ONE ON ONE: AN INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIE POWERS!

THIS IS HIVE MAGAZINE, I’M DANNI BAKER AND IM HERE TODAY AT SLAMDUNK FESTIVAL WITH THE ONE AND ONLY SOPHIE POWERS. HOW ARE WE DOING?

Sophie: I’m doing good, how are you?

I’M GOOD THANK YOU! HOW HAVE THE SETS BEEN SO FAR GIVEN THAT IT’S YOUR SLAMDUNK DEBUT?

Sophie: I think the sets are good based off the fact that my ears are ringing!

THAT’S ALWAYS A SIGN OF A GOOD SHOW I BELIEVE.

Sophie: Yeah! I mean everyone here is so talented though, and so nice! I love British people.

I HAVE TO ASK THOUGH.. NORTH OR SOUTH?

Sophie: I think there were more people for me here today which is why I’m going to say.. North?. I don’t know where I am right now. I’d say North because of where I am today, but both were great!

IS THERE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE UK AND US CROWDS DO YOU THINK?

Sophie: pfft is my hair.. Silver? Yeah big difference, not in a bad way though. In the UK I never know what I’m going to expect, they started to clap on their own today, I was like “okay.. okay..”, Whereas in the US it's more instructional.

I FIND THAT A LOT, ESPECIALLY UP NORTH PEOPLE ARE MORE ENTHUSIASTIC AND UP FOR IT.

Sophie: Well then I’ll come up North more!

TO BE FAIR THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED THE UK YOU WERE SUPPORTING PVRIS, AND YOU DIDN’T GET TO PLAY UP NORTH.

Sophie: Is Manchester considered up North? Can I tell them this story?

OFCOURSE!

Sophie: Like fifteen minutes before I’m about to go on stage, we’re doing soundcheck. It was supposed to be a line check slash sound check. Water starts pouring down from the ceilings of the venue, we had to pull all the cables.. Everything, shows cancelled. The roof caved in because of the rain, isn’t that crazy?!

THAT JUST MEANS YOU HAVE TO COME BACK TO MANCHESTER.

Sophie: I will, I think I will. United used to be a team I liked, but now I don’t keep up.

AS WE’VE MENTIONED, YOU’VE TOURED WITH SOME INCREDIBLE ARTISTS LIKE THE AFOREMENTIONED PVRIS, SCENE QUEEN AND NOAHFINNCE. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE TOUR OR ARTIST YOU’VE TOURED WITH?

Sophie: I think I would say my own headline tour, and that sounds narcissistic, but I’ve done so many support tours with so many amazing artists, that I genuinely couldn’t pick one. And gaining the power to do my own mini-headline, even though it was only five shows.. I’m gonna do a bigger one hopefully soon but, even though it was only five shows it was really empowering.

I THINK PLAYING TO A CROWD WHO KNOWS YOU AND ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE MUSIC, IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. THEIR SO MUCH MORE UP FOR IT AND ENTHUSIASTIC.

Sophie: Exactly! And After years of supporting, like two or three years.. 8 months a year touring, five months a year touring.. That was crazy.

AN “I MADE IT” MOMENT

Sophie: No I was just like “Why are you guys here, go home”.. I’m just kidding.

YOU HAVE AN INCREDIBLE BAND, ALL WOMEN. YOU’VE TOURED ON SO MANY AMAZING LINE-UPS WITH AMAZING WOMEN. ARE THERE ANY FEMALE FRONTED BANDS OR ARTISTS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHOUT OUT?

Sophie: I’d like to shout out the Nova Twins honestly, cause I think they’re dope! I would also like to shout out The Beaches band. I think they’re really cool. God there’s so many. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Pacifica? Two girls, I believe they’re from Argentina but they’re awesome too!

I THINK YOU KNEW THIS QUESTION WAS PROBABLY COMING.. BUT THE AMERICAN IDOL AUDITION. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE YOU WERE GOING TO DO IT?

Sophie: I honestly didn’t decide. The casting director reached out to me on DM and I had a label at the time, so I said “I can’t do this, I have a label”. I’m independent now, but they do this audition process six months in advance. And she was like “Okay, but if you drop out before the top 25 you can still do it” and I was like “wait…”. And then I was like “aww but I can’t do the music because they’re under the label” and then I was like “wait, I can make this as a joke and still gain exposure for my actual music”. Long story short that’s how it happened.

WHAT WAS THE REACTION TO IT FOR THE MOST PART? AS YOU SAID IT'S GIVEN YOU EXPOSURE. HAS IT BEEN MOSTLY POSITIVE OR?

Sophie: So positive and I’m very thankful because people had gone to my ‘Move With Me’ that I released that same day, and instead watched the music video for that. And I did a massive rebrand, I just dropped a song called ‘XO’ with RJ Pasin, I’m not sure if you’ve heard it, but that’s kind of.. People were really surprised and they listen to my old catalog and they were like “Wow! She’s actually really good”, and I was like “Guys! I did it for the bit”, that’s what I’ve been saying.

TALKING OF THE REBRAND THAT LEADS ME ON QUITE NICELY. WE HAVE THE NEW ERA, NEW HAIR, EVERYTHING GONE OFF THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEN YOU RELEASED ‘MOVE WITH ME’, WHICH IS SO HIGH UP ON MY ‘ON REPEAT’ I MUST SAY – I WAS SAD I DIDN’T GET TO HEAR IT YESTERDAY.

Sophie: Really? Awee thank you so much! Honestly It didn’t feel right for this crowd, it’s so.. Dance?

I TOTALLY GET WHY. IT JUST MEANS YOU HAVE TO COME BACK!

Sophie: I guess I do have to come back! I don't know.

YOU DID PLAY SOME NEWER SONGS AS WELL THOUGH, LEADING ON FROM THAT, WHAT’S NEXT WITH THE NEW ERA? ANYTHING YOU CAN TELL US AT LEAST.

Sophie: Well if Gwen Stefani doesn’t sue me then I’ll release my ‘Just a Boy’ flip, but before that I have a song coming out June 20th – I played it during my set. And I also have a lot of collaborations coming up that I’m very excited about with international artists, which is so cool and, yeah I think this year is going to be good. I’m working towards a miniature EP that I’m probably going to release in the Fall or early 2026.

A LOT OF REALLY EXCITING STUFF!

Sophie: A new song like every month basically.

MY FINAL QUESTION FOR YOU THEN IS, WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR?

Sophie: By this time next year I want to have a song under my belt, that I know if I’m an opener of a show or a festival, I don’t know and they don’t know me, they know that song and I can watch them say the words to that song. I don’t know if I have that yet, I might or maybe I’m just oblivious, but that’s kind of my goal for this next year and to push myself as an artist in that sense.

I LOVE THAT ANSWER – THANK YOU MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH ME.

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