Q&A: Sophie Sutton
Berlin may be the capital of electronic music, but it’s also a melting pot of creative minds of all kinds and beyond the beats and the clubs there’s also a very interesting music scene. Sophie Sutton is definitely one of those artists that you’re happy to discover. No surprise that she has been carving out a reputation as one of the premier artists to watch in the Berlin music scene since she landed in the city. Often compared to artists such as Lily Allen or Lianne La Havas, Sutton, armed with an immediately recognisable voice and her witty yet cutting snapshots of life in the real world lyrics, is definitely a talent in her own!
Days before opening for the album release and farewell concert of ‘Me & the Monster’, Sophie took some time to respond to some questions. Continue reading to get to know her a bit better and don’t miss the chance to see her performing live at the House of Music on April 23rd!
What a time to be alive! After countless restrictions, natural disasters and now a war not far from our borders, these last two years won’t be something that we’re going to forget easily. Despite all this, how are you and what kept you moving these last two years?
Sophie Sutton: “Really, really crazy time. I feel a lot of empathy for us all. Actually, it's been a really rough couple of years but I am good! Ready to throw myself back into gigging, recording, traveling, touring and reconnecting. I feel like we all just need to reconnect and ground a little bit after all of that. And in regards to what has kept me moving the last two years, my dog mostly! Her name's kiwi. I adopted her in September 2020 so she is indeed a Corona dog. And she's amazing, I love her so much! I was also recording a lot last year which just gave me so much purpose and was very energizing. I also feel like it's been a great opportunity for all of us to just learn how to take better care of ourselves and it has helped me to mature.”
Coming from Wales, how did you end up in Berlin in the first place and what is keeping you here?
Sophie Sutton: “Yeah, good question. The reason why I came to Berlin it's actually quite an easy response. I think I don't like to admit that I like German but I did German at school and college and I just had a real interest in the language. So I knew that I wanted to live somewhere in Germany for like a year just to really hone my German speaking skills and I also wanted to be somewhere where my music career would have a chance to flourish. Moving to Berlin seemed a really natural move. “
“But to be honest (moving abroad), it's a huge adjustment. It still is, after five years. There's still so many things that I'm not used to. If you move outside of your home country, it's always gonna feel a little bit strange and you always feel a little bit like an outsider. But I think what is keeping me here is that I've met so many amazing, fellow outsiders and as an artist I feel I've done a lot here. My career is based here and it would be a really hard transition if I were to, for example, go back to the UK. So that's definitely something that keeps me here, friends and music.”
The Spring has brought the sun to Berlin and live music is finally back to the city. Two reasons to celebrate. And it's precisely your upcoming show supporting MATM next April 23rd one of the first ones we’re gonna have the chance to attend. What connects you with ‘Me & the Monster’?
Sophie Sutton: “Super looking forward to the show! ‘Me & the Monster’ are going to be amazing, I'm sure. I met Nico (voice and guitar ‘Me & the Monster’) a few years ago when he filmed a live session for me and my band at the famous gold watch. And he also worked on a much bigger live session in UFO studios for good on Cornell's project, which I was part of. And then, Andrea (voice and percussion ‘Me & the Monster’) came over to walk my dog when I had Covid About a month ago, which is so nice of her. Thank you, Andrea! And musically, I saw ‘Me & the Monster’ play in Mary Antoinette a couple years ago now and I was just so impressed and uplifted by the energy, the enthusiasm, the performance, the musicality and what they were doing with melodies, the fun rhythmic elements and the creativity of the outfits. It was all just amazing!”
We recently knew that in addition to presenting the songs of the soon to be released album, the show at ‘House of Music’ will also be MATM last concert as a band since they have decided to split ways. It’s definitely gonna be a very special show. What are you preparing for your performance, any hint of what we are going to see and listen to?
Sophie Sutton: “I don't like to prepare too much for shows beyond the setlist, and even the setlist I'll write it at soundcheck. I have my songs and I bring whatever energy I feel I have on the night. I just try to be as honest as possible with the audience because that's where I'm able to address the vulnerable or fun side of myself. Sometimes I can have a really shitty day and have some sort of heartbreak story so I just tell the audience about it, they relate to it and we can have a little laugh together. It's usually quite a healing experience and I feel it usually goes better when I haven't prepared too much.”
We just missed an opportunity to see you playing for ‘Outer Sound’, and besides the upcoming concert with MATM, do you have any upcoming shows where we could see you?
Sophie Sutton: “I actually don't have anything lined up. I just played a few gigs which was really nice but right now I'm just sort of focusing this summer to record and get music out there so I suppose after that I'll tour with the next thing I release with my band, which will be really fun. Other than that some solo gigs will pop up here and there, sometimes at the last minute but for now I've only got this great gig with ‘Me & the Monster’ coming up on the 23rd. You should be there!”
With the exception of the recently released ‘Wake Up’ from the Ufo Sessions, you have not released new music since 2020. Any upcoming releasing or collaboration plans you can tell us about?
Sophie Sutton: “I released two EPs when I was 18 and I'm 25 now. So that's a really long time when I've just been gigging and busking. I've done a couple of singles here and there but my primary focus these years has been on performance. However now it's on recording. I've just been given a grant from Initiativ Musik and I'm gonna be able to fund my next EP through that, which is amazing. I'm recording five songs in the form of an EP with a producer called Brian Trahan. I’m really excited to release the songs into the world because I'm really proud of them. So you definitely expect some single releases perhaps by the end of Summer.”
To start finishing this questionnaire, festnoise is about music but we pay special attention to music festivals so in this regard, do you have any good, bad or fun memories of experiences in a music festival you want to share?
Sophie Sutton: “When I think of my experiences at music festivals, I think of cider festivals. I'm from the west of England and there are farmer festivals everywhere. So it just brings me back to drinking warm cider at those day festivals which are always lots of fun and they're so wholesome and cute.”
“When I was 17 I won a competition to support a folk band called The Wurzels, whose songs are about tractors and stuff like that. They're amazing and that was lots of fun! It's a story I tell anyone who's also from Devon in England.”
Which are your favorite festivals as music fans and in which ones do you dream of playing at?
Sophie Sutton: “Hmm, as a music fan it's been so long since I've attended a festival that I'm really gonna have to think about this. Hmm, about four years ago I remember going to the Sziget festival in Budapest and staying there the whole week which was super intense but so much fun. Other than that, and besides a few festivals over the years when I was 16 I worked for a catering company for festivals, called the Italian kitchen. They were doing a circuit of festivals around the UK and Ireland. That was fun. And of course I dream of playing the iconic Glastonbury which is not very far away from where I'm actually from.”
Sophie Sutton will opening for ‘Me & the Monster’ on Saturday April23rd at the House of Music (Berlin). More info and tickets here: gigsforyou.live
