If you, like us, found yourself inexplicably drawn into the “Group 7” TikTok community at the end of last year, you have singer-songwriter and content creator Sophia James to thank.
She created the seven group on TikTok s as a “science experiment” to promote her single “So Unfair,” and it worked, because we’ve been hooked ever since. The American Idol album, known for her soaring voice and intimate lyricism, was born in Australia and raised in Long Beach, California, where her various influences have helped her curate her unique sound fusing pop, indie, jazz and folk sounds. On March 24, she released the heart-wrenching piano ballad “I Always Do,” ahead of her new EP, The Wrong Shoe Theory, which drops May 1.
It’s an exciting time for fans, as she’ll also be performing headlining shoes at Baby’s All Right in New York City on June 17 and The Echo in Los Angeles on June 26, before releasing her debut album before the end of the year. In the midst of it all, we got the chance to catch up with Sophia and learn all about her story so far as our Woman Crush Wednesday. Read the full interview below.
(Photo credit: Sydney Michaelson)
Name: Sophia James
Hometown: Long Beach, California
Birthday: Sep. 1
Fun Facts:
1. Last month, Sophia released her latest single, “I Always Do,” which holds a very special place in her heart.
Sophia James: When it comes to communicating with a sibling with an intellectual disability, it can be a puzzle for both parties. Add grief into the mix, and it can feel almost impossible. My brother and I have a shared grief over the loss of a parent that shows up in inconvenient ways for both of us. When it catches up to my brother, I never know what to say to comfort him, let alone how to say it in a way he’d understand.
“I Always Do” is essentially what I want to tell him in those moments of overwhelming grief. It is not rooted in optimism by any means, because at the end of the day, he’s missing someone who’s not coming back. There is no way to paint a silver lining over that reality. All I can do is tell him how much I love him through it all.
I hope that it’ll remind my listeners that when we cannot push away the terror of the world any longer, the strongest antidote lies in unwavering love and support from those we hold most dear.
2. She’s a massive fan of comedian Chris Fleming.
Sophia: I haven’t met him in real life, but one time Chris Fleming viewed my instagram story and I fell out of my chair. Thrilled that the world is finally catching up to his brilliance.
3. Her most-used emoji is the green dinosaur 🦖
Sophia: Love that guy.
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4. She loves hot weather—particularly when it’s “one million degrees.”
5. If she could live in any decade, she’d love to go back all the way to hunter-gatherer times.
Sophia: Apparently it was pretty chill and everyone got along for the most part since nobody owned land.
6. She comes from a pet family.
Sophia: My family has three rescue dogs: Colby (pitbull mix), Potter (husky mix) and Rosie (alien wearing a dog costume).
7. Her favorite joke is a wholesome classic:
Sophia: “Why did the man fall down the well? He couldn’t see that well.”
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8. When it comes to the best concert she’s ever attended, it’s a tie.
Sophia: Labrinth’s 2023 Coachella set was the most impressive feat of live music I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. His singing alone would have been enough to stick with me forever, but on top of that, he had a full choir backing him up and a stage design that was so unique that I felt like I had stepped into his own personal creative dimension. It was dramatic, ethereal, the transitions between songs were just as exciting as the songs themselves, and I think about it at least once a week.
The same year, I went to this tiny bar in L.A. called Gold Diggers to watch a secret set by Madison Cunningham. There were probably around 20 people there total. She was putting the setlist together on the fly as she sang and played solo on guitar. It was one of those settings where the songs have to do as much of the heavy lifting as the performance itself since there’s so little to hide behind—and my god, she delivered on both sides. That was the first time I’d ever heard “Dry As Sand.”
9. She says that she’s the world’s worst surfer, but she’d love to get better at it.
Sophia: Sometimes when I need to feel something I watch interviews of pro surfers talking about the serenity of surfing “the tube”. There’s a certain balance you have to strike between surrender and control when surfing that I really revere.
10. Sophia collects flea market rings.
Sophia: Make it under $15 and oddly shaped and I’ll take it.
For even more on the stars who inspire us, click HERE to learn all about singer-songwriter, actor and Broadway sensation Kelsie Watts.
