New Jersey pop singer, Sofia Khorosh (ideally Sof) has lastly launched her long-awaited EP after three (virtually 4) years within the making. Its launch is a weight off her shoulders, and she will breathe simply. She’s seen a swell in her viewers in a really quick period of time and strolling into an H&M in Soho listening to your newest monitor, “Fruit Water SZN” is nothing to not scream excitedly about. However even small victories aren’t gained in a single day, and the journey from “Inertia,” to “Fruit Water SZN” and their last place on Sof’s EP, hasn’t been straightforward.
The method of her EP started again in 2018, simply earlier than Sof was resulting from graduate from faculty. She started writing with a buddy, Mike Smith, earlier than she thought of creating a bigger physique of labor. With no thought what her sound was, and even easy methods to discover it, Sof linked with a buddy of Smith’s, Paul Ritchie. Ritchie helped Sof discover simply what her sound is likely to be, ensuing within the creation of 4 demo tracks. However by the Fall of 2019, she started looking for recent ears, taking what could be her first official single, “Inertia,” to producer Tyler Toomey.
Collectively, Toomey and Sof wrote “Motion,” and “Bloom,” with Toomey co-producing. In March of final yr, Sof linked with Russell Hayden, who helped produce “Motion” and ultimately co-wrote and produced a lot of her EP, “Daybreak.” Sof is beaming. “It’s lastly right here,” she says, “I’m so excited for everybody to hearken to it!”
In essence, “Daybreak” is the musical equal of a novel, with every tune in chronological order in accordance with the previous 4 years of Sof’s life. As a result of the tune placement is so meticulous, it’s her hope that listeners adhere to the order of the tracklisting, even when they’ve heard the earlier singles. With “Daybreak,” Sof is anticipating that folks will be taught loads about who she is and what she’s been by way of. Together with her means to seize moments in time and the emotions related to them, her EP is a strong supply of sentimentality that may resonate with everybody.
Her earlier singles, “Inertia,” “Motion” and “Fruit Water SZN” are already sturdy on their very own, with the power to hold themselves and the tales they inform with out the backup of a whole album. However placing them on “Daybreak,” strung collectively like monumental testaments to Sof’s life, they’re even stronger than earlier than, telling a compelling story of woe, reflection, and empowerment. “Daybreak’ is form of a peek into my mind,” says the singer, “Maybe an intrusive one at instances.”
“Daybreak” highlights the extremes Sof has lived in and the struggles she’s overcome…and a few she remains to be overcoming. “I do know that’s not a person expertise for me,” Sof admits, “Duality and contradiction exist inside all of us, and I feel it’s fascinating to look at either side of ourselves in as sincere of a method we are able to.” [sic]
Appropriately the EP begins along with her basic, “Inertia,” beginning at a low level of melancholy, self-reflection, self-doubt, and whole apathy. “Inertia” nonetheless holds a really highly effective place in Sof’s profession and her coronary heart. Whereas Sof cherishes all of her songs, “Inertia” stands out in a method that the opposite tracks don’t.
“Inertia has a really particular maintain on me as a result of writing it was the primary time I used to be in a position to have a look at myself from a indifferent third-person perspective,” Sof confesses. By means of “Inertia,” she acknowledged all of the grievances and shortcomings she confronted had been her personal, and her duty to bear. “I felt like such a sufferer all my life,” she says, “After I sat down to jot down ‘Inertia,’ this enormous realization came visiting me in a form of eureka second.”
Awaiting the Daybreak… Picture courtesy of Sof, taken by Skylar Watkins.
Crammed with motivation and drive, Sof dove additional into music, decided to see it by way of. “Inertia’ was remedy for me, I’ll all the time be indebted to it. It [“Inertia”] looks like its personal entity at this level.” [sic]
“Inertia” ends, having us leaping into “Motion,” a monitor concerning the uneasy stability of hustle tradition and its impending result in burn-out. It’s an anthem for the fashionable age the place every part looks like a relentless advert interrupting your headspace, urging you to purchase one thing, be part of one thing, or ‘do’ one thing (often promoted by an influencer you’ve by no means heard of). “Motion” correctly leads us to break down, straight into Sof’s beforehand by no means launched “I Had a Dream,” which acts as an intro to its sister tune, “Awake.”
“I Had a Dream” is a really haunting and hypnotic tune. Introducing us to a manic, laugh-cry-scream that’s nightmarish and gorgeously eerie. It begins on a harrowing be aware however by the top, you are feeling as if the management has been reestablished like one would in a lucid dream. On the floor, “Awake” feels like a love tune, however in actuality, it’s about self-reflection. It’s primarily “Inertia Half II,” with out the tough interior critic.
“It’s [Awake”] about following a lifelong dream that hasn’t panned out the best way you anticipated,” Sof says, “and whether or not or not you need to proceed. Even when it means self-doubt, deep unhappiness, and fixed rejection.” Sof has lived her life chasing her dream, and at this level, she’s come too far to surrender now. She admits that it’s extraordinarily tough, “I’d be mendacity if I stated it wasn’t.” (#Ifeltthat).
“Daybreak” ends on a constructive be aware, transitioning to “Bloom” and wrapping up with the upbeat monitor “Fruit Water SZN,” which was launched final yr within the sweltering warmth of summer season. Concluding this cathartic EP on “Fruit Water SZN,” with its message of self-love and care is pitch-perfect. Concurrently, the ultimate monitor mirrors the ending/starting message of the EP’s title, “Daybreak.” Sof stays reticent about this, seemingly expressing a secret smile.
“I can’t say a lot now,” she teases, “I’ve in all probability stated an excessive amount of already!” What may be stated is that Sof has loads in retailer for this yr. And she or he has no plans on holding again, and why ought to she? For now, although, the main target is on “Daybreak,” and it’s every part you possibly can count on from this burgeoning pop star.
“I’m thrilled to have this physique of labor [“Dawn”] out on the earth,” she concludes, “It’s a bit of my soul, and I hope that everybody who listens can discover a piece of themselves in it too.”
*Take heed to “Daybreak” now accessible on all streaming platforms! Sustain with Sof on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, and her web site, Sofmusic.com
** All photographs courtesy of Sof, taken by Skylar Watkins
