Sophia Cruz Interview | Respect The Artist
How did you get into creating?
When I was little, I loved writing poetry. I eventually found my singing voice listening to artists like Gloria Estefan, Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. Marrying the two led to my expedition into composing music. Creating for me is an everlasting journey and I think it's important for everyone to create in some sort of capacity. At the moment, I'm delving into producing my own Lo-Fi songs, which I think I might love just as much as singing!
Where are you from?
New York City. (Also, my favorite place on the planet!)
What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?
I was trained in classical opera as an early teen and did vocal training for Broadway. I also took years of piano, which really helps in the song creation and music production process.
What does your current setup look like
My home studio consists of a Macbook, a scarlett audio interface, a neumann mic, logic pro x, a midi keyboard and rokit speakers.
Who inspires you?
I'm inspired by anyone who isn't afraid to be themselves. From a musical standpoint, I'm inspired by people like Beyonce who own their personal power and inspire others to do the same. You can tell that she works so hard on her craft and she always puts her best foot forward. I think she's an epic role model. In general, I also love artists who use their platform for activism to make the world a better place.
What is your goal when you create?
Art is such a beautiful, mysterious thing. Whenever I create, I tap into this flow that feels like nothing else. My goal is to take all of the emotions and thoughts swirling around in my brain and translate them into musical poetry. Whenever I release a song, I love when someone comments on how it makes them feel because my intent is to spark the imagination of the listener. It's like I'm baring the depths of my soul with a complete stranger and when they confirm that it's impactful to them, or helps them, then that is the most rewarding for me.
What's your go-to song right now?
I have so many different songs that I'm listening to at the moment, but I really love Rufus Du Sol's live set from Joshua Tree. They are one of my favorite artists and they have way of making music so that you feel like they are speaking to only you. The visuals are also so beautiful.
What is some advice you would give to someone with a dream?
Stop worrying about what other people think. If I could go visit a younger version of myself, I would tell her to stop worrying so much about the approval of other people. Having a dream and working hard on that dream is something super admirable, so don't ever let anyone tell you how to live your dream.
Listen to your gut and your heart. It's important to honor yourself and the things that you love. If you love doing something, then just do it. It's like the quote from Saul Bass "I want to make beautiful things, even if no one cares." It's not about the audience, it's that you listened to your heart, shut down critics and did it anyway.
Tell us about your most recent release
I recently released an acoustic song called "Cloudy".
The song is about loving a person so dearly, but inevitably it would never work. It's about having a cloudy mind from a broken heart. In actuality, I wrote the song about. New York City. The lyrics of the song reference a blue aura and grey eyes and these represent the skyline of the city and the buildings. NYC can be a tough place to live and even if you love it dearly, sometimes it just doesn't love you back. It's a song about unrequited love, but loving fiercely in spite of it.
I'm really excited about this song because I've teamed up with a bunch of talented producers who are releasing remixes of the song. I also have my own lo-fi version as well.
Share a link to your most recent release
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