Spotlight - Sophie Edwards
I met Sophie a few years ago when I worked at Studios 301. She had put a story up on Instagram looking to meet and write with artists in Sydney. I hit her up and we had a little studio session. While it didn’t amount to a song (I hung up my producer cap shortly after to pursue a master’s degree), it did amount to a wonderful friendship and long-term professional relationship. I reached out to Sophie with a short interview request, as I have been watching her career with a keen interest. Enjoy!
Sophie Edwards is a self-produced Australian artist known for her unapologetic music and passion for storytelling through production and lyrics. After earning her Master's in Songwriting and Production from Berklee College of Music in New York, she returned to Australia, where her music has gained significant attention, including regular airplay on Triple J Unearthed. Sophie's career highlights include winning the 2023 Triple J Unearthed Spilt Milk competition, performing at major festivals like Groovin the Moo, and earning a nomination for Young Australian of the Year. She has also worked on notable international projects, such as producing for Kimbra and participating in prestigious songwriting camps. In Australia, Sophie has been a mentee in the Australian Independent Record Label Association's 'Women in Music' mentorship and regularly serves as a lead juror for the Australian Women in Music Awards.
Your vocals are a prominent feature in your music. Can you describe the techniques you use to mix and process your vocals? What tools or plugins do you rely on to achieve your sound?
I think because I am first and foremost a singer, I make sure that my lead vocals are inviting and comforting in the delivery, before we even get to mixing. I like to do lots of weird reverb-ey effects stuff with my vocals to turn them into an extra piece of instrumentation in the overall production. This happens mostly with playing with feedback, reverb tail lengths, and resampling. I think my secret weapon though would be the Granulator II on Ableton- it gets a workout.
How do you see your music and production style changing as you develop as an artist? Are there any new directions or experiments you’re excited to explore?
I think when I was first really diving into production, my songs really used EVERY new skill that I was studying all at once. I love those songs for that reason, but I am looking forward to taking less of a bedroom producer approach and more of a studio engineer approach now that I am working in a big beautiful studio. I am hoping to do more in terms of utilising creative mic techniques, outboard gear, and focusing on real life instruments instead of virtual ones.
“I am grateful to be working somewhere where I generally feel valued and respected, so we can work together pretty harmoniously (pardon the pun). ”
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you? Do you have any routines or rituals that help you get into the creative zone, and how do you manage the different roles of artist, producer, and engineer during a session?
So at the moment, I feel like I am popping my head into lots of different studios in different cities to be able to work with a wide variety of clients. I have a playlist of songs that are full of ideas that I wish that I had thought of, and I find them inspiring leading into a new session. I think coming from a co-writing background I am pretty comfortable hanging out with artists, and knuckling down when we are all in the zone. I am usually working alone, but when I am working with my regular collaborators at the studio that I primarily work in, I feel like we both co-engineer and co-produce; we both have niche things that we are good at, and often fill in each others blanks so we haven’t ever really had a creative clash. I am grateful to be working somewhere where I generally feel valued and respected, so we can work together pretty harmoniously (pardon the pun).
Who is your favourite artist at the moment, and why? How has their work inspired or influenced your recent projects, if at all?
I have a lot, but one artist I always return to is The Japanese House. Any time I listen to their music I can just like INSTANTLY access flow state and get work done, and the music never seems to get old to me. I also really love the new Lizzy McAlpine album “Older”- it is just really beautifully produced to prioritise the story that Lizzy is telling, because she doesn’t necessarily write with traditional pop-music structures, the production had more space to be imaginative and realistic instead of copy-pasting sections too.
Is there anything exciting coming up that you’re particularly looking forward to? Whether it’s a new release, collaboration, or live performance!
I am headed up to my first ever Bigsound next week, and I have also been asked to perform last-minute which is very nerve wracking but exciting. I am really keen to just meet up with a lot of my interstate mates and see some great music. I also am keen to get myself back into the studio and make some more Sophie songs.
