Sophia DeLeo Interview
Sophia DeLeo is a rising singer-songwriter based in New York City, known for her ethereal vocals and deeply personal, diary-style lyrics. Her music explores themes of womanhood, trauma, and healing with fearless honesty, earning her critical acclaim and a growing fanbase. She just returned with a new single titled “Peter Got Engaged”. Following the release, we caught up with the talented artist to learn more about her artistry, the challenges she faced, and what’s coming next for her.
- Can you share how you first discovered your passion for songwriting and storytelling? Was there a pivotal moment or experience that set you on this path?
I’ve been obsessed with telling stories since I was a tiny little kid and I was always making up my own songs to sing around the house. It wasn’t until I was a teenager though that I began to take it seriously. I was seventeen and had just started teaching myself to play guitar when I experienced my first ever heartbreak and suddenly all this music just came pouring out of me. I would spend hours in my childhood bedroom writing and singing…for a few years, that’s all it was too. I kept all my songs pretty close to my chest, but when I started playing them for some friends in college and seeing their reactions, that was when I knew I had something special. That’s what really prompted me to start releasing music and playing for the public.
- Your music is often described as “diary-style” with “complex narratives”. How did you develop this personal and intimate approach to songwriting?
I think it really all goes back to the fact that I started writing primarily after my first heartbreak. Songwriting really became a coping mechanism for me during that time. Now, music is always the first place I turn to when it feels like my life is falling apart, even before I turn to a journal or anything. So I guess that’s why a lot of my songs feel like diary entries—it’s because they really are. And there’s not much craft to it either, I really just sit down, strum some chords, and let the words fall out of my mouth. That’s when I feel I always do my best work as a songwriter.
- What artists or experiences have shaped your musical style and inspired you to tell stories through your songs?
When I was first starting to write songs I was listening to a LOT of Keaton Henson. His music is so sad, but it’s the simplicity of a lot of it that makes it so gut-wrenching. I’ve tried to carry a lot of that with me, especially when writing about some darker stuff. Anaïs Mitchell is a big one too, her album The Brightness is a favorite of mine. Her lyrics feel like poetry, but she has such a unique voice and these melodies you can really latch onto. And this is a little bit of newer one, but Carol Ades has had a really big influence on my the past few years. Her song “Crying During Sex” really hooked me on her. I saw her live this past November and the way she pours her heart and soul into everything she makes and is unapologetically herself…that’s something I really strive to emulate now when I make music.
- As a New York City-based artist, how has the city influenced your music, either thematically or in your creative process?
I honestly get a lot of my best ideas on the Subway now! And I think there’s something to be said for living in a place where you’re surrounded by creativity. I’m friends with some of the coolest, most talented artists, and we all inspire each other, I think. I always have someone to bounce new ideas off of, and there’s always live music or theatre to go see. It’s impossible to get away from art when you live here, and I think that’s a huge part of what keeps me motivated to keep creating.
- Your sophomore EP 'Drama Queen' received critical acclaim for its coming-of-age themes. What was your mindset when creating that record?
Okay, I’ll try to keep it short since I could literally write a dissertation about this! But basically, it was 2021 and I found myself back in therapy and I was digging up all this trauma from my teenage years that I never processed. All these memories that I had repressed or told myself weren’t a big deal for fear of being labeled a “drama queen.” And it was the height of the pandemic still, so I didn’t have much to do besides sit in my apartment and cry and write songs about how I was feeling…it was a pretty painful time, but it was also a really healing time. I remember my therapist said to me in a session, “You need to forgive your teenage self for all the things she didn’t know,” and that changed my whole perspective. The whole writing and recording process was basically an exercise in self-forgiveness. I remember when the record finally came out, it felt like closure. Like I could finally put to rest that part of me that never got the love and care she probably deserved. She has it now. It’s the best thing I’ve ever made, I couldn’t be more proud of that EP.
- Your latest single “Peter Got Engaged” takes on deeply personal and challenging subject matter. What message do you hope to convey to listeners, especially survivors, through this song?
“Peter Got Engaged” is about sexual assault and about discovering what happened to you years after the fact. It tells my own story, but I also think it tells the story of a lot of women who were taught that SA is a black-and-white issue. Sometimes, SA unfortunately is more gray than we give it credit for, and that’s why it took me so long to come to terms with what actually happened to me. But I hope that in listening to it, fellow survivors who relate feel seen by this song, and I hope it helps them to remember that they aren’t alone, and that it wasn’t their fault.
- Touring and performing live are key parts of your career. How have those experiences shaped you as an artist and connected you with your audience?
My favorite part about playing live is when I play my more vulnerable songs like “Peter Got Engaged.” I’ll sometimes have people come up to me after songs like that and thank me for giving voice to something they couldn’t put into words. It’s a gift to be able to do that and to connect with an audience in that way. I want everyone at my live shows to feel like they’re just hanging out with me rather than watching a show. So I try to be as authentic as possible. Sometimes I’ll cry onstage when I’m singing a song that I really connect to, and sometimes that’ll open my audiences up so they feel like they can cry with me. My songs are meant to elicit emotion, and if I let my guard down, it lets people know that they’re safe to let their guard down too.
- What challenges have you faced in being so vulnerable in your songwriting and how have you learned to embrace that openness?
A big challenge for me has been learning to give myself time to process before taking a really vulnerable song like “Peter Got Engaged” public. Because I write from personal experience and because so many of my songs are so raw, sometimes it is too soon to perform them live, or too soon to release them. I have to be prepared to answer questions about my lyrics or be able to perform a song without completely falling apart before I can consider letting other people hear it. That’s why it sometimes takes me so long to release music—it’s because I’m looking out for my own mental health. I’m trying to be better about that, but it’s tricky.
- As an artist who often delves into themes of womanhood and healing, what do you hope your listeners take away from your music?
That it’s okay to be soft. You can be soft and powerful at the same time, you know. I was afraid being soft would make people think I was weak for a long time, but it’s actually a very brave thing to be soft.
- After the release of “Peter Got Engaged”, what can fans expect next from you?
I have a song coming out in April that I wrote and recorded with my good friend Jacob Shipley! And I’m hoping to have another single of my own out in June this year. For my NYC listeners, I also have some live shows coming up: one at Arlene’s Grocery on February 13 and at the Brooklyn Artery on March 20 with Lily DeTaeye. Follow me on IG @sophia_deleo to keep up with updates! Or join my mailing list
