in Flames
- Love & Grief
- Enough is Enough
- Things Will Never Be The Same
- Little Things
- Time Passes by
- I’m Still Here
- Beautiful Life
The album ranges from pop, rock, to indie, and soul. Each song tells a different story with a new flavor of music, but still maintaining the lyrical genius that Stephens has become famous for. She is inspired by Florence and the Machine, Lorde, Hozier, and Adele. At only 17 years old, she released her very first EP “Remnental” and she’s now moving on to release her debut album “Love & Grief”, which we are about to delve deep into.
For instance, “Enough is Enough” takes a rock turn that is described as one of the favorite things that Stephens sang on the whole album. It has a chant-like chorus, and eloquent harmonies that are appealing, along with lyrics that speak deep to your soul.
“For the rest of my time in middle school, when I was on the stage it was for theater,” continued Stephens. “Despite this, I was filling up entire journals with song lyrics. When COVID hit, and I was stuck in my bedroom for almost two years, I spent most of that time focusing on writing. I taught myself guitar, experimented with production, and found my style. Now, songwriting is second nature to me.”
The album’s title track “Love & Grief” is more on the softer spectrum of the album, which features effortless falsetto notes by Stephens. As for “Little Things”, the song starts off with the piano and acoustic guitar tunes that draw you into the story.
Talking about “Little Things”, Stephens shared that “this song was one of the more challenging ones for me to record vocally, because I wanted my voice to express love,” and indeed, the happiness bleeds over into her vocals. Although perfecting that sound was a challenge, once she finally found the style, recording went smoothly.
Last but not least, “Beautiful Life” ends the record on a beautiful note indeed. The ballad was created by producer Anthony Galatis, and it carries a heartfelt message that we will all eventually pass, so it’s crucial to look back on your life without any regrets – especially when you’ve had plenty of love.
The song features Stephen’s ethereal vocals, but this time, the lyrics might bring you to tears. The electrifying electric guitar takes you on a climaxing journey that slows down near the middle of the song, before picking up the pace near the end to wrap up the album on a high note.
“I’m scared. Are you scared?” sings Stephens. And no, Stephens. With your music easing our love and grief, we don’t feel afraid anymore to face the world headfirst!