I first met Sofia Baer at a summer camp in upstate Pennsylvania. I was attempting to be that cool art teacher who let kids do whatever they want and she was a camper that was definitely way cooler than I was at her age. We would spend art periods on the lawn with a bunch of kids and we would sit around chatting about life and I would have my little ukulele by my side. We talked music frequently and I could definitely see a passion in her eyes, so it’s no surprise to me that four years later, she’s off writing her own music and making a name for her.
Sofia is one of the most talented young musicians that I’ve seen and she’s also one of the most humble and down to earth. We recently caught up to chat and talk about life, her musical career and her most recent single “Flat Earther” which we’re premiering exclusively here on Stitched Sound. You can check out the interview below and follow Sofia on Instagram and Soundcloud.
Jess – What is your name, age and location?
Sofia: My name is Sofia Baer, I am nineteen. I go to school/live in Burlington, Vermont but I grew up in South Jersey.
J – How long have you been pursuing music and what is your goal or what do you hope to achieve with your music?
S: I have been playing guitar and writing music since eighth grade, but I really got seriously into writing music my sophomore year of high school. My goals for my music are to diversify my sound and to create music that is out of my comfort zone. I really want to collaborate with other artists and gain insight into other people creative processes. I also really want to record a song with the proper equipment, or anything other than my iPhone.
J – Do you have a common theme to your music? What inspires you to write songs?
S: Most of my songs are about love interests. When I am interested in someone my feelings go crazy and I end up writing a song about them. I gain inspiration from being in college and all the crazy things that come with that.
J – What is the songwriting process like for you? From the conception of a song idea to the complete recorded version?
S: My writing process is pretty bare bones. The notes on my phone are filled with song lyrics and ideas, but I usually will write an entire song in one sitting. once I have tweaked the lyrics a bit, I sit down and figure out the chords. I always write the lyrics before the music. My recording process is pretty basic. I use the voice memo app on my iPhone and record the song there. It takes me a few tries to get the song perfect, then I upload the song to Garage Band and put in finishing touches.
J – How would you describe your musical style? Who are your musical inspirations?
S: I would describe my musical style as indie-pop with a folk twist. My musical inspirations are Beck, St. Vincent, Hippo Campus, The Velvet Underground and most of the stuff on the radio. I really love jazz and want to incorporate that into my sound in the near future.
J – As both an aspiring musician and college student, how do you manage both? What is the happy medium that you found?
S: As a college student and a musician, it can be pretty hard to juggle all the responsibilities but my roommate doesn’t mind when I record randomly so, I can write music pretty spontaneously.
J – Let’s talk a little about “Flat Earther”, your newest single. What is that song about and what inspired it?
S:”Flat Earther” is about a girl that I was really into and that still means a lot to me but when we were together, I put a lot of my energy in trying to fix her problems and it ended up blowing up in my face. The song is the dialogue in my head as everything went down.
J – What can readers and listeners expect to hear from you in the future? Do you have any live performance plans in the works or any other singles you’re releasing anytime soon?
S: I plan on continuing to release music periodically and I am working on performing at local venues in the future.
J – Where can listeners and readers find you? Do you have a bandcamp or anything? What social media can they find you on?
S: Listeners can find me on SoundCloud(Sofi5), my Instagram (Sofia_b5) and I will be getting a Bandcamp soon.
You can check out Sofia’s new single, “Flat Earther”, below:
Interview by Jess Williams
Header Photo by Jessie Armstrong
