Sophia

Sophia

Untamed Performer, Sensual, Homebody

“I used to come here for pride during College. I have this vivid picture of getting to Lafayette and Broadway and feeling so overwhelmed. I remember seeing the people, the cabs and the billboards. I remember thinking it was the most magical place I’ve ever been. I had to come back here.”

“To get to where I am has been the craziest ride, but I always followed the path of what I wanted to do. Because if I didn’t I would have been further away from Lafayette and Broadway, you know. Now I work there.”

“I saved up $700 from a summer job and came to New York. I got a room the size of a closet in Bed-Stuy for $500. I couldn’t afford a cab ride, so I would ride my bike home, over the Manhattan bridge, arms up in the air. Free riding, drunk. My eyes were open. All my senses were open for the first time in my life.”

“I was assisting working for a catering company at some Ralph Lauren event years back. I was like ‘I’m going to be a guest at these parties one day. I don’t know when, but I will.’ I moved on from catering, figured out I could sing, time went on and then I got invited to this exclusive party. I went over to the bar and realized it was the same catering company I was working for at the Ralph Lauren event. It was one of those moments! I was on the other side.”

“I’m a downtown, rock scene kind of girl. I like to spit and stick my tongue out on stage. People should leave my concerts feeling inspired, that they can to do anything. Like ‘She was up there looking crazy, and she wasn’t scared’ Obviously I am scared, but you can still do it.”

“I just did a gig in a $35 million apartment. They rented real people as props - I was one of them. They had me out at the patio to show the people who had just bought the place how they could entertain.”

“New York says: ‘Tell me what you’re good at. If you’re good enough, I’ll show you that you can do it.’ You have to be more than good though. You have to be good enough! There are plenty of places in the world where being mediocre is totally fine. New York is not that place.”

“New York when it’s raining at dusk, that’s my favorite. I also have this almost sexual fetish with smoke and the giant traffic coins attached to the sewer. They’re like seven feet high with orange and white stripes and smoke just pours out of it. If it’s raining and I see one of those things at 5 or 6 p.m.... It’s a really special moment for me.”

Q&A

“I know what it’s like to be on fire, and I want to live like that all the time.”

What neighborhood do you live in? I currently live in Gramercy. I’ve moved at least once every two- three years for the last 10 years. From Flatbush to Clinton Hill to Kips Bay, Chelsea and more. I’ve been moving around like this since I was born, so it’s no wonder this city’s madness feels like home.

Best thing about living there? The best thing about Gramercy is the architecture. You can’t say much good about the noise and air quality but walk to any of the avenues and look up and you say ‘oh right! that’s why”.

Favorite neighborhood in New York? My favorite neighborhood in Manhattan is Nolita.

Favorite street to stroll? I love a good Chinatown stroll. All the goods are cheap and the sensory overload is quite the treat. It’s also very fun to guide visitors through that area because they get to see Chinatown, little Italy, bougie old Soho and grungy Lower East Side. It’s a convergence of a thousand ‘flavors’ in the span of a dozen blocks.

Favorite restaurant? A family owned Peruvian joint called Chimu. I have a plastic V.I.P card.

Favorite bar? Any dive with a pool table can call itself my home when the mood is right. But not everyone likes to play pool or is as good as me so I often end up in a speakeasy where the drinks are as mixed and intoxicating as the women.

Hidden gem? So many! If there’s live music, that’s a plus. I love The Mckittrick Hotel, Duane Park and The Box for that reason. Those are also places I’ve performed at for many years. Miss Lilly’s is always fun. There are so many new gems to discover that it’s hard for me to be a regular. I prefer to be everywhere, all the time.

How to be(come) a New Yorker? In New York you can become anything you want. For all intents and purposes, when you’re here, you are New York because you are contributing to the wonder of it as a unique human. But unless you were born here, you’re an implant, technically not a New Yorker.

Your New York soundtrack? There are a few songs that, when I hear them today, deliver the smell and the place where New York and I created a memory together. Turn Me On by Black Coffee feat. Bucie, Blues in the Night by Dinah Washington, Come Together by The Beatles.

5 THINGS THAT TELL A STORY ABOUT SOPHIA

MIC/GUITAR ”As a musician, music is my life. There’s the kind that I enjoy listening to and the kind I make. With the mic and guitar, I have an amplified voice. It’s the way I communicate.”

CELL PHONE “I’m always on the go and without this little pocket computer I wouldn’t get anything done. I put it on airplane mode as a rule from 12:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. but after that, it’s where I keep books, music, storage, answer emails, make playlists, tune my guitar and learn while I’m flying.”

CALENDAR “The one thing I can’t organize on my phone is what my month of work looks like and my thoughts. I collect physical calendars and notebooks which help me manage my scattered brain.”

JAPANESE INK & PAPER “When I discovered Japanese calligraphy, it suited the style and, like writing songs or playing guitar, it puts me into a meditative state and is an ultimate happy place. The fluidity of the calligraphy ink and wooden brush is so sexy and the artform reflects my aesthetic taste overall.”

HEADPHONES “Since I’m always on the go, I can’t always be reading so being able to listen to podcasts, audiobooks and music while blocking out the city’s noise and distraction is essential. Plus, it’s an excuse to ignore the cat callers.”