Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
- We’re happy to be speaking today with celebrated British/Spanish Alt-Pop recording artist Sofia Lafuente; greetings and salutations, Sofia! Before we begin kicking the proverbial tin can down the dusty road, how has your 2022 been treating you thus far?
Hi! Not too bad so far, a lot of new chapters this year which has been a lot of work but also amazing to see come to life.
- Congratulations on the upcoming May 27 release of your brilliant new EP Sofia Lafuente – Habits! What was the genesis of this new EP? How did it come into being?
I wrote the EP throughout the 2020/2021 lockdowns, so a lot of it was actually written remotely. I think it came from the anxiety of being cooped up and a time where all of us had a lot to process.
- Is it fair to say that, sans worldwide pandemic and lockdown, Habits may have been a slightly different EP at the end of the day in an alternate reality?
Absolutely. It’s funny because it’s such a mix of hope and fear. I think subconsciously I was trying to write songs in a way that expanded and looked ahead of the pandemic we were in, but a lot of darker productions probably came from it being a very heavy and confusing time.
- There’s an old saying – “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” yet Habits lovingly argues otherwise. Why is this an important message for you to get across in your new work?
Like pretty much everyone, the lockdowns brought a lot of self reflection. That can take on many forms but I got into a lot of books and podcasts on psychology and this idea of re-writing the patterns in your life. I think all of us have fears that stem from past experiences but that doesn’t mean they have to stay with you forever. There is room to grow and evolve and change no matter what you’ve been through, everyone deserves hope.
- We absolutely love the new track Domestic Bliss from the Habits EP. Is there a Secret Origins story on how this song and how it came into existence?
Thank you! It honestly is one of those songs where we just got lucky. This was written over zoom and the producer started building that ebauidyil freamy synth sound, and then the melodies just fell out. It’s all based on a true story too, so maybe that comes through..
- Who was your producer on Habits and what did that collaboration look like in the studio?
For this EP I worked with three main producers, GLVS, SHOR and Patch Boshell that are all friends at this point. Because we were mainly in lockdown throughout the creation of th only showed songs to collaborators that know me really well, I trusted them to take the songs and build a production pretty much by themselves and edit the rest remotely. We came together later on to re-do a few vocals but most of the production you hear stayed very close to its original form.
- The sound you achieved on Habits is breathtaking. May we ask which talented lot of musicians contributed in the studio on the new EP?
The producers I work with are also incredible musicians. The piano and guitars you hear all come from them. Sometimes I would send an idea over playing the piano or guitar myself, but I have no problem taking a step back and sticking to direction when the producer is also an amazing instrumentalist.
- How is the Habits EP similar to some of your past work? How is it different?
I think my obsession with confessional intimate sounding writing is probably consistent but the sound grew and developed, potentially sounding a bit more alternative? But at the same time incorporating more real sounding instruments.
- What do you hope fans walk away feeling after giving Habits a few dozen spins?
That’s a good question. I hope they find the songs and stories have multiple layers. I think everytime I listen to songs they tell me more about what i’m going through, or how i’m feeling in the current moment. I hope they just continue to discover new things about themselves with every listen.
- Can fans look forward to seeing you on tour in the coming weeks and months?
Absolutely. There’s a lot of planning going on behind the scenes but if you want the latest news and see announcements just follow me on socials.
- Religion was chosen as a single off of the new Habits EP. What suggested to you that Religion was the spot-on choice to lead the charge in advance of the EP?
I really loved the idea of leading with a bi-lingual track. It felt authentic and it was definitely something different.
- You were born in the U.S. and raised in London. How has this exposure to two different cultures informed you as a musician?
I think it informed me sonically because I grew up listening to such a mix of music, from 70s rock from the US to early 2000s music from the UK. Moving around a lot as a kid also just makes you more of an observer, understanding how different culture codes work so you don’t stand out. I think that really made me try to figure out human behaviour and led me to songwriting.
- As a singer-songwriter, which comes first for you: The lyrics or the music?
This is going to sound like I’m cheating but I honestly come up with both as I go, usually it’s melody first but it always comes with a few key words that end up forming the lyrics of the song. I think melody has a good way of turning your rational brain off so that you can say things led by emotion as opposed to a specific rational thought.
- With the release of the new EP, is an LP to be expected in the near future?
I wrote a lot of music in Covid so I think I’ll be dropping some more songs before an LP but I cannot wait to start writing with that in mind. I love albums and I definitely will be working on one soon, might have started already…
