Sophie Bernice is an indie-folk singer/songwriter composing ethereal music inspired by the likes of Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell and Alice Phoebe Lou, around themes such as human emotion, spirituality and the natural world. She is currently based in Liverpool and performs frequently across the UK. She was selected to be part of the Sound City Training programme this year, as well as the Size? Artist Development programme, and has played shows including Sound City and Sofar Sounds.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hello Sophie Bernice, it's a pleasure to speak with you. What first got you into music?
It’s a pleasure to speak to you too! I got into music at a very young age, I was singing as soon as I could talk and I’m not entirely sure what exactly got me into it. It just felt very natural for me to be creating music I suppose.
How do you balance your time in the studio with other commitments such as a part-time job, family, admin?
I haven’t been the best at this recently but am working towards finding more balance in my life at the moment. It can sometimes feel like so much is demanded of us in this world and it can feel so overwhelming. I feel the most balanced when I am putting my own well being first, which for me involves doing yoga/meditation almost every day, and then I can work more efficiently from a more calm and focused place. I just try to do the best I can and then give myself time to rest.
'Sunny' is your most recent single. Can you tell us about its history and whether anything remarkable happened during its creation?
I wrote the track one evening after a blissful shroom trip. I wasn't feeling like myself during that period of time, and my self esteem was low. The trip took me to a meadow of sunflowers where I met 'The sunflower lady', who I fell in love with and made love to. It was then revealed that she was in fact the highest and purest version of myself. The experience showed me the core of myself, and permanently changed my self-perception, allowing me to see myself through kinder and more loving eyes.
Tell me about the biggest difficulty you've ever gotten yourself into.
I suppose it would be mental funks as oppose to anything in the outside world. Just trying to navigate the chaos of my own human consciousness! I have definitely come a long way in understanding myself, and what I need to feel calm. I am learning to see life simply as an exploration, an adventure, which takes a lot of pressure off.
You live in United Kingdom. What do you enjoy best about this country?
England has some really beautiful parts. What I enjoy most is probably the greenery, the smell of the air in the countryside, the creative people around Liverpool (where I live) and my loved ones.
Does your family share your interest in music? What are their thoughts on your work?
My family love music too and my dad plays guitar. They are very supportive of my creations.
Can you describe your finest performance in your career? How do you recall it?
I’m not sure I could pick just one! But two that come to mind from the past year would be Sofar Sounds and also Sound City. Both had such a warm atmosphere and were full of good people who just really love music.
Do you have any interests outside from music? If so, could you please introduce us to them?
Like I mentioned before I try to do yoga/meditate every day to keep myself grounded. I also do reiki and I enjoy cooking.
Who is your dream musician with whom to work, and why?
It would probably be Sufjan Stevens. I love his work so very much and it has moved me so deeply.
What are your plans for the future?
In terms of musical endeavours, I will be releasing a 5 track EP early 2023. I’m also currently looking to record some new music that I have written to hopefully release shortly after. I have so much new music written actually, and I’m so excited to dip my toes into new realms and explore new sounds.