Inspired #422 - Sophia Amato
With her sophomore EP ‘Ny/Lon’ due out next week - multi-talented artist Sophia Amato has teased us with the title-track from the release.
Fresh off the success of her latest single "ICONS" multi-talented singer-songwriter and creative powerhouse, Sophia Amato, is back in the limelight with her exhilarating new single, "NY/LON". Surfacing as a stream of charismatic consciousness, listeners see Sophia Amato traversing sonic vibes of two iconic cities, New York and London, and finding her place between them as she builds towards her forthcoming EP.
She took a moment to talk to us about the inspiration behind her music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
Freddie Mercury for his boldness crossing over genres. Also his stage presence. Especially now there’s so much technology available, and audio effects, I really respect the ability to fill a stage with pure vocals and energy.
Lauryn Hill - her tone, her lyricism. She’s a big influence for me. I would watch her MTV unplugged performance every day.
So many more, but right now I’m listening to a lot of Peiro Piccioni. He’s an Italian film composer who created all these lush classical orchestrations with jazz and bossa influences. 'Easy Lovers' is a great song!
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. I love Shakespeare and this direction - and the soundtrack is one of my favourites! It had so much range. It was one of the first films I was hooked on so many elements.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
It changes. I fall in love with cities. I like getting to know them like my own, then once I do I tend to move on. Maybe a bit of a nomad.
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
So many people, but as a collective - artists. I’m always so impressed seeing creatives hustling and working on their vision. It requires so much vulnerability and discipline to share personal work, but it has such an amazing power in connecting people.
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
I was watching 60's films like Jason and The Argonauts and Cleopatra, and wanted to bring that old Hollywood orchestral sound into NY/LON. Harps, horns, strings…there’s something romantic and epic about that era of film. I was also watching a lot of Björk music videos at the time, too! So these all fed into the sonic world of NY/LON.
How would you like to inspire people?
By staying curious and playful in storytelling. There are so many ways of communicating. I think everyone’s a creator, and should have some sort of creative outlet.
