You may have seen this adorable blonde walking around campus, juggling a full class schedule while also being involved in campus organizations, yet I bet you didn’t know you were rubbing shoulders with a future star. Sophia Rose is a Junior here at UNH, and also an incredible singer and songwriter. She is such an unbelievably humble and sweet girl with an intoxicating passion for music and poetry. I was lucky enough to have a chat with her about her success in the industry thus far, and where she hopes to go from here.
When did you first start singing?
To be honest, I first started singing last fall around when school began. Of course prior to that I would always hum tunes to myself, or sing quietly in private…but I never before had I taken the initiative to explore my voice or figure out my own style. I first discovered that I really liked to sing when a close friend gave me one of her poems and asked me to turn it into a song on the guitar. When I showed her what I had done with the poem, I sang it for her so she could hear the way it accompanied the guitar. She responded with such support and encouragement to keep singing that I just began turning all of my poems into song. I became more open about singing as the year progressed, and began showing more and more people my songs in an effort to gain feedback and see if this was actually something worth pursuing. I knew I had found my niche when it got to the point where every weekend people would crowd around and listen to me play, forcing me to jam out song after song. There’s nothing more gratifying than sharing a piece of your soul with others and having them enjoy it in the way you hoped they would.
What do you love most about singing?
It’s not singing itself that I love, but rather the words I am expressing when I sing. I don’t think of myself as a singer, plain and simple. I think of myself as a poet who further embodies the messages of my poems by putting them to song. When I sing, I put my heart into it.…not because I want to impress people with my vocals, but because I want to verbalize every emotion running through me. In complete honesty, I don’t think my voice is anything out of the ordinary; I think people enjoy listening to me because they can hear me speaking from my soul.
I heard you just got signed to a label! Can you explain to me the process and steps you had to take to get there, how it feels to be signed, what the label is and what your requirements with them are now?
I really try and keep my status with the entertainment industry under the radar. I love playing music and I want to do it forever, but I also don’t want people to have any pre-conceived notions [based on my success]. I want people to hear my music and form their own, honest opinions about me. In short, I just happen to get connected with the right people and one thing lead to another. Someone heard my music online, and the word spread to the CEO of this label in Colorado. He contacted me and expressed interested in my music and asked if I had already been signed etc…I gradually became progressively involved with that label, and went down to Colorado this summer to record a demo. During this process, I met the Vice President of the entertainment company, AEG, and he took a liking to my “style.” I have been writing songs for him and the music portion of AEG, and we have a couple projects in motion right now. My main focus with the label right now is writing music. I have almost 200 original songs, and the label keeps eating them up! I initially entered this world with the understanding that I would be mostly behind the scenes writing songs for other artists, but the more my voice develops the more they want me to go solo. So, I am now in the process of building my performance confidence and trying to establish myself as an artist. I feel very fortunate to have had such great opportunities this early in the game, for I know there are a lot of artists out there much more talented than me who are still struggling to make it. I am not sure what will unfold in the future, but not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate all I have been blessed with.
I’ve also heard you write your own songs, how long have you been writing songs? Where do you draw your inspiration for your songs?
I’ve written poems my whole life. As corny as it sounds, writing has always been my outlet in life—a way to escape. It wasn’t until last fall when I learned some basics on guitar that I realized how easy it was to convert a poem into a song. I then began writing all of my poems to the accompaniment of a guitar and low and behold, I was writing at least one song every day. I write poems/songs as a way of relieving stress because getting my thoughts down on paper always seems to take the edge off of a certain situation. My song ideas stem from a multitude of things…I write about everything from my own personal experiences, other people’s experiences to what I see on the news. I find it’s the easiest to write a love song, but you can only write so many of those before you’re sick of the lovey dovey crap. After getting fed up with “cutesy” songs, I started exploring topics like the war, the superficial expectations of society, family relations etc…I think I’ve probably written a little bit of everything. Sometimes I will start to write something, totally lose inspiration, and then a month later return to the song and have an entirely new outlook on it. As mentioned before, I think the only reason people like listening to me play is because I sing about things that they can fully relate to. Furthermore, I like to write about issues that actually mean something, unlike the party/dance music you hear on the radio, which incorporate a total of 5 words about getting “messed up”. In any case, I am a prolific writer, and I am just lucky enough to know a little bit about voice/guitar to make use of my poems.
Do you have any performances, shows, open mics, etc. coming up?
I hope so! Now that the label wants me to start going solo and coming out as an artist, they made it very clear that I have to get on top of my game and start performing as much as possible. All of this is still so new to me that the thought of performing at public venues is scary! However, I know that if I want to keep following this path I have to develop my confidence and strengthen my stage presence. I have been offered the opportunity to tour in Europe next semester, so if I choose to do so I definitely have to step it up a notch! In the mean time, I want to start getting my name out their locally. I have a fan base with my friends and my sorority sisters, but I want to start reaching out to complete strangers. I LOVE playing and I always play for anyone who wants to listen, but I have nothing formally planned out. I would love to do something on campus. I feel like the music life of UNH is lacking and it’s time we start getting some UNH talent out there; I have met so many individuals this year who have blown my mind with their talent. If there’s ever an opportunity to jam out for UNH students, I’d do it in a heartbeat! Music is my passion and I want to share it with anyone out there who wants to listen.
Sophia Rose is currently in the process of scoping out open mic nights and performance opportunities in the area. Keep an eye out for performance announcements around campus, or even on the T-hall lawn, strumming on her guitar and gathering a crowd! This is only the beginning of her amazing adventure, and I have no doubt this girl is going places. You saw it here first, our own UNH Campus Celebrity! If you’re interested in hearing her play live or obtaining a demo, you can contact her directly at: sophiarose369@gmail.com