For Sophia Stel, music starts from a feeling before anything else. The Vancouver artist has created a dreamy and intimate sound, with flecks of indie rock and distorted pop. Her music feels diaristic without becoming overly explanatory, personal while still leaving enough space for listeners to find themselves inside it.
As her notoriety grows, Stel chooses to stay evasive and lets her music speak for itself. Instead, she continues to prioritize instinct, building songs, visuals, and worlds around whatever feels most exciting in the moment.
How has your relationship to music changed as more people have started discovering your work online?
I’ve tried very hard to let it not be affected. In some ways, it feels exciting to make music that people might listen to, but at the same time I try really hard to continue to make the things that I ultimately really want to hear.
Your music moves across a lot of different sounds and moods. Do you think about genre at all while you’re creating, or does it happen more naturally?
I don’t think about genre very much. It just doesn’t feel so relevant these days. I really like to blend lots of things and at times I’m more excited by certain sounds or instruments, so I just try to go with what I’m feeling most excited by.
I usually write from a specific feeling, but sometimes the meaning behind that feeling becomes clear to me later. My music is very personal. It feels very specific to me, but I want it to feel open-ended for others so they can apply their own life experiences to it.
You’ve built a strong visual identity alongside the music. Do visuals and aesthetics come naturally as part of the process for you, or separately afterward?
They come very naturally. I’m always thinking about visuals as I’m making songs, and just in general as I’m living my life. I’m always noticing things that I want to include or keep track of.
A lot of artists feel pressure to constantly share themselves online now. How do you balance visibility with keeping parts of your life private?
I think social media is a good tool to share things and meet people, but I’ve always been relatively private online.
I don’t mind explaining things when I’m asked directly, but overall I think letting the work speak for itself is important.
Do you think younger audiences are connecting differently to music right now compared to even a few years ago?
I think people are really into discovery right now, which is cool to see.
Live performance and internet discovery feel much more connected than people sometimes think. I feel like people care a lot about being in person, so those things go hand in hand. When you find someone online whose music you like, a lot of times you want to go to a show too.
Ryley Paskal
Future of Music is about artists shaping what comes next. Do you feel like your role is to challenge expectations, or simply make work that feels honest to you?
Make work that feels honest to me, but I’m always trying to challenge myself.
What does success mean to you right now, and what are your thoughts on the future of music in Canada?
Financial stability and making music that I really like.
There are a lot of great people in Canada right now making great music. I think people in positions of power need to put a lot more money and focus into underground spaces and DIY communities.
