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For ‘Tomorrow’
Singer Sophie Dorsten contemplates her future on new song Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!
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pproaching graduation from Gilbert Christian High School, Sophie Dorsten felt overwhelmed when she thought about her future. The feeling of the unknown worried the 17-year-old singersongwriter. The indie pop/folk singer penned the song “Tomorrow,” which she released in mid-May. “I feel this song could have different meanings for so many with what is happening in the world right now,” Dorsten says. “I do feel it will be alright, but the unknown can be scary. ‘I can hardly breathe now … how do I breathe tomorrow’ sums up my feelings at the time.” A Gilbert resident, Dorsten recorded the song in Nashville earlier this year at
Sound Kitchen Studios with producer Jordan Lake. “We (Dorsten and Lake) connected really well,” she says. “It was my first time recording out of state. He brought a lot of creative aspects to it. I had no idea what to expect. When I went there, I had no music plan in mind. I didn’t know what instruments to use. I brought my brother, Alex, who also plays guitar, to Nashville. When I walked in, all these live performers were already there—a drummer, bassist, piano player.” Dorsten knew she wanted to be a singer since the sixth grade, when she looked up to Selena Gomez. Since she was 13, she has released a handful of EPs and singles, including the collection “Roses.” “When I was little, Selena Gomez was my inspiration,” she says. “She was everything.” Now she’s into Billie Eilish’s voice and “unique style.”
“I love her voice. I think it’s a unique style. I like her music lately. My favorite band is From Indian Lakes. They’re a pretty small band, but I would love to collaborate with them.” She graduated on May 27, just as the quarantine was winding down. Dorsten says she handled the pandemic well because she’s an introvert. “It’s easy for me not to be around people,” she says. “I have my family at home. It was a nice time to write songs, and I also do paintings. It’s been pretty
chill.” Come fall, her plans are to attend community college for two years so she can focus on her music. “Music is just a passion for me,” Dorsten says. “It’s a different world for me. I love songwriting and expressing myself through music. I want people to hear my music.”
Sophie Dorsten sophiedorstenmusic.com/home
THE ‘JANITORS OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS’ Pop Evil’s Leigh Kakaty will do anything to keep rock alive Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!
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op Evil singer Leigh Kakaty takes offense to the phrase “rock is dead.” “Rock bands have been toward the bottom as far as other genres are concerned,” Kakaty says. “We all need to remind each other more than ever that we make great music and do great things. We do our part to be rock crusaders with education and interviews. We’re taking it one day at a time, so to speak.” As part of the crusade, Pop Evil has released a twin assault of singles—“Let the Chaos Reign” and “Work”—from its forthcoming, untitled sixth record. “Let the Chaos Reign” is Pop Evil’s heaviest single and encourages the listener to meet any challenge with courage and strength. “Work,” on the other hand, takes flashes of EDM and layers it with heavy guitars and a grooving rhythm. Kakaty says the two songs explore the duality between the “way left and way right” that Pop Evil explores musically. “That’s what we wanted to double down on on this album,” Kakaty says. ENTERTAINERMAG.COM
“We’re the only band that can give you that yin and yang. I always think about what we can do to better our live sound. We don’t want to play the same song over and over. We want peaks and valleys, ebb and flows.” With the new music, the COVID-19 pandemic played a hand in the music— but the fans did as well. “The fans inspired this new music,” Kakaty says. “When we were out there trying to put this record together, we wanted to put it out with a mission statement. We started to demo the infectious riff of ‘Chaos,’ and it snowballed into this anthem—this ‘me vs. you’ type of persona—that’s so fitting now. It’s been an ‘us against the virus’ all around the world.” Collectively, the band’s previous five albums account for over a million copies in worldwide sales and more than 600 million streams. Like its previous records, Pop Evil is excited to show its growth on the new album. “There’s a maturation process when you’re on to the sixth, seventh, eighth album,” he says. “After the fifth album, we were motivated to do different things and do different sounds sonically. “If you listen to most Pop Evil albums,
it’s like a greatest-hits record. The songs sound a lot different, but there’s a melodic chorus and a key in my voice that brings it all together.” Kakaty isn’t tired of carrying the rock torch, but he is frustrated with his fellow rockers who don’t help support the cause. Bands should do their part to inspire fans to listen to rock and encourage those from other genres to come on by. “New bands, they have to understand it’s not like the heyday,” Kakaty says.
“Rock ’n’ roll isn’t dead. We’re not all rich and famous and on TV. We’re the janitors of the music business. We work weekends, holidays and all night. We don’t get a break as a rock or metal band. We’re not one-hit wonders. We didn’t get that one song that made you famous. We’re going to keep putting it out, and you’re only as good as your last song.”
Pop Evil popevil.com
