Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat Sophia.
Hi Kat, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Yes! I make music, so I guess I’ll start at writing songs. I started writing, I believe, because I felt outside of the world for most of my life. My goal is to understand myself better, and in turn, get you to understand yourself better. Whether that’s music, or a conversation I have with you. I kind of want, whether I’m speaking or singing to you, to sneak my way in and spark thought, and know more. I always loved narrative writing as well, and wrote a lot of stories growing up, one summer I read over two hundred books. I was not cool. Still not cool, but less books.
I think a lot of my background and life shows in my music, I don’t think you can really separate life from music. Like, narrative storytelling is in my songs for sure, and so is my desire to get to the bottom of things. I ask a lot of questions, and I didn’t know that until everyone around me told me, which is hilarious. From what I’ve seen, people like being listened to, though.
As for how I got to where I am today, a lot of driving to LA from OC, but I now live in LA so that’s less of a hassle. A ton of live shows, I’d try to get multiple a week. Writing so many songs, learning everything I could. I make my own merch too, which has been really fun, since I always thought my passion for crafting would amount to nothing.
I’ve been able to talk to a lot of fans of my music through speaking with them after my shows, and people will tell me the sweetest things. I love when people tell me my songs make them cry, because it describes a family or romantic relationship of theirs so well. I remember all of them. I love making people cry, it’s the best.
I feel like more is said sometimes with these people in these one off conversations than with co-workers or students in school that I’ve known for years. Art is a great wall destroyer.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a bit of a struggle, although I mean that more emotionally. I am extremely fortunate and appreciate being able to even pursue music at all. But, growing up, I was extremely shy and didn’t like being perceived by people. I very much prefer being alone, reading or writing, or with one or two of my closest friends, talking until four in the morning. When you make music, if you want it to become lucrative as an artist, it’s generally a good idea to play shows and show people your music. I love playing shows now that I’ve done it a lot, but I’m still working on believing that others would want to hear my work. It was so private, and something that felt like my little world, so letting people see it and feel it is both the most amazing feeling in the world, but also a bit terrifying. But I’ve always thought that I’d rather people not like me for my actual thoughts and feelings over anything else, so in a way this is a way to do that.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an artist and songwriter, and I specialize in indie, indie-pop, singer-songwriter, and alternative pop music. My lyrics have a lot of wonder, and they are usually described by others as really raw and real? Which is a funny way, I think, to describe words. I agree, but at times I think I hide in them a lot too.
I also am a journalist, a writer and photographer for The Santa Barbara Independent, and people will also reach out to me and say they are a fan of my work there too, in addition to the people who like my music, which is fun.
This is a hard question to answer, but I am most proud of how I have been able to pursue music despite not really having known how previously, and being extremely scared to do so. I am really proud of the songs I’ve written and made, and every time I get closer to expressing exactly how I feel and think, I feel closer to myself, which is really cool. I struggle at times to do that, unless it’s through music.
In terms of what sets me apart from others, I think my work ethic and my determination to be authentic. I really love meeting other people who are similar in that way! I love that every song is written by me, and is a true experience that I have had. That’s what I love most about my favorite artists.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
When I was in high school, I was in this class where we would play a cover of a song as our exam. I went to this performing arts high school called OCSA (Orange County School of the Arts). I had this group of friends that knew I liked to write, but I had never really completed a full song. When the teach came around to take down the name of what song we planned to perform, I said “sorry, I don’t know yet.” The whole ordeal made me quite nervous. My friends kind of teased me, saying I should play one of my own. The teacher said “you write songs? Yep, I’m putting you down for that.” He walked away as I started objecting.
The day of the performance, I finished half the song in the hallway right before I was supposed to play it. I wrote it with my good friend outside. That’s how I came up with the first song I ever wrote, “Fade Away.” I used that song to book so many gigs, and I now close every live show with it. A ton of my music friends have said they wanted to work with me because of that song. I’ve booked jobs with it, gotten into programs, made exes cry when I show it to them…it’s crazy how a little support and encouragement from the people who love you can do.
That’s my favorite music memory, because of the emotional weight? It proves to me that people care about me, which is something that’s hard for me to fully feel at times.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katsophia.bandcamp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katsoyeehaw/
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7D5Uii0nmQgdZJLkEcF5Bz?si=jN8vZt0ARxiFYbW9MELjfQ
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kat-sophia-shen-5783a8205/
- Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kat-sophia/1672959916
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnG41XAjVgMrcFCuXh_e52g
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093585590247
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kat-sophia
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@katsoyeehaw/
Image Credits
Diego Andrade, 1 & 4.
