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18-year-old singer-songwriter Sofia Donavan recently released the follow up to her debut EP ‘Square One.‘ Her 2nd EP ‘Left To The Clouds‘ is a blend of country, folk and pop- it is pure and raw captivating goodness.
GroundSounds recently caught up with Sofia to talk about her latest project, future endeavors and more check out the exclusive interview below.
For those just discovering Sofia Donavan, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started in music?
I started writing songs at around 12. Until then I had only messed around creating short songs about funny things but I also loved writing poems. Then when I was 13 I had to undergo an operation that gave me a lot of recovery time and a lot to write about. I think that was the first time I really felt I had something to say and since then I have used songwriting as one of the best forms of therapy.
What has it been like living between London and Vermont? How often are you traveling between homes?
I just finished my freshman year of college so between that, recording and playing shows I only really go home during Christmas and at some point during the summer. I think the two places are as different as it could be but I have loved moving to the US. Even though when I’m in school I am hidden away in a small town away from most of society, I’ve found it such an inspiring and secluded place to write music. It’s also been great introducing my music to friends and playing shows on campus frequently.
Can you tell us about working on and bringing your sophomore EP ‘Left To The Clouds’ to fruition?
This EP is a collection of songs I wrote during the last 1-2 years. When I began working on the EP Jason Elgin, my producer, and I sat down and listened to over 60 rough demos of songs I had written over the years eventually cutting down to the final 5 you hear on the EP. Once we decided on the songs we were going to record we played around with different ideas for the sound we wanted to give this EP and listened to a lot of other artists like The Civil Wars and Alison Krauss that inspired the alternative country sound we ended up pursuing.
Can you tell us about recording in Birmingham, Alabama and working with producer Jason Elgin?
It was an incredible experience. I’d never been to the South and considering how inspired I am by Americana and Country music it was so exciting to go to the birthplace of that kind of music. Working was Jason was also fantastic. He’s so incredibly talented and one of the most genuine people I’ve met. I had never had the chance to work with such professionals before. It was very easy to work with him because he immediately understood the sound I was going for and helped me take the songs to the next level.
What inspired the EP name ‘Left To The Clouds’?
The title comes from one of the songs from the EP. For me I think this song and this line in particular means that sometimes you have to have some sort of faith in how things turn out. I know I have a habit of trying to control certain aspects of my life and this was a song where I wanted to accept the fact that sometimes it is better to leave it to time or the ‘clouds’ in the sense that you just have to let things happen.
What inspired the track “If It Wasn’t for Love?”
‘If It Wasn’t For Love’ was actually inspired by the story of my grandparents’ life together. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year and as their present I decided to perform a few songs for them and my family. While I was practicing for their celebration I was also in the midst of planning out what songs I was going to record in the EP. We had a lot of good songs planned as backups but we seemed to be missing a more upbeat, happier song. Then I started messing around with some chords and ended up writing the song. This was probably the fastest I have ever written a song to date. It took me a few hours to write, I recorded a demo, sent it over to Jason and immediately knew this is the song that had been missing from the EP.
What is it about the country/folk/pop sounds that attracts you to it?
I grew up on a lot of great folk singer songwriters like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and I’ve always loved the storytelling that you can hear in folk lyrics. Then when I was around 12 I fell in love with Taylor Swift’s music. As I grew older I discovered country through researching people who had influenced her like the Dixie Chicks and Faith Hill. Then I would look up the musicians that had inspired them like Dolly Parton and Johny Cash and through this I learned a little about the history of country music. I think what attracted me the most to these genres is the storytelling that is present in their lyrics especially in folk and country. Simple and honest storytelling within songs still continues to be one of the things that inspires me the most.
Can you tell us about the creative and writing process involved with your track “Note To Tennessee?”
The initial idea for ‘Note To Tennessee’ came about 2 years ago. I wrote it during a time when it really dawned on me how difficult it would be to achieve my dream of being a musician. From this feeling I got the idea to try and write a story about unconditional love as a metaphor for the fact that no matter how much you love or give to your passion you can still end having never ‘made it’ in the music industry. Then before I went into the studio I decided to change the chorus a little bit to create a more complete sounding song.
What musicians/bands are you currently listening to?
Right now I’m loving Elle King’s album ‘Love Stuff’. I think she has a fantastic voice and has created a really cool sound that reminds me a little of Amy Winehouse. I’m also a huge Kacey Musgraves fan and can’t wait for her new album to come out this summer. That girl writes the wittiest most beautiful country songs I’ve ever heard.
What’s next for Sofia Donavan? What can fans look forward to in the future?
I’m really excited to gig now! I’ve spent most of the year working behind the scenes on the release of the EP so I’m really happy that people will finally be able to hear it! I’ll be focusing my summer on playing shows, promoting my new EP as well as traveling to Nashville for the first time, which I am really looking forward to.
